Wrongful death is a legal claim when someone dies due to another party’s negligent, reckless, or intentional wrongful act, allowing surviving family members to file a civil lawsuit for damages like financial losses and suffering.
Losing a loved one because of someone else’s negligence is overwhelming. Families are left grieving, confused, and unsure of what steps to take next. If you’re searching for the best wrongful death attorney Rockford offers, you’re already doing one of the most important things: getting informed.
At IllinoisLawyers.com, we’ve helped people across Illinois find the right attorney for their wrongful death lawsuits since 2001. This guide breaks down what makes a great Rockford wrongful death lawyer, how wrongful death cases work, and how to connect with the right attorney—quickly and for free.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Illinois?
Illinois law allows the deceased person’s personal representative—usually a spouse, parent, or adult child—to bring the lawsuit. Who benefits from a lawsuit will depend on the case facts. Generally speaking, most cases are filed to help a spouse, child parent or sibling recover. If the person who dies does not have any of those, then the next closest relative can bring the case and receive compensation.
How to Find the Best Wrongful Death Attorney Rockford
There is no one “best” law firm. Who is best for you and your family depends on the case facts. There are some very complex cases that only Chicago law firms would have experience with. That would not require you to travel, the attorneys would come to you.
In other cases, we look for some of the following things when it comes to recommending a lawyer:
- What is the case about? Is it medical malpractice, nursing home malpractice, a trucking death, a car accident or something else?
- How long do you have left to file the lawsuit? In most cases, there is a two year time limit from when someone passes to sue. It’s understandable that a family needs to grieve their loss. Some people wait a bit too long and leave a lawyer to immediately file the lawsuit. So we consider this factor for you, because you need a law firm with the manpower to get a case going.
- Do you have any personal needs? That could be something like needing a Spanish speaking wrongful death attorney or one fluent in Serbian or some other language. Or maybe you are out of state or work during the day so you need representation that is going to be available early morning or later in the evening. These things all matter.
- How much insurance is available? If we can estimate how much a case might be worth, that can help determine which firm is best for you. The right firm for a death involving a semi truck is different than if your loved one was killed by a teenage with limited insurance.
What Are Qualities Of A Great Rockford Wrongful Death Lawyer?
No attorney pays us to recommend them. Every lawyer we would suggest for you would be independent of our office. If we would suggest them to you, we would also do that for a family member or friend. Some things we look for in an attorney include:
- How experienced are they? Wrongful death lawsuits are complex. Top attorneys understand the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, the Survival Act, and how damages such as medical bills, lost income, and mental suffering are calculated. It would be highly unusual for us to ever recommend a lawyer with less than ten years of experience.
- How successful are they? We will only recommend attorneys with a proven track record. That does not guarantee you a result, but gives you the best chance for getting a good one. A successful firm also has the money to fund a lawsuit. Medical malpractice cases can cost over $100,000. Your lawyer should front all of those costs.
- How big is their firm? The tougher the case, the larger the firm should be. You don’t need a firm with 100 lawyers, but for many cases, if they do not have a bunch it could put you at a disadvantage. Typically it is a minimum of three.
- Is there legal practice focused in Illinois? Sadly, there are a lot of law firms that are based and operated out of state that are marketing themselves in Illinois. Many of these are just marketing agencies who make you think you are hiring them, but they just farm their case out to someone here. If the main lawyers at a firm are not physically based in Illinois, we believe this puts you at a disadvantage. We only recommend Illinois lawyers who have a track record of success in Illinois.
- Do they have a good reputation in Rockford? Having a bad one can really harm your case. You don’t want their bad reputation to hurt you.
These are just some of the things that we look for. EVERY attorney we recommend for wrongful death lawsuits works on a contingency basis. You should absolutely not hire any injury attorney who works any other way or asks you for money.
If you would like a free case review, please contact us at 800-517-1614 any time. We will do whatever we can to help you.
