We often come across clients who feel pressured to settle with their employers. While many maritime claims will ultimately be settled, it may be a bad idea to rush into any settlement without consulting your maritime lawyer.

Here are some reasons why a quick settlement with a company may not be a good idea.

Maritime injuries sustained on a Jones Act vessel are usually serious injuries. These injuries often have the potential to impact your career and your personal life. A worker who has suffered serious injuries, like spinal cord injuries or head injuries, may never be able to return to work or gainful employment. Even less severe injuries like neck or hand injuries can mean that a worker is unable to return to his old job. You may be looking at a future that does not include the kind of regular income you have right now. Your injuries may also require the need for long term medical care or therapy. There may be other medical complications that arise in the future because of your injuries. It is important that any benefits you receive cover all these costs. A hurried settlement may mean that you only take into account short term medical care and other needs, causing you financial hardship later in life.

There may be plenty of other factors that impact your claim and help you recover additional damages. Your maritime lawyers will need access to paper work from the company, and these will have to be pored through to strengthen your claim. All this takes time, and a rushed settlement may only botch your chances for a sufficient recovery.

That is why it always helps to have maritime lawyers who are also expert trial lawyers. A trial lawyer will  prepare every case as if it will go to trial. That means that from the very beginning, a trial lawyer will prepare stringently for your case, seeking out witnesses, hiring experts and taking care of the thousands of details that go into presenting a solid case before a court.

Your maritime lawyer should be open to a settlement, but only one that is completely fair to you. The better the preparation of your maritime lawyer, and the more ready he is for a trial, the higher the chances that the company will offer you a good settlement without even the need for a trial.  Trials tend to end in awards that are higher than any settlement that your employer may have offered you. Companies are perfectly aware of this, and will want to avoid a trial as much as possible.