Description

Unlock the secrets to winning dog bite cases with Tips and Tricks for Dog Bite Lawyers by Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips. This highly confidential seminar provides you with the tactics, strategies, tricks, moves, and counter-moves needed to succeed in your cases. Accessible on your computer in the privacy of your office, this legal best seller is applicable in all 50 states. Pair it with Mr. Phillips’ Dog Bite Lawsuit Forms for Plaintiffs’ Lawyers and receive a $50 rebate when purchased together.

Learn how to prove the true cause of an attack by utilizing facts about the dog’s health, confinement, and training. Dog bite cases require specialized knowledge, just like medical malpractice cases require knowledge of medical procedures and auto accident cases require knowledge of cars and roads. With Tips and Tricks for Dog Bite Lawyers, you’ll gain a unique understanding of the legal concepts and facts necessary to establish liability. Attorney Phillips will guide you through the defense arguments and teach you how to turn their own words against them.

Don’t fall behind in your dog bite cases. Arm yourself with the information and strategies provided in this fast-moving seminar. Recognize winning claims, devastate the defense, and avoid insurance scams. Take control of your cases and achieve the justice your clients deserve. Here’s what you’ll get:

Introduction to the Dog Bite Epidemic

• The number of dog bite victims
• The cost to society and the insurance industry
• The typical victim – a child who is bitten in the face
• Attitudes of government, the public and the insurance industry
• Settlements and verdicts

The Prima Facia Case

• Causes of action available to human victims
• Causes of action for bystanders
• Causes of action when a dog is injured or killed

Insurance

• Homeowner and renters insurance
• Excess and umbrella policies
• Medical payment coverage
• Automobile insurance
• Pet sitters are included
• The exclusion for residents of the insured home
• The exclusion for business activities – daycare and renters
• The exclusion for canine-inflicted injuries
• No representation at the dangerous dog hearing

Defenses in Dog Bite Cases

• Provocation
• “Bad Dog” sign
• Assumption of the risk
• Trespass
• Criminal conduct
• Military or police dog
• Comparative responsibility – victim, the child’s parents
• Rescuers
• Employers
• Ownership of the attacking dog
• Which dog bit?
• Was it a bite?

Unique Aspects of Dog Bite Cases

• The dangerous dog hearing – opportunities and pitfalls
• The initial client interview
• Friends, family members and neighbors as defendants
• Parents “playing lawyer”
• Traumatized parents – non-cooperation, minimizing, overtreating, hostility
• Motivating parents to stand by their children
• Dog lovers as victims
• Investigating the attacking dog
• Injuries in dog parks
• Lies, lies, lies – about the facts and the insurance
• Humane society as defendant
• Dealing with animal control officers
• Dealing with veterinarians
• Dealing with behaviorists
• Why dogs bite – and how to use that information
• Proving which dog bit the victim
• Proving ownership of the attacking dog
• Photography do’s, don’ts and how-to’s
• Subsequent torts – infliction of emotional distress
• Evaluating compensation for facial scars
• The reserve letter and the settlement presentation
• Recognizing good and bad cases
• Case screening (form)
• Typical case timetable

Structured Settlements

• Since most victims are kids, attorneys need to know
• Overview of structured settlement – benefits and tax treatment
• How to negotiate the settlement
• How to control the broker and the life insurance company
• How to avoid the rampant fraud upon victims
• Use of a trust to purchase the annuity in some cases
• Documentation – what is needed and what to watch out for
• Explaining the annuity to the Court

Court Approval of Minor’s Settlements

• Since most victims are kids, attorneys need to know
• Essential pleadings and evidence – current medical report
• The hearing – what the judges are looking for

Pleading the Dog Bite Case

• Strategies in pleading
• Essential elements of Complaint