Where Can I Find Help for My Product Liability Cases in Jacksonville?

If you live in Jacksonville, Florida and have questions about being injured in a serious accident involving a defective product, you might need to consult with a lawyer who has a background in Jacksonville product liability cases to discuss your next steps. Only an attorney who has knowledge with Jacksonville product liability cases and who has handled these kinds of situations before will be able to advise you about your next steps and preparation in this process.

It can be very difficult to prepare for this process if you are not familiar with the specific laws in Florida and what to expect. Knowing how to identify the right attorney can make it much easier for you to get your questions answered properly and to support you through each step of your product liability claim.

There is a good chance that your first step was to get medical attention and to learn more about the injuries that you have sustained, but after that point, you need to gather evidence concerning your accident and consult with experienced Jacksonville product liability cases lawyers who can tell you more about the legal aspect of recovering compensation. 

What Are Consumers' Rights? 

Any company that distributes or manufactures a product has a legal responsibility to ensure that the product is as safe as possible when used as intended. Unfortunately, however, many manufacturers and other people involved in the supply chain do not meet this obligation, ultimately putting users at risk. Consumers can even be injured or killed as a result of a defective product and the law in Florida and at the federal level allows these consumers to file a lawsuit to recover compensation. 

Florida's specific laws allow for victims to file personal injury claims to hold these negligent manufacturers and distributors responsible. However, because of the complexity of these claims, it is strongly recommended that you hire a lawyer who has knowledge about Jacksonville product liability cases to help you in these circumstances. Many of these companies have extensive legal teams at the ready and will often fight back in order to try to minimize their liability. 

Proving Claims

There are a few different ways that you can hold a manufacturer or other party accountable for a defective product. These include failure to warn, manufacturing defects, and design defects. A failure to warn defect is also known as a marketing defect which includes the manufacturer's responsibility to appropriately warn consumers about dangers. If there is a product that carries an inherent risk when it is used properly, the manufacturer should include this information in the instructions and in the product warning so that the consumer knows what to expect. If they fail to do so and the consumer ends up hurt, this can become the basis of a defective product claim. A marketing defect could also refer to those circumstances in which the product was approved for one purpose but then advertised for a different non-approved purpose. 

A manufacturing defect includes claims that a product was manufactured in a way that puts consumers at risk, such as using inadequate materials or manufacturing techniques. 

Finally, a design defect has to do with the very concept of the product itself. If the product was designed in a way that it was not safe to use as the manufacturer intended, either as a deliberate or unintentional choice on the manufacturer's part, this could become the basis of Jacksonville product liability cases. 

Why Do You Need to Find the Right Attorney? 

An attorney can play an instrumental part of your effort to recover compensation in Jacksonville product liability cases. You can expect that the other side will fight back and try to minimize the severity of your injuries or your right to recover compensation. 

Your only way to fight back is to retain an experienced attorney who is knowledgeable with Jacksonville product liability cases and who can build a compelling case about the types of defects you're alleging and how this has influenced your life. As a victim, you already have enough to think about as you attempt to recover from an accident like this but you should not also have to worry about the challenges of moving on with your life and holding these companies accountable. 

You are dealing with medical bills, replacement services, or maybe even the loss of a loved one due to a dangerous product. Since you have enough to think about it is important to retain an attorney who can begin to gather evidence on your behalf. A lawyer who has extensive experience in product liability cases will start with a thorough investigation to identify all the possible responsible parties and the chief liability claims in your case. This information will then be used to help you put together your formal lawsuit demands. A thorough evaluation of the defect and involvement with expert witnesses might be necessary to illustrate your case. In this case your knowledgeable Jacksonville product liability cases lawyer will help you. 

How Do I Find the Right Law Firm? 

Not every product liability law firm has the same experience or dedication to helping victims. This makes it important for you to do your research and to thoroughly vet anyone who works in this area of the law. Conduct internet research to determine the online reviews and content marketing efforts of a firm committed to Jacksonville product liability cases. You should be able to find examples of past case results, testimonials and feedback from other clients. Perhaps this feedback from other clients is one of the most important components of your research process because it can tell you a lot more about someone else's experience working with the law firm and what you might expect if you choose to hire them. 

Once you've conducted your internet research you should have a shortlist of possible law firms to work with who have a background in Jacksonville product liability cases. Do not let your research stop you, however, as you still have more questions to ask. Schedule an initial and free consultation with the law firm's experience with Jacksonville product liability cases to talk more about the specifics of your case. During this time you will learn more about the attorney's overall perception of your claim, but you will also get powerful insight into the way that they approach these cases and what you can anticipate going forward. 

This is valuable information for ensuring that you and your lawyer are on the same page about an ideal outcome and your common goals in the case. If you want to work with a small law firm and have one-on-one support from an attorney, you also need to establish this during this initial consultation. If you want to work with a law firm that has extensive resources and a strong background in fighting and winning Jacksonville product liability cases, you might pursue a different route.      

What Do I Need to Bring to My First Meeting With a Lawyer? 

Your first meeting is not an obligation to either work with that lawyer or file a case at all. Instead, it’s your chance to get an honest appraisal of your initial case and to walk through what it would be like to work with this lawyer. The attorney will have questions for you, but you’ll also want to come to this initial meeting with your prepared questions as well. 

For your first meeting, draft up a timeline of what happened with as many details as you can gather about the purchase of the item itself. If you have the original receipt, store that in chronological order with any other paperwork or communication you’ve had with the company. Bear in mind that the company might ask you to send back the defective product itself, but this means you wouldn’t have a key piece of evidence in your claim.

If you are going to send it back, take photos and videos that you can use in your legal claim first in the event the company destroys the product or won’t return it. 

It’s better if you can keep the item yourself and store it with your lawyer. Your attorney can keep the item in their office, and that way you know you still have access to the product for your defective product claim. 

If you have found any other information about this product, such as complaints from other people who have been injured, you can also share this with your lawyer during the initial meeting. 

Make sure you get support for your legal case right away to increase your chances of a timely and full recovery. 
If you’re ready to take your first steps in your liability case, you can contact Morgan & Morgan for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to get started.