HONESTY & INTEGRITY
We are unwavering in our ethical prosecution of personal injury claims and absolutely insist that our clients be honest and forthright about their injuries and the ways the injuries are impacting on their lives. We refuse to accept cases from those who seek to profit from a collision by exaggerating their claims, and if we determine that a client has lied to us, to ICBC, or under oath, we will terminate our retainer.
You can expect to be treated with honesty and fairness at Hergott Law. For a law firm, a quick settlement is the easy route. We actively prepare for trial starting the moment you retain our services so that ICBC will see the writing on the wall and offer a fair settlement to avoid an inevitably fair result at trial. Unless you absolutely insist on settling your case prematurely, we want you to wait until your future losses can be most accurately estimated, which means that on average our cases settle 4 ½ years after the date of injury.
If ICBC does not make a fair settlement offer, we are always fully prepared to take your case to trial. Unless you insist that we do so, we will not settle for anything less than what you deserve.
STANDING BESIDE YOU
Life as you know it has been suddenly turned upside down. You or someone you love has been seriously injured, and now you don’t know what to do or how you will be able to carry on.
How will you support your family? Will your injured child ever be independent? Will insurance cover rehabilitation? Will you ever get better, or get back what you have lost?
We are here to help. We stand beside our clients who need strong advocates on their side to achieve the fair outcome they deserve.
QUALITY & SERVICE
A work ethic cultivated through Paul’s Saskatchewan farming background and a strong sense of teamwork developed though years Paul served in the Canadian military reserves have together interwoven into the fabric and culture of Hergott Law.
While building Hergott Law in the local community, Paul Hergott was recognized by the local chamber of commerce for excellence in customer service, and for service excellence. This award winning delivery of legal services has carried through to the handling of personal injury claims for injured victims throughout the Province of British Columbia.
We are the direct opposite of the “personal injury mill” that takes on cases on volume and settles them quickly to maximize law firm profits. We are a boutique law firm that is very well staffed with caring people to allow us to provide a level and quality of service that is beyond compare.
Every case is handled by a team led by Paul Hergott. A junior lawyer, Case Manager and Claim Evaluator work together, supported by the Records Management Team (ensuring that all relevant document sources are identified, collected and processed) and the Transcription Team, that transcribes your clinical records for ease of review, by you as well as by the specialists we retain to provide expert medical opinions about your injuries.
Our approach includes regular client consultation. You will be booked regularly to meet with a lawyer or Case Manager either in person, by telephone or by Skype video conference.
RECOVERY
Sometimes injury victims are advised to hold back on returning to work, or to the activities that made life worth living. That kind of advice will cause you to be victimized a second time, and quite frankly is bad legal advice.
The lawyers at Hergott Law will advise you to “live your life” as if there is no compensation coming for the many losses you have suffered and are continuing to suffer. The only person who benefits by making those losses any bigger by holding yourself back is your “contingency fee paid” personal injury lawyer. By showing your motivation to return to work, and by struggling to return to your activities, you will build the kind of credibility that cannot be shaken by nasty and unfair ICBC defence tactics.
Don’t let yourself be victimized a second time. You are already a victim due to the carelessness of a negligent driver. Don’t allow yourself to be victimized a second time by adjusting your behavior because you think there might be someone following you around with a video camera, or because you think that stoically returning to work might be used against you. Live your life.
GIVING BACK
We take pride in our community and want to make a difference.
Hergott Law donates 100% of all notarial fees to Brain Trust Canada. To date, we have donated over $8,500.00.
Watch the Hergott Law hot-dog float each year in the local Canada Day parades. Since our first parade in 2008, we have handed out over 10,000.00 hot-dogs!
In 2009 Paul & Terri, with the help of neighborhood friends, started their own “back-yard” soccer league. You can expect to see from 30-40 kids out once a week during soccer season practicing their skills in a low-key back field setting.
In 2010 Paul & Terri participated in Central Okanagan Hospice Association annual fundraiser, “Swinging with the Stars”, raising $25,000.00 for Hospice and raising the bar for future participants in the event.
DRIVER AWARENESS
Hard work and dedication are what have built Hergott Law. The reputation that Paul Hergott and the team at Hergott Law have developed is responsible for building one of the largest plaintiff only (never acting for ICBC) personal injury practices in the British Columbia interior.
Paul and Terri Hergott believe in giving back to the community, both local and provincial, that has been the foundation for the success of the firm.
We donate 100% of all notarial fees to charitable causes. For the first several years, the proceeds were donated to Brain Trust Canada. Lately, the funds have been directed to the One Crash is Too Many road safety campaign. To date, this initiative has resulted in donations of over $8,500.00.
The One Crash is Too Many road safety campaign in itself has