Millions of people get injured due to other's negligence. Some of them get temporarily disabled and some permanently. The personal injury results in their financial and emotional catostraphy. Most of the people hesitate filing a lawsuit because of lack of adequate finance .Lawsuit funding can be resourced through personal loans, loans taken from family and friends and loans taken in the form of "venture capital".
"Venture capital" is the money advances made by a financial institute to help the afflicted plaintiff .This method of advancing money to the plaintiff is not like a typical loan. It is a non recourse method of lawsuit funding in which, the advances are returned only if there is victory in the court. Lawsuit funding can be done in two parts.
Presettlement lawsuit funding is of great help to the bourgeois plaintiff. In Presettlement lawsuit funding, funds are provided to take care of :–
• Medical Treatment • Cost of filing the case in court • Family responsibilities, which were earlier being fulfilled by the earning plaintiff.
The financial institute lends an amount which it thinks is appropriate for the plaintiff. These lawsuit fundings are given in accordance with the precalculated prospective settlement, which the plaintiff would get in case he wins. There is always a high risk involved in such lending because the funds are not returned, if the plaintiff looses the case.
Financial institutes provide funds for litigation funding as well. Sometimes, when a plaintiff is unable to find a lawyer who takes fee on a contingent basis, it becomes vital to advance money to the personal injury lawyer. Litigation funding is, thus, advanced to such plaintiffs, so that they can take care of their lawyer's expense and also their own personal expense.
Before finalizing on a lending finance company who offers generous lawsuit funds, the rate of interest charged by them, should be asked. Sometimes, these financial institutes charge very high rate of interest. Repayment would generally depend on the advance given by the financial companies. If lawsuit funding has been has been given a on a flat fee basis, the money which has to be repaid is already agreed upon by both the financial institute and the plaintiff.
Some lawsuit funding companies ask for the repayment on a recurring fee basis. The rate of interest charged is usually on the advance taken and the time taken to return it.
Hence, choices taken about lawsuit funding should be rather wise. A wrong decision can cost the plaintiff very expensive.
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