When a family member dies due to someone else’s negligence or wrongful act in Oakwood, Georgia, surviving family members may pursue a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for their profound losses and hold responsible parties accountable. Georgia law provides specific legal remedies for families who have lost loved ones through preventable deaths.
Losing a loved one unexpectedly creates emotional devastation that no amount of money can truly remedy, yet wrongful death claims serve an essential purpose in our legal system. These cases recognize that when someone’s negligence or intentional harm takes a life, the surviving family members suffer measurable financial losses alongside their grief—lost income, medical expenses, funeral costs, and the loss of companionship and support that person would have provided for years to come. Georgia’s wrongful death statute acknowledges this reality by allowing families to seek compensation that addresses both economic damages and the full value of their loved one’s life. Beyond financial recovery, wrongful death claims create accountability for dangerous conduct, sending a clear message that negligent behavior resulting in death carries serious consequences. This legal mechanism often becomes the only path families have to obtain answers about what happened, to see justice served, and to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families in the future.
If you have lost a loved one in Oakwood due to someone else’s negligence, the wrongful death attorneys at Life Justice Law Group understand the weight of your loss and are here to guide you through this difficult time. We offer free consultations and case evaluations, and we work on a contingency fee basis, which means families pay no fees unless we win your case. Contact us today at (480) 378-8088 to discuss your legal options with compassion and expertise.
What Constitutes Wrongful Death in Oakwood, Georgia
Wrongful death occurs when a person dies due to the negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct of another party. Under Georgia law, specifically O.C.G.A. § 51-4-1, a wrongful death claim exists when someone’s death is caused by another’s criminal act, negligence, or default, and the act would have entitled the deceased person to bring a personal injury lawsuit had they survived. This legal definition encompasses a wide range of situations where preventable deaths occur due to another party’s failure to exercise reasonable care or their deliberate harmful actions.
The core requirement is establishing that the defendant’s conduct directly caused the death and that this conduct violated a legal duty owed to the deceased person. Georgia courts recognize wrongful death claims arising from many circumstances including motor vehicle accidents where drivers violate traffic laws, medical malpractice where healthcare providers fail to meet professional standards of care, premises liability cases where property owners neglect dangerous conditions, workplace accidents involving safety violations, defective products that cause fatal injuries, and intentional acts of violence. The underlying principle remains consistent across all these scenarios: when someone’s wrongful conduct takes a life that could have been preserved through proper care or lawful behavior, Georgia law provides a remedy for the surviving family members who suffer the consequences of that loss.
Common Causes of Wrongful Death in Oakwood
Wrongful death cases in Oakwood arise from various types of preventable incidents, each involving negligence or misconduct that results in a fatality. Understanding these common causes helps families recognize when they may have grounds for a legal claim.
Motor Vehicle Accidents – Car crashes, truck collisions, and motorcycle accidents represent the leading cause of wrongful death claims in Georgia. These cases often involve distracted driving, speeding, impaired driving, or violations of traffic laws that result in fatal collisions on roads like Thurmon Tanner Parkway or Interstate 985.
Medical Malpractice – Fatal errors by doctors, nurses, or hospitals including misdiagnosis, surgical mistakes, medication errors, birth injuries resulting in death, or failure to diagnose life-threatening conditions like heart attacks or strokes. These cases require proving the healthcare provider deviated from accepted medical standards and that this deviation directly caused the patient’s death.
Workplace Accidents – Fatal injuries occurring on construction sites, industrial facilities, or other work environments due to safety violations, inadequate training, defective equipment, or employer negligence. While workers’ compensation typically covers workplace deaths, third-party wrongful death claims may exist when someone other than the employer caused the fatal accident.
Premises Liability – Deaths resulting from dangerous property conditions such as slip and falls leading to fatal head injuries, inadequate security allowing violent crimes, swimming pool drownings, or structural failures. Property owners in Oakwood owe visitors a duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions and warn of known hazards.
Defective Products – Fatal injuries caused by dangerously designed or manufactured products including defective vehicles, unsafe pharmaceuticals, faulty machinery, or products lacking adequate safety warnings. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers can all face liability when their defective products cause deaths.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect – Preventable deaths in long-term care facilities due to inadequate staffing, medication errors, untreated infections, malnutrition, dehydration, or abuse by caregivers. Georgia law requires nursing homes to provide appropriate care standards, and violations resulting in death create grounds for wrongful death claims.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim in Georgia
Georgia law establishes a strict hierarchy determining who has the legal right to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2, the statute creates a specific order of priority that cannot be altered by the deceased person’s will or any agreement among family members.
The surviving spouse holds the first and primary right to bring a wrongful death claim in Georgia. If the deceased person was married at the time of death, the spouse must file the lawsuit, and no other family member can initiate the claim without the spouse’s involvement. When minor children exist, the surviving spouse files on behalf of the entire family unit, and any recovery is shared equally among the spouse and children. This ensures the immediate family unit receives compensation for their collective loss.
If no surviving spouse exists, the deceased person’s children share equal rights to file the wrongful death claim and share equally in any recovery. When multiple children exist, they must agree on legal representation, or if they cannot agree, Georgia courts will appoint an administrator to file the claim on behalf of all children. If the deceased person had no surviving spouse or children, the right to file passes to the parents of the deceased. Both parents share equally in this right and any resulting compensation. In cases where the deceased person leaves no surviving spouse, children, or parents, the personal representative or executor of the deceased person’s estate may file a wrongful death claim under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-5, though any recovery in this situation becomes part of the estate rather than going directly to family members.
Damages Available in Oakwood Wrongful Death Cases
Georgia wrongful death claims allow families to recover compensation for the full value of the deceased person’s life, which includes both economic and non-economic losses. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-1, damages are calculated from the perspective of what the deceased person would have earned and experienced had they lived their full natural life.
Economic Damages
The economic component includes all financial losses the deceased person would have accumulated during their expected lifetime. This encompasses lost wages and earnings the deceased would have earned through their working years, including salary, benefits, bonuses, and retirement contributions. Courts consider the deceased person’s age, education, skills, health, and career trajectory when projecting these future earnings. Lost benefits such as health insurance, pension contributions, and other employment benefits factor into economic damages as well.
Medical expenses incurred between the time of injury and death are recoverable, including emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, and any other healthcare costs directly related to the fatal injury. Funeral and burial expenses also fall within economic damages, covering reasonable costs for final arrangements.
Non-Economic Damages (Value of Life)
Georgia law uniquely recognizes the intangible value of human life itself. This non-economic component addresses the loss of companionship, care, guidance, and the relationship the deceased would have provided to their family members. The deceased person’s life expectancy at the time of death significantly impacts this calculation, as does their role within the family structure. Courts consider factors including the deceased person’s character, the nature of their relationships with surviving family members, and the guidance and support they provided.
Separate Estate Claims
In addition to the wrongful death claim filed by family members, the estate may pursue a separate survival action under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-5. This claim compensates for the deceased person’s pain and suffering between the time of injury and death, and may include punitive damages if the defendant’s conduct was particularly egregious. These damages belong to the estate and are distributed according to the deceased person’s will or Georgia intestacy laws.
Georgia’s Wrongful Death Statute of Limitations
Time limits for filing wrongful death lawsuits in Georgia are strictly enforced, and missing these deadlines typically results in permanent loss of the right to pursue compensation. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, families generally have two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Georgia courts.
The two-year deadline begins on the date of death, not the date of the incident that caused the death. This distinction matters in cases where someone survives for days, weeks, or months after an accident before ultimately succumbing to their injuries. However, Georgia law does not allow indefinite delays between injury and death—if a wrongful death claim is not filed within two years of the death, the right to sue expires regardless of when the underlying incident occurred.
Several exceptions can extend or modify this deadline in specific circumstances. If the defendant left Georgia after the fatal incident but before a lawsuit could be filed, the time during their absence may not count toward the two-year limit under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-90. In cases where the death resulted from a criminal act, and criminal proceedings are ongoing, courts may toll the statute of limitations until the criminal case concludes. Medical malpractice cases involving wrongful death follow special rules under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-71, generally requiring claims to be filed within two years of death but no more than five years from the date of the negligent act, with limited exceptions for foreign objects left in the body.
For wrongful deaths involving minors, Georgia law provides that if the minor child had not reached the age of five at the time of death, the statute of limitations does not begin running until the child would have reached age five. This exception acknowledges the unique circumstances of infant and very young child deaths. Government liability cases face much shorter deadlines—claims against Georgia municipalities or counties often require filing an ante litem notice within six months under O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5, making prompt action even more critical in cases involving government negligence.
The Wrongful Death Lawsuit Process in Georgia
Understanding the legal process helps families know what to expect as their case moves forward. While every case follows a unique path depending on its specific circumstances, most wrongful death claims in Georgia proceed through several distinct stages.
Initial Case Evaluation and Investigation
After retaining a wrongful death attorney, the legal team conducts a comprehensive investigation to establish liability and document damages. This phase involves collecting all available evidence including police reports, medical records, autopsy reports, witness statements, photographs, and any other documentation related to the death. Attorneys often work with expert witnesses such as accident reconstructionists, medical experts, or economists who can provide professional opinions supporting the claim.
The investigation also includes calculating damages by analyzing the deceased person’s earning capacity, life expectancy, and family circumstances. This financial analysis forms the foundation for settlement negotiations and trial preparation.
Filing the Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Once investigation confirms a viable claim, your attorney files a complaint in the appropriate Georgia court, typically in the county where the death occurred or where the defendant resides. The complaint formally states the legal basis for the claim, identifies the parties involved, describes how the defendant’s conduct caused the death, and specifies the damages sought.
After filing, the defendant must be properly served with the lawsuit and has 30 days to respond. The defendant’s answer either admits or denies the allegations and may raise legal defenses attempting to avoid liability.
Discovery Phase
Discovery is the information-gathering stage where both sides exchange evidence and investigate each other’s claims and defenses. This process includes written interrogatories requiring answers to specific questions, requests for production of documents and records, requests for admission asking the other side to admit or deny specific facts, and depositions where witnesses and parties give sworn testimony outside of court.
Discovery often spans several months and sometimes longer than a year in complex cases. The information gathered during discovery shapes settlement negotiations and trial strategy.
Settlement Negotiations
Most wrongful death cases settle before trial, often during or after discovery once both sides understand the strength of their positions. Your attorney presents a settlement demand to the defendant or their insurance company outlining the evidence and damages justifying compensation.
Negotiations may occur directly between attorneys, through mediation with a neutral third party facilitating discussions, or during settlement conferences ordered by the court. The decision to accept any settlement offer ultimately rests with the family members who hold the legal right to the wrongful death claim.
Trial
If settlement negotiations fail to produce a fair agreement, the case proceeds to trial. Georgia wrongful death trials are heard by a jury unless both parties agree to a bench trial before a judge. The trial process includes jury selection, opening statements by both sides, presentation of evidence through witness testimony and exhibits, cross-examination of witnesses, closing arguments, and jury deliberation.
Trials typically last several days to several weeks depending on case complexity. The jury decides both liability and damages, and their verdict can be appealed by either party under certain circumstances.
Proving Fault in a Wrongful Death Case
Successfully recovering compensation in a wrongful death claim requires proving that the defendant’s conduct caused the death and that this conduct violated a legal duty. Georgia law requires establishing four essential elements in every wrongful death case.
The first element is proving the defendant owed a duty of care to the deceased person. This legal duty varies depending on the relationship and circumstances—drivers owe other road users a duty to operate vehicles safely and follow traffic laws, doctors owe patients a duty to provide care meeting professional medical standards, property owners owe visitors a duty to maintain reasonably safe premises and warn of known dangers, and employers owe workers a duty to provide safe working conditions. Establishing this duty forms the foundation for the entire claim.
Second, families must prove the defendant breached that duty through negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct. Breach means the defendant failed to act as a reasonable person would under similar circumstances. Evidence of breach might include traffic violations, safety regulation violations, deviation from professional standards, failure to fix known hazards, or intentional harmful acts. Expert witnesses often testify about what reasonable conduct would have looked like in the specific situation.
Third, the family must establish causation, proving the defendant’s breach directly caused the death. This requires showing both cause-in-fact, meaning the death would not have occurred but for the defendant’s conduct, and proximate cause, meaning the death was a foreseeable result of the defendant’s actions. Medical evidence, expert testimony, and accident reconstruction often play crucial roles in proving causation.
Finally, the family must document damages by proving the monetary and intangible losses resulting from the death. This involves financial records, testimony about the deceased person’s relationship with family members, expert economic analysis projecting lost earnings, and evidence of the deceased person’s life expectancy and role within the family.
Comparative Fault in Georgia Wrongful Death Cases
Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence rule under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, which can affect wrongful death claims when the deceased person bears some responsibility for the incident that caused their death. Understanding how this rule works is crucial for families evaluating their potential recovery.
Under Georgia’s comparative fault system, if the deceased person was partially at fault for their own death, their fault percentage reduces the total recovery proportionally. However, if the deceased person was 50 percent or more at fault, the family recovers nothing. This creates a threshold where cases can succeed only if the deceased person was less than 50 percent responsible for the fatal incident.
The jury determines fault percentages when cases go to trial by evaluating all evidence about how the incident occurred and assigning a percentage of responsibility to each party involved. For example, in a fatal car accident case, the jury might find the other driver 70 percent at fault for speeding and running a red light, while finding the deceased driver 30 percent at fault for not wearing a seatbelt. If the jury awards $1 million in total damages, the family would recover $700,000 after the 30 percent reduction for the deceased person’s comparative fault.
Defense attorneys regularly argue comparative fault to reduce their clients’ liability, claiming the deceased person contributed to their own death through negligence or poor judgment. Common defense arguments include claims that the deceased person was speeding, distracted, or violated traffic laws in vehicle accident cases, failed to follow medical advice or disregarded symptoms in medical cases, or assumed obvious risks or ignored warnings in premises liability cases. Insurance companies often use comparative fault arguments during settlement negotiations to justify lower settlement offers.
Why You Need a Wrongful Death Attorney
While Georgia law allows family members to file wrongful death claims without legal representation, attempting to navigate this complex legal process alone puts families at a severe disadvantage. Wrongful death cases involve intricate legal procedures, aggressive defense tactics, and sophisticated insurance company strategies that require experienced legal counsel to overcome.
Wrongful death attorneys provide immediate value by conducting thorough investigations that preserve crucial evidence before it disappears, interviewing witnesses while memories remain fresh, obtaining expert analysis that supports your claim, and identifying all potentially liable parties and insurance coverage. Defense teams and insurance companies begin building their defense immediately after a fatal incident, and families without legal representation quickly fall behind in this evidence-gathering race.
Legal expertise matters enormously in wrongful death cases because Georgia wrongful death law contains numerous technical requirements and deadlines that must be satisfied precisely. Attorneys understand how to calculate the full value of your claim including both economic losses and life value damages, navigate Georgia’s complex comparative fault rules, comply with all procedural requirements and court deadlines, and counter defense strategies designed to minimize compensation. Insurance companies employ experienced lawyers and adjusters whose entire job involves minimizing payouts—families need equally skilled legal advocates fighting for their interests.
Wrongful death attorneys work on contingency, meaning they charge no upfront fees and only receive payment if they recover compensation for your family. This arrangement removes financial barriers to accessing justice and aligns your attorney’s interests with your own—your lawyer succeeds only when you succeed. Most wrongful death attorneys advance all case costs including expert witness fees, court filing fees, and investigation expenses, removing the financial burden from grieving families during an already difficult time.
How Long Does a Wrongful Death Case Take in Georgia
The timeline for resolving a wrongful death claim varies significantly depending on the case’s specific circumstances, but most cases take between one and three years from initial filing to final resolution. Understanding the factors that affect timing helps families set realistic expectations.
Several elements influence how long your case will take. Case complexity plays a major role—straightforward cases with clear liability may settle within months, while complex cases involving disputed fault, multiple defendants, or technical evidence require longer investigation and litigation. The discovery process timeline varies based on how much evidence exists, how cooperative the defendant is in providing information, and how many expert witnesses need time to complete their analysis.
Settlement negotiations can move quickly when defendants face clear liability and strong evidence, but may drag on for months when liability is disputed or insurance coverage is limited. Court scheduling also affects timing, as Georgia courts manage heavy caseloads and trial dates may be set many months in advance, and some counties have faster-moving dockets than others. The defendant’s response matters too—insurance companies sometimes use delay tactics hoping families will accept lower settlements out of financial desperation, while other times defendants quickly move toward settlement when faced with strong evidence.
Most wrongful death cases settle before trial, often during the discovery phase once both sides understand the evidence’s strength. Settlement allows families to receive compensation much faster than waiting for trial and appeals. However, cases that proceed to trial naturally take longer, as trial preparation requires additional months, trial itself may last days or weeks, and appeals can add another year or more to the process.
While the legal process takes time, experienced wrongful death attorneys work efficiently to move cases forward as quickly as possible while still building the strongest possible claim. Starting your case promptly by contacting an attorney soon after the death ensures the process begins without unnecessary delays and evidence is preserved before it disappears.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wrongful Death Claims in Oakwood
What is the difference between wrongful death and murder charges?
Wrongful death is a civil legal claim filed by family members seeking financial compensation for their losses, while murder is a criminal charge prosecuted by the government seeking punishment for the defendant. These are separate legal proceedings with different standards of proof, different purposes, and different outcomes. Criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt and can result in imprisonment or fines paid to the government, while wrongful death cases require proof by a preponderance of the evidence and result in monetary damages paid to the family. Both proceedings can happen simultaneously for the same incident, and the outcome of one does not determine the outcome of the other, though evidence from criminal proceedings may be used in civil wrongful death cases.
Can I file a wrongful death claim if my loved one was partially at fault?
Yes, you can still pursue a wrongful death claim in Georgia even if your loved one bears some responsibility for the incident that caused their death, but recovery depends on the percentage of fault. Under Georgia’s comparative negligence rule in O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, families can recover damages as long as the deceased person was less than 50 percent at fault for their death. If your loved one was 30 percent at fault and the defendant was 70 percent at fault, you would recover 70 percent of the total damages awarded. However, if your loved one was 50 percent or more at fault, Georgia law bars any recovery. Defense attorneys frequently argue that the deceased person contributed to their own death as a strategy to reduce their client’s liability, so having an experienced attorney who can counter these arguments and accurately present the fault allocation is crucial to protecting your family’s right to fair compensation.
How much is my wrongful death case worth?
The value of a wrongful death claim depends on numerous factors specific to your loved one’s circumstances, making it impossible to provide a general estimate without evaluating your particular case. Georgia law allows recovery for the full value of the deceased person’s life under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-1, which includes both economic damages like lost earnings, benefits, and medical expenses, and non-economic damages reflecting the intangible value of the deceased person’s life, relationships, and contributions to family. Key factors affecting value include the deceased person’s age, earning capacity, education, health, and life expectancy; the strength of evidence proving the defendant’s fault; the deceased person’s relationship with and contributions to surviving family members; the defendant’s insurance coverage and ability to pay; whether punitive damages are available; and comparative fault percentages if the deceased person was partially responsible. A thorough case evaluation by an experienced wrongful death attorney provides the most accurate assessment of your claim’s potential value based on these specific factors.
Will my wrongful death case go to trial?
Most wrongful death cases settle before trial, often during the discovery phase or through mediation once both sides understand the strength of the evidence and potential jury outcome. Settlement offers advantages including faster resolution and compensation, reduced emotional stress from avoiding a public trial, certainty of outcome without the unpredictability of a jury verdict, and reduced legal costs compared to full trial preparation and proceedings. However, some cases must go to trial when the defendant refuses to offer fair compensation, liability is genuinely disputed and both sides believe they can win, or the defendant’s insurance company makes unreasonably low offers hoping the family will give up. Your attorney will advise whether settlement offers are fair or whether trial is necessary to obtain just compensation, and the ultimate decision to settle or proceed to trial rests with the family members who hold the legal right to the claim.
Can I sue if my loved one died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver?
Yes, you can absolutely file a wrongful death claim when a drunk driver causes a fatal accident, and these cases often support claims for punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages due to the reckless nature of drunk driving. Drunk driving deaths may result in both criminal DUI charges prosecuted by the state and a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family, and these proceed as separate cases. Georgia law under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1 allows punitive damages when the defendant’s actions showed willful misconduct, malice, fraud, wantonness, oppression, or conscious indifference to consequences, which drunk driving typically satisfies. Additionally, Georgia’s dram shop law under O.C.G.A. § 51-1-40 may allow claims against bars, restaurants, or other establishments that served alcohol to the drunk driver when they were noticeably intoxicated or under age 21, creating multiple potential defendants and sources of compensation for your family.
What happens if the person responsible for my loved one’s death has no insurance?
Cases involving uninsured defendants present challenges but do not necessarily eliminate your ability to recover compensation, depending on available alternative sources of coverage and the defendant’s personal assets. Your attorney will investigate several potential recovery options including underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage on your own auto insurance policy or your deceased loved one’s policy, which may cover deaths caused by uninsured drivers; excess liability policies or umbrella insurance the defendant may carry beyond basic coverage; defendant’s personal assets including property, savings, or business assets that could satisfy a judgment; and additional liable parties such as employers, property owners, or other entities whose insurance might apply. Even when insurance is limited or absent, obtaining a judgment protects your right to collect if the defendant’s financial situation changes and can be enforced against future earnings or assets. However, practical recovery challenges exist when defendants truly lack resources, and your attorney will provide honest assessment of realistic recovery prospects before you invest time and resources pursuing a claim.
How does workers’ compensation affect wrongful death claims?
When a loved one dies in a work-related accident, Georgia’s workers’ compensation system provides death benefits to surviving family members, but these benefits are typically much lower than what a wrongful death lawsuit could recover. Workers’ compensation under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-265 provides weekly benefits equal to two-thirds of the deceased worker’s average weekly wage up to a state maximum, $7,500 toward funeral expenses, and continuing benefits for dependent children until age 18 or longer if enrolled in school. These benefits are paid regardless of fault, but accepting them generally prevents filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the employer. However, third-party wrongful death claims remain available when someone other than the employer caused the fatal workplace accident, such as equipment manufacturers, subcontractors, property owners, or other negligent parties. An experienced attorney can evaluate whether third-party claims exist that would allow you to pursue compensation beyond workers’ compensation benefits, which often provide substantially more money for the full value of your loved one’s life.
Can I recover funeral and burial expenses?
Yes, funeral and burial expenses are recoverable as part of the economic damages in a Georgia wrongful death claim, providing compensation for the reasonable costs of final arrangements for your loved one. Under Georgia law, these expenses are considered part of the financial losses the family suffered as a direct result of the death and are typically not controversial items of damage. Recoverable funeral and burial costs include funeral home services, casket or cremation costs, burial plot or cremation interment, headstone or grave marker, memorial service expenses, death certificates, and transportation costs. Courts generally allow reasonable expenses based on the family’s circumstances and cultural or religious practices, but may scrutinize extremely lavish expenses that exceed what is customary. Keep detailed receipts and documentation of all funeral and burial expenses, as these will need to be provided to support your claim and ensure full reimbursement.
Contact a Oakwood Wrongful Death Attorney Today
If you have lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence in Oakwood, taking prompt legal action protects your family’s rights and ensures you meet critical deadlines under Georgia law. The wrongful death attorneys at Life Justice Law Group have extensive experience handling complex wrongful death claims and understand the emotional and financial burdens your family faces during this difficult time. We provide compassionate guidance while aggressively pursuing full compensation for your loss, investigating every aspect of your case, and holding negligent parties accountable.
Our firm works exclusively on a contingency fee basis, which means your family pays no attorney fees unless we successfully recover compensation through settlement or trial verdict. We also advance all case costs including expert witness fees, investigation expenses, and court filing fees, removing any financial barrier to pursuing justice for your loved one. Call Life Justice Law Group today at (480) 378-8088 for a free consultation and case evaluation, where we will listen to your story, answer your questions, explain your legal options, and provide honest assessment of your case’s strength and potential value.