What happens after you call: free consultations and injury case steps across South Florida
From the first call to resolution
Most people put off calling a law office because they do not know what the call is. It is a conversation, fifteen or twenty minutes long, with someone who asks what happened and listens to the answer. There is no form to complete first, nothing to pay, and no obligation at the end of it. Some callers are told they have a claim worth pursuing. Others are told their situation is straightforward enough to handle themselves, and that is a legitimate result of the conversation rather than a failure of it.
The Law Offices of Suarez & Montero take those calls around the clock from Broward, Miami-Dade and Duval and St. John. This page sets out the whole sequence in advance: what the first conversation covers, what to have in front of you, how a contingency fee and case costs actually work, what happens during the investigation, how a demand and negotiation unfold, and the point at which a case gets filed. Knowing the shape of it makes the decision easier, and it takes the guesswork out of a week when you have little energy for guessing. Read it before you dial if that helps; ask about any of it once you do.
The first call is mostly questions. When and where it happened, whether a report was written and its number, what was involved, what injuries you have and who has treated them, what insurance exists on each side, and whether anyone has already asked you for a recorded statement. That last one matters, because a statement given early and casually gets quoted back later. Nothing you say obliges you to hire anyone, and if we are not the right office for the matter we will say so.
Have these to hand if you can: the crash or incident report; photographs and video from your phone; the declarations page of your own policy; your health insurance card; the names of every provider who has treated you; pay information if you have missed work; and any letters an adjuster has sent. If you have none of it, call anyway. Records can be requested later; a missed deadline cannot be undone.
Fees come next, and they should be plain. Injury work is done on contingency: the fee is a percentage of what is recovered, and if nothing is recovered there is no attorney fee. In Florida the agreement must be in writing, you receive a signed copy and a statement of your rights as a client, and there is a short period afterwards in which you may cancel. The Florida Bar sets presumptive limits on the percentage, with a lower tier before the defendant answers or demands arbitration and a higher tier after. The number governing your case is the one printed in your agreement.
Case costs are separate from the fee, and this is where people are surprised. Filing fees, medical records, police reports, expert opinions, court reporters, depositions and mediation are costs. Our office advances them so the matter can move, and their treatment at the end is set out in the agreement. Distinct again are medical liens: unpaid balances, letters of protection and health insurance reimbursement rights get resolved out of a settlement, and you receive an itemised closing statement before you are paid.
Then the work itself. Investigation means collecting the report, photographs, witness accounts and any video before it disappears, notifying every insurer, and gathering records, bills and wage documentation as treatment continues. Valuation waits for medicine: until your doctors know whether you have recovered or reached the limit of improvement, nobody can put a defensible number on the claim, and settling before that point is the most expensive mistake available. Once the picture is stable a demand package goes out, carrying the liability proof, the records, the bills, the wage loss and the account of what changed in your life. The adjuster evaluates and responds, and negotiation follows. If the response is unreasonable the case is filed, and litigation brings discovery, depositions and court-ordered mediation. Most matters resolve before a jury is selected, though they resolve better when the other side believes the file is ready for one.
What the first 30 days look like
Day one is the call and, if you go ahead, a signed agreement. Letters of representation reach every insurer within a day or two, which stops adjusters contacting you directly and routes recorded-statement requests through the office. Your own no-fault benefits are opened straight away, with a reminder that treatment has to begin within 14 days of a crash or the coverage is lost. Property damage and rental run on a separate track, so a vehicle can be sorted out while the injury claim is young. Over the following weeks we request the report, chase video before it is overwritten, contact witnesses and begin assembling records. Deadlines go into a calendar the same week, including the two-year limitations period for negligence claims accruing on or after 24 March 2023.
Frequently asked questions
What does a free case evaluation involve?
A conversation and an honest assessment. We go through the facts, look at who was at fault and what coverage exists on both sides, discuss the treatment ahead, and identify the deadlines that apply to you. You will hear the weaknesses as well, because knowing them early is worth more than encouragement. There is no charge whether or not you hire the firm, and no pressure to decide during the call.
How does a contingency fee work, and what costs are involved?
The fee is a share of the recovery rather than an hourly bill, so nothing is owed in fees if there is no recovery. Florida requires the arrangement in writing with a copy for you, and the Bar caps the percentage on a sliding scale that steps up if the case has to be litigated. Case costs are separate: records, filing, experts and depositions, advanced by the office. At the end you receive a closing statement itemising the fee, each cost and every lien paid.
How long does a personal injury case usually take?
Longer than anyone wants, and mostly outside our control. The main driver is medical, because a claim cannot be valued until treatment is finished or the condition has plateaued, which alone can take months. A clear-liability claim with completed treatment can often be negotiated without a lawsuit. Disputed fault, a serious injury with future care needs, or an insurer that will not move realistically means filing suit, and a court schedule then sets the pace.
Call when you are ready: Broward on (954) 529-9377, Miami-Dade on 305-631-1911, Duval and St. John on (904) 800-5297.
Who you will be working with
The attorney whose name is on your agreement is Jaime Suarez, a University of Miami School of Law graduate who finished with highest honors and has represented accident and injury victims across South Florida for over 24 years. His cases involve collisions, head and spine injuries, falls, prescription errors, workplace incidents and wrongful death.
His partner, Andres G. Montero, has more than $20 million in verdicts and settlements to his name. Between them the firm has recovered millions for clients across Broward, Miami-Dade and Duval, and both attorneys are reached through the same offices you call on the first day.
Make the call, then decide
Ask everything you want to ask. The evaluation is free and the line is answered around the clock.
THE FIRST CALL
A person, not a form. We take the basics, answer your questions and say whether you need a lawyer at all
FEE TERMS IN WRITING
The percentage, the case costs and who advances them are set out in the agreement you read before signing
ASK WHERE IT STANDS
Call for the real status of your file and get an answer, not a promise to ring you back
One call, nothing to pay for asking, and no attorney fee unless we win.
The Law Offices of Suarez & Montero take calls 24 hours a day from anywhere in South Florida, and the first conversation is free whether or not you go on to hire anyone. Dial 305-631-1911 for Miami-Dade, or write to us by e-mail and a member of the team will follow up. No recovery, no attorney fee.