"The very essence of civil liberties certainly consists in the right of every individual to claim the protection of the laws,
whenever he receives an injury."
Chief Justice John Marshall in Marbury vs. Madison (1803).
A Busy Spring: Spring at the Choate Law Firm has been spent preparing for trials. We have 5 jury trials set to occur in the next three months. Wonderful clients and important cases for American juries to decide.
Changes At The Office: We are working on changes to our computer systems to provide password-protected workspaces for clients to log-in to view their documents online. We hope to also create spaces to share documents with adverse counsel eliminating the need for exchanging documents by "snail" mail or email.
Look For Our Blog: We are planning on starting a blog for clients and others providing basic "how-to's" on dealing with insurance companies, government and big business.
Mark Choate has been a trial lawyer for more than 30 years. A graduate of Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyer's College, Mark trusts the jury to hold the rich and powerful accountable for the harm they do.
In July and September 2010, two different Juneau, Alaska juries found that Juneau, Alaska's only hospital, Bartlett Regional Hospital, had committed malpractice, causing harm to individuals who had gone to the hospital for medical help. These cases had a bigger impact than just individual awards, sending the message that our community wants a safer hospital and more responsible hospital.
Attorneys are expensive. They can charge from $200 to $1000 per hour. While the rich and powerful can afford to hire the best to defend them, ordinary people, especially injured ones, cannot. They are worried about keeping a roof over their heads and paying doctors' bills.
The Choate Law Firm LLC works exclusively on a contingency fee. This means that it costs no money to have your claim evaluated. If we decide that we can help you, we will enter into a written contingency fee contract where we will agree to work with you for a percentage of the total recovery. This percentage varies between 33% and 45% depending on the difficulty of the case. We will also advance the costs necessary to prepare the case for trial - for example, filing fees, travel and expert witness charges, on your promise to repay us at the conclusion of the case.
Mark Choate has worked in courts throughout the United States, from rural villages and fishing villages in Alaska to trial courts in California, Hawaii and Washington.
In addition, Mark took and passed additional Bar Exams in California, Hawaii and Washington. Licensed to practice in all courts in those states, Mark represents individuals with serious injuries in those states on a selective basis.
Mark also works on a pro hac basis in other states - most recently, Nevada - working with local attorneys to assist them and their clients on challenging cases, especially class actions.
At present, Mark is planning on taking the Nevada Bar Exam.
Everyone who has had harm done to them and then found a deaf ear when they seek justice worries about the independence of their attorney. This is especially the case when suing the government, a powerful corporation or insurance company.
The Choate Law Firm LLC is fiercely independent. We exclusively represent plaintiffs bringing lawsuits. We make our livelihood representing those injured by those who would otherwise not accept responsibility for their bad conduct.
Independent for more than 30 years, our experience, dedication and commitment is always for our clients and never for those that caused them harm.
There's no higher calling than helping those in need. For more than three decades, Mark Choate has worked as a trial lawyer, representing seriously injured individuals and their families in courts throughout Alaska, Hawaii and the Lower 48.
The American legal system is amazing in its ability to allow the ordinary man or woman to challenge the power of the government, big corporations and insurance companies. But it is NEVER a fair fight. They have the resources, the staff, and the ability to simply ignore or reject claims for compensation, no matter how deserving and no matter how much harm they caused.
The Choate Law Firm has the skill, dedication and significant resources to take on these powerful groups and make sure you get your day in court.
It cost no money to talk with the staff of the Choate Law Firm and have your case evaluated. If we decide we believe we can help you, we will enter into a written contingency fee contract, spelling out our obligations and your responsibility to pay us a percentage of the total recovery at the conclusion of a case plus repay our case cost advances.
No attorney-client relationship can be created without the mutual signing of the contingency fee contract. Please click on the CONTACT page to find out how to reach us.
Serious injuries are overwhelming. They not only are tragic in the losses and harms they cause, they often deprive those injured of the resources and health they need to seek compensation for their injuries.
When we work for you as your attorneys, we will investigate not only why you were hurt, but also if someone or something is responsible for your injuries. We will talk to witnesses, employ experts, and only bring meritorious claims. Not all injuries are caused by negligence.
We'll also investigate how you've been harmed. We'll gather your medical records, talk with your doctors, with your family and friends as to how you have been changed. All of this will help us tell your story to a jury of twelve men and women.
Litigation is the process by which lawsuits are brought and prepared for trial. Once we have investigated a claim and determined that a suit should be brought, we'll prepare a Complaint setting forth what happened and who we believe is responsible. That Complaint will be served on the Defendant whose attorneys will then file an Answer.
Once an Answer has been filed, the Court will issue a Scheduling Order setting a trial date and pretrial deadlines. Discovery then begins which involves exchanging Interrogatories, Requests for Production and Admission, and the taking of depositions.
When discovery is completed, the matter is usually ready for a negotiated resolution or trial.
Negotiation is an essential element of most lawsuits. Our job is to prepare your case well enough that the Defendant's attorneys and insurance company will understand why there is a legal responsibility and pay for the harms and losses caused by the Defendant's negligence.
Negotiation can occur in a number of ways. It can occur informally between lawyers on each side. A non-binding mediation or settlement conference can occur in which the parties try and reach a resolution. Negotiation can continue up through trial and even goes forward when cases are on appeal.
Unfortunately, many Defendants, especially insurance companies, large corporations and government, have found that they can refuse to pay fair compensation for the harms they've caused - relying upon their resources to outweight or deter the injured person from receiving fair compensation. When that happens, there's only one solution - Trial.
Trial by jury is the heart of the American justice system. In the courtroom, before 12 ordinary men and women, the power differences disappear. One side may have more lawyers, fancier diagrams or resources for experts, but the jury can see that and evaluate the evidence with that in mind.
Trial is the ultimate place for decisions about right and wrong. The jury will listen to the testimony and often decide if one side or its witnesses are telling the truth. In a world where excuses and lies are commonplace, in the courtroom, through good advocacy skills, the injured person's lawyer can show what really happened.
The jury trial is the greatest achievement of our legal system. It places the power of judgment in the hands of ordinary citizens. We rely upon them to exercise that power with intelligence and commonsense.
Representing injured people in Alaska is a challenge. Many people have to fly a thousand miles for medical help and treatment. Doctors are often located in different states. Injured people may relocate to live with family who can assist them. We don't drive across the county for an appointment. We are more likely to get on a jet and spend thousands of dollars to visit a client, meet and expert or attend a deposition. Therefore, we must be very careful in evaluating case - often requiring us to decline to represent people with worthwhile claims simply because we do believe the costs to prepare the case for trial will exceed the foreseeable recovery. This is always sad.
We limit our practice to civil litigation. That means we do no criminal defense work. Similarly, we do not work in areas where, by design, it is almost impossible to represent clients cost-effectively. This means we do not represent claimants in workers compensation cases or social security claims.
We represent seriously injured individuals and their families in the following types of cases:
Office Location
All Rights reserved 1 (907) 586-4490 424 N. Franklin St., Juneau, AK 99801 contact us at:lawyers_choatelawfirm.com
