Defendants in a lawsuit have the greatest thing on their side; time. This is especially true during injury lawsuit cases, which can be years before a verdict is reached. During this period of time a plaintiff is usually not able to work and has no source of income. A large amount of debt or financial strain can build for that person during this time. The main reason people settle lawsuit cases early and for lower amounts is because of financial issues, don’t become one of them!

As an example we’ll use a person who was injured in a car accident by a municipal vehicle of the city they live in while driving. One of the issues in this type of lawsuit is that this person can no longer work due to the injuries obtained by the accident. So, that person is expecting reparations to help them financial for the rest of their life. an also includes medical, court costs, and emotional damage.

The plaintiff will have no income during this period because they cannot work, and will be stuck having to use their current assets. After about 3 to 6 months into the case the debt is building up for the plaintiff, bills are due and their house is close to foreclosure. They accept a settlement agreement far lower than he real amount due to them to prevent losing their home and going into financial ruin.

A better option for this person would be a settlement loan. This isn’t really a loan; it has nothing to do with your current income or credit history. A settlement loan is really a company buying interest into your lawsuit. They are loaning you money that is only paid back if you win the case. If the case is lost the money is yours to keep and you don’t pay back a dime.

Getting a settlement loan instead of settling your case earlier is a great way to handle all your financial needs during the case. This also allows your attorney to fight the case to the end and obtain the maximum amount of money due to you. Don’t be a fool and settle for a less amount when a settlement loan is a much better alternative!

If you’re a plaintiff in a pending lawsuit who is interested in applying for a lawsuit settlement loan you’ll need to have specific information readily available to the settlement loan provider. This article is designed to help the plaintiff understand what information they’ll need when they contact a lawsuit loan provider and what exactly that information is. By having the proper information on hand you’ll be able to get your lawsuit settlement loan approved quickly and efficiently.

Law Firm Name Law Firm’s Physical Address Law Firm’s Phone & Fax Number Representing Attorney’s Name Representing Attorney’s Direct Phone & Fax Number Your Case’s Paralegal City, County & State Court Handling Your Lawsuit Civil Suit Type Case Details Incident Details Defendants Insurance Information Previous Settlement Offers Lien andor Assignments Regarding Your Case

Law Firm Name – This is the law firm your attorney is associated with that is handling your lawsuit case.

Law Firm’s Physical Address – This is the physical address of the law firm your attorney is associated with. Do not provide any forwarding or P.O. Box address.

Law Firm’s Phone & Fax Number – The telephone and fax data number for the law firm that your attorney is associated with. This can be local or toll-free and usually doesn’t matter to the lawsuit settlement loan provider.

Representing Attorney’s Name – The name of the attorney that is handling your pending lawsuit; this should be the same name on any court documents.

Representing Attorney’s Direct Phone & Fax Number – The direct telephone and data fax number to the attorney that is over seeing your pending lawsuit.

Your Case’s Paralegal – Any paralegals involved with your attorney that is representing your pending lawsuit.

City, County & State Court Handling Your Lawsuit – The exact City, County and State your lawsuit is being tried at.

Civil Suit Type - The actual type of lawsuit that your attorney is bring to court. (injury, accident, negligence, etc)

Case Details – This is all the details regarding your case; meaning where your case currently stands in the civil court it’s being tried in and anything that has come up since the initial filing of the civil court suit.

Incident Details – Details information regarding the incident that caused the civil lawsuit to be sought after in the first please; be very descriptive and provide all possible details.

Defendants Insurance Information - The defendant’s insurance information; the defendant is the other party in your pending lawsuit.

Previous Settlement Offers – Any previous out of court settlement offers provided by the defendant since your case first went to court or was filed.

Lien andor Assignments Regarding Your Case – Any lien’s or assigmenents assigned to your case by your attorney, 3rd party person(s) or court orders in other non-relevant cases.

Medical Malpractice lawsuits are one of the most common lawsuit types in the United States of America. They also tend to be one of the longest lawsuits when it comes to trials. This is the main reason why most medical malpractice suits end up in a settlement agreement; which in turn results in a structured settlement. Many people don’t realize they have an option in a medical malpractice suit to obtain funds. If you’re currently in the middle of a pending medical malpractice lawsuit you can obtain a settlement loan instead of reaching an early settlement agreement; alternately if you’ve accepted a structured settlement plan you can receive a large sum payment.

A settlement loan is an excellent choice if your medical malpractice lawsuit is still pending. It allows you to receive a cash advance based on the merit and probability of winning your current suit. It allows you not only to pay any pending medical bills, it allows you to let your case’s trial go on till the end and not settlement for a lower amount that is rightfully due to you. In case you lose your lawsuit you don’t have to worry. You are not required to pay back the settlement loan if the case is lost! This makes a settlement loan a priority over a traditional loan in this case.

A structured settlement buyout is an excellent choice if you’ve settled your malpractice lawsuit or the trial has ended in a verdict of your choice. A structured settlement buyout is basically a company or investor giving you a large one sum payment in return for your structured settlement payments. This is usually around 60% to 70% of the actual structured settlement amount. This is a great choice for anyone who needs cash now to take care of financial issues or to perhaps buy a new home.

Either way, a settlement loan or a structured settlement buyout is an excellent way for someone to get access to the financial funds they need for any given situation. They are better alternatives than traditional loans since you’ll be stuck making monthly payments with interest on top of them. Consult with a financial advisor prior to accepting any agreements, whether it be a settlement loan or a structured settlement buyout.

Getting a settlement loan isn’t that daunting of a task. The process is different between each settlement loan provider, but usually takes around 2 to 7 days to get approval. You can usually fill out the application online or over the phone. The settlement loan provider will need to speak with your attorney and this may incur costs.

There are several factors that come into play if you’ll get approved for a settlement loan. One factor is the type of claim (or lawsuit type) that is currently pending. The amount you’re looking to get advanced will also be considered in the process. The duration of the case can also affect the ability to get a settlement loan, or affect the amount you can receive. Finally, the most important factor is the risk. This will be based on the merit of your case and how it’s looking in terms of your party winning the lawsuit.

Your settlement loan application will require all your personal information; including name, address, city, zip code, phone number and date of birth. You shouldn’t be required to give your social security number since your credit history does not play a factor into the decision, they may need to use it verify your identity.

You’ll then need to provide information regarding your pending case. Below is the a list of information you should have on handle, but not limited to…

Law Firm Name

Attorney Name

Law Firm Address

Law Firm Phone Number

Attorney Phone Number

Paralegal Handling Your Case

City & State of Court

Case Type

Provide Case Details (more detailed the better)

Accident Information (if applicable)

Defendants Insurance Information

Any Settlement Offers from Defendant

Liens & Assignments Regarding Your Case

Remember, you should consult your attorney prior to applying for the settlement loan. They will be required to speak with the settlement loan provider and this can incur a charge with you attorney. Most settlement loan providers do not charge any application fees, however in some instances you might be charged a fee. Make sure to inquire about any fees.

When it comes to the different types of lawsuit cases it can be mind boggling. There are over fifty different types of civil court cases; thousands if you branch them off into their own specific field. Many plaintiffs in the middle of a lawsuit seek pre settlement loans as a source of cash during their pending lawsuit. They may use this cash to pay bills or even to fund their lawsuit case. Regardless of the reason a plaintiff should know what cases lawsuit settlement loan providers accept. In theory with so many different lawsuit loan providers in the industry one will at least fund your particular type of case. However, there is a general set of cases that they all will fund. Below is a quick list of the different cases that the majority of the providers will give loans for.

Asbestos Auto Accident Aviation Breach of Contract Civil Rights Class Action Commercial Litigation Construction Negligence Copyright (and other intellectual property) Litigation Divorce Funding Employment Discrimination Environmental Litigation FELA (Railroad) Fraud General Negligence Inheritance Funding Jones Act Legal Malpractice Litigation Funding Mass Tort Medical Expenses Funding Medical Malpractice Mesothelioma Motor Vehicle and Passenger Injury Nursing Home Malpractice Patent Law Pedestrian Injury Personal Injury Pharmaceutical Litigation Plane Crash Premises Negligence (slip & fall) Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) Product Liability Securities Fraud Settlements Sexual Harassment Slip-and-Fall Structured Settlements Surgical Expenses Funding Trucking Vioxx Whistle blower Workers Compensation Wrongful Death Wrongful Termination Zyprexa

As you can see, the list of cases lawsuit loan providers will fund the plaintiffs for is staggering, and this isn’t even a complete list. This just provides you with the basic civil court cases a settlement loan provider may or may not provide plaintiffs with loans for. Regardless of what type of lawsuit case you’re currently involved in you should research the providers list of acceptable cases “before” applying for a lawsuit loan. This will save time and effort while trying to get access to the cash you need. If you want to learn more about the different type of lawsuit cases accept or want to apply for a lawsuit settlement loan then continue below.

When considering a settlement loan while having a pending lawsuit a few things comes to mind.

A. What will my lawyer think?

B. Will he approve of me getting a settlement loan?

C. Will it affect any agreements with my lawyer?

In fact, you might find it hard to believe that lawyers actually like when their clients get settlement loans, as long as it doesn’t affect any agreements between you and your lawyer. With contingency agreements there may be a limit to the amount you can get in a settlement loan. You’ll want to consult with your lawyer regarding this.

A few reasons exist why lawyers like the idea of settlement loans. Lawyers understand the hardship of their clients during a pending lawsuit. Certain type of cases won’t allow the client to work at all, resulting in no income on the client’s side. During this a big financial stress can build; medical bills, mortgages and other payments will not wait for a lawsuit case. This is why lawyers see settlement loans as a way to help their client financially during their pending lawsuit.

With the above reason of financial issue comes to second reason why lawyers don’t mind settlement loans. They allow the case to go to trail and reach a verdict; instead of the client settling for a less amount due to debt building up or lack of financial assets. Allowing a lawsuit to go on till the end can greatly increase the money awarded at the end of the case.

The fact that settlement loans are private and confidential is another great reason. They can not and will not affect the outcome of a pending lawsuit. In fact the defendants will never know that you received a settlement loan. Remember, with a settlement loan you keep the money even if you lose and don’t have to pay it back.

When hearing the phrase “settlement loan” you might think it as a traditional loan. This is not the true. Most financial institutions do not lend money based on the merit of a pending lawsuit case. This is because financial institutions cannot absorb the risk behind it since they are funded by consumer monetary; especially with banks. This is why most people turn to settlement loan providers when in need of financial aid during a pending lawsuit.

One of the best things about settlement loans is you do not have to repay the loan back if you lose your case. For example, if you were loaned $30,000 and your case ended in a loss and you still had $10,000 left the money would be yours to keep. This risk is taken by all settlement loan providers. This is why they do research into your pending lawsuit before loaning any money.

You won’t get a negative mark on your credit score if you lose your case. In fact, nothing based on credit history is involved with settlement loan application process. Regardless of your credit history you are still eligible for a settlement loan. However, in instances where a client has filed for bankruptcy there might be an issue, you should consult your attorney if this is the case.

There is nothing wrong with getting a settlement loan during your pending lawsuit. In fact, it is sometimes suggested by your attorney. Due to the hardship clients might face financially during a lawsuit sometimes people will settle for a less amount than the case is worth. With a settlement loan a client can take care of financial needs while the case goes the full course.

When searching for a settlement loan provider you finding there is an endless supply of them. Many settlement loan providers are really just brokers for an actual provider. This makes it a daunting task to find the right settlement loan provider. In reality, it allows you to shop around for the best deal and get the most for your money. Let’s review a few things that you’ll need to do while searching for a settlement loan provider.

The first step is to use the internet to locate as many settlement loan providers as you possibly can. Use Google to search for terms like “settlement loan”, “settlement loans”, “lawsuit cash advance”, etc. Search for any terms that might be related to settlement loans or settlement loan providers. This way you’ll build a huge list of settlement loan providers and their websites; use a notepad file to keep track of them.

The next step would be to start researching the providers you’ve found via Google search. An excellent way to do this is to type in the URL (without www) into Google or just the company name by itself. This will give results related to that domain name and company name. Be on the look out for consumer warnings, rip-off reports, etc that may show up in your search results.

After locating the companies you feel are legitimate and appear to be in good standing it’s time to start the application process. You’ll want to start by submitting applications to the settlement loan providers you have in your notepad file. Try to limit this to groups of 5 to 7, meaning only apply to 5 to 7 at any one time until you get a response and offer from each one; this makes it easier to manage them with all the offers you’ll be getting.

Obviously, you’ll accept the best offer given to you. Remember; only take out the amount that you need. Getting a smaller amount will prevent you from losing a good portion of your awarded money at the end of your case when a verdict is reached. Talk with your attorney to get an idea on how long the case might last and try to estimate how much you need financially during this period.

If done properly you’ll obtain the finances you need to stay current with bills and allow your case to go on without having to accept a private settlement for a lower amount then is rightfully due.

Structured settlements are a way for a person, company or insurance provider to pay out awards won in a lawsuit over a period of time. This is usually done on a bi-monthly or yearly schedule. This prevents large losses due to the results of a lawsuit again that person, company or insurance provider.

If you do have a structured settlement you can opt to get a large sum payment; this is called a settlement loan. This is when a provider buys out your remaining structured settlement payments for one large sum. You can also get pre-settlement loans before a lawsuit case has even reached a verdict. You should know the disadvantages before deciding if it’s right for you.

The main downside is taxes. The money that you would receive from the provider is considered taxable. You would have to pay applicable taxes at the current state and federal rate for that calendar year. You’ll also be responsible for self employment tax; this is the tax self employed individuals pay since they are not getting social security and Medicare withheld from their income. You should be aware of all tax responsibilities behind your settlement loan before making any decisions. I’d suggest speaking with a financial adviser that has worked with settlement loans in the past.

Another downside is the loss of money in your total structured settlement. The settlement loan provider will get a portion of the total amount owed over the structured settlements duration. This is different between settlement loan providers and private settlement loan investors. Usually, you can expect them to absorb 20% to 40% of the value of the entire structured settlement or on top of the settlement loan itself. You should make sure it’s worth the cost before taking it out in the first place.

Reviewing this few disadvantages of a structured settlement loan it should be noted there are many advantages. First, if you’re getting a pre-settlement loan you’re not responsible to pay the loan back if you lose your case. Second, if your structured settlement is bought out to protect assets such as a car or home it can out weight the costs of the loan itself. Either way, neither of them require any specific income or credit history; making these available to anyone with a pending lawsuit or structured settlement.

If you’re in the middle of a pending lawsuit you already understand the financial stress than can build during that period. This is especially true for injury or accident related lawsuits. During this period the plaintiff in the case won’t be able to work, and depending on the situation might never able to work again. As with most lawsuits this can be a very trying situation; most lawsuits tend to take many months if not years to complete. During this period the plaintiff in the case can become delinquent with monthly bills, medical payments, car loans and mortgages. In worst cases you can actually lose your home or vehicle during a pending lawsuit; and have adverse effects on your credit history.

Many people in this situation tend to do the worst thing and take out more credit. This can include applying for more credit cards or taking out a home equity loan. This is dangerous, if you lose your pending lawsuit you’ll still be liable for that money that was loaned. A better option in this type of situation is a settlement loan. They are a great way for a plaintiff in a pending lawsuit to take hold of their financial issues, and in the process protect their assets and credit history.

The best part of a settlement loan is it doesn’t have to be paid back until the end of your lawsuit. If you happen to lose your lawsuit you pay nothing back. That means the money you spent and that is left over the settlement loan is yours to keep and will not effect your credit history or any personal property you would other wise take out equity loan on. Settlement loans are based on the merit of your lawsuit, so if it’s a strong lawsuit against the defendant you’ll almost certainly get approved.

Remember, you need to make smart financial moves during your lawsuit. A traditional loan can be damaging if you fail to win your case since you’ll still be responsible for the payments. This is why the settlement loan is a far better option, you’ll be able to secure the financial funds you need to proceed with life and not be in danger of a loan you can’t afford if you lose.