AI case valuation software: what to check before trusting a number
Evaluate AI case valuation software with a practical checklist for evidence, sources, uncertainty, privacy, and the difference between an estimate and an offer.
THE CLAIM GUIDE
Case value &
claim guides.
Clear explanations for the questions that come before a number. Understand the process, organize your records, and prepare for informed advice.
Explore 52 guides 7 topics · Free worksheets · Official sources
A good place to start
Three essential readsPain and suffering calculators: why a multiplier is not a rule
Learn what pain and suffering calculators can miss, how to describe daily impacts accurately, and why multiplying medical bills cannot establish a settlement.
Gross vs. net settlement: a worked deduction example
See how fees, case expenses, reimbursements, and other deductions can change a gross settlement into a different net amount, with transparent arithmetic.
01
AI & case evaluation
Understand what a tool can tell you—and what still needs checking.
AI case valuation software: what to check before trusting a number
Evaluate AI case valuation software with a practical checklist for evidence, sources, uncertainty, privacy, and the difference between an estimate and an offer.
How to prepare for an AI case evaluation
Build a concise case summary for an AI evaluation: timeline, location, documented losses, disputed facts, missing information, and questions to verify.
How to check legal citations generated by AI
A step-by-step method to check whether an AI legal citation exists, says what the answer claims, applies to your jurisdiction, and is still usable.
AI legal assistant vs. lawyer: choosing the right kind of help
Understand the difference between an AI preparation tool and legal representation, with examples of tasks to organize yourself and questions for a lawyer.
A privacy checklist before using a legal AI tool
Decide what to leave out of a legal AI prompt, how to redact a useful summary, and which questions to ask about storage, processing, and access.
Settlement calculator inputs: what the numbers leave out
Understand which records support a settlement calculator, why unknown inputs should stay unknown, and how fault, coverage, and deductions change an estimate.
Why another person’s settlement may not predict yours
Compare settlement examples carefully using jurisdiction, liability, injury evidence, insurance, gross versus net amounts, and missing public information.
Free legal information, legal aid, and AI: where to start
Find the right starting point for free legal information, legal aid, court self-help, and AI preparation without confusing general resources with representation.
02
Understanding damages
Separate documented costs, assumptions, and possible deductions.
Economic vs. noneconomic damages: organizing the difference
Separate financial losses from pain and other personal effects, organize supporting records, and avoid counting the same loss twice in a claim worksheet.
How to organize medical bills for an injury claim
Reconcile provider charges, insurance payments, adjustments, patient balances, and duplicate statements using a medical bill worksheet for claim preparation.
Documenting lost wages after an injury
Organize missed shifts, wage rates, employer confirmation, leave payments, and self-employment records without confusing revenue with lost personal income.
Pain and suffering calculators: why a multiplier is not a rule
Learn what pain and suffering calculators can miss, how to describe daily impacts accurately, and why multiplying medical bills cannot establish a settlement.
Future medical expenses: questions to resolve before a settlement
Organize future treatment questions using the clinician’s plan, cost information, uncertainty, and the terms of a proposed release without inventing forecasts.
Gross vs. net settlement: a worked deduction example
See how fees, case expenses, reimbursements, and other deductions can change a gross settlement into a different net amount, with transparent arithmetic.
Medicare and injury settlements: questions about repayment
Understand conditional payments at a high level and prepare a Medicare settlement checklist covering records, disputed items, correspondence, and net proceeds.
Are settlements taxable? Questions to take to a tax professional
Prepare for settlement tax review by separating payment categories, prior deductions, interest, punitive damages, attorney fees, and supporting documents.
03
Records & evidence
Build a useful claim file, one clear document at a time.
A case timeline template that keeps facts and assumptions separate
Build a usable case timeline with dates, events, sources, uncertainty, and follow-up questions. Includes a free blank CSV worksheet.
Organizing accident photos without losing their context
Keep original accident photos, create a photo log, distinguish annotations from originals, and record context without altering evidence or inventing details.
How to request medical records for a claim file
Prepare a focused medical record request using providers, dates, record types, delivery preferences, and a request log while protecting sensitive information.
Itemized medical bill vs. statement vs. explanation of benefits
Tell the difference between an itemized provider bill, a balance statement, and an insurer’s explanation of benefits before totaling medical expenses.
What to include in an employer wage verification request
Prepare a factual request for dates, schedules, pay rates, missed hours, leave payments, and employer contact details to support a wage-loss review.
Self-employed income loss: separating revenue from earnings
Organize canceled work, business expenses, replacement labor, prior periods, and payment timing when preparing a self-employed income-loss claim.
Keeping a factual daily-impact journal after an injury
Record changes in everyday activities accurately, distinguish observations from medical conclusions, and preserve dated entries without exaggeration.
A witness information checklist for a claim file
Record how a witness can be contacted, what they personally observed, when a conversation occurred, and what remains uncertain without coaching testimony.
Tracking receipts and out-of-pocket claim expenses
Create an expense log that links receipts to dates and purposes, tracks reimbursements, separates duplicates, and keeps recoverability questions visible.
How to organize a claim evidence folder
Build a simple evidence folder with originals, working copies, a document index, version history, and a clear list of missing records.
04
The claims process
Prepare for conversations, decisions, and professional advice.
A settlement demand letter preparation checklist
Prepare a clear demand packet with a factual summary, supporting records, an explained amount, and unresolved issues without inventing legal authority.
How to organize a settlement offer for review
Break a settlement offer into payment, deductions, release terms, unresolved issues, and timing so you can ask informed questions before accepting.
Settlement release checklist: questions before you sign
Identify the parties, claims, future obligations, confidentiality terms, payment conditions, and unresolved balances in a proposed settlement release.
Contingency fees: questions that change the final calculation
Review the fee percentage, calculation base, expenses, changes by case stage, related work, and settlement distribution before agreeing to representation.
What to bring to a first lawyer consultation
Prepare a one-page summary, key documents, dates, goals, and focused questions so a first legal consultation can address the most important unknowns.
A practical mediation preparation checklist
Prepare a mediation summary, evidence index, questions, practical goals, and review plan while checking the specific program’s rules and costs.
Claim deadlines: a checklist for finding the right rule
Identify the jurisdiction, defendant, claim type, triggering event, notices, and official sources needed to have a legal deadline checked accurately.
Why injury claim timelines vary: stages to track
Track records, coverage review, medical uncertainty, negotiation, litigation, and payment without relying on a promised settlement date or universal timeline.
05
Car accident claims
Make sense of coverage, repairs, and injury documentation.
A car accident claim checklist for organizing the next steps
Organize incident details, photos, reports, policy information, repair records, and communications after an accident while keeping urgent safety needs first.
What belongs in a car accident injury claim file?
Organize incident records, treatment information, wage documents, personal-impact notes, and open questions without confusing a repair claim with an injury claim.
Insurance policy limits vs. case value: why they differ
Understand the difference between claimed losses, a policy limit, and an actual offer, and prepare questions about coverage, exclusions, and multiple claims.
Reviewing a total-loss vehicle valuation report
Check vehicle details, condition, comparable listings, adjustments, deductions, and payment calculations when reviewing a total-loss valuation report.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims: questions to ask
Locate the relevant policy, distinguish uninsured from underinsured coverage, and organize notice, consent, evidence, and limit questions for review.
Shared fault in a claim: facts to organize before doing the math
Separate evidence about responsibility from a proposed fault percentage, identify the applicable legal system, and avoid applying a universal reduction formula.
Tracking rental, towing, and storage costs after an accident
Track dates, rates, authorizations, invoices, and reimbursements for rental, towing, and storage while checking the actual coverage and claim requirements.
How to keep an insurance claim communication log
Track claim conversations, written requests, promised follow-ups, documents sent, and unresolved questions without confusing informal discussions with approvals.
06
Workplace injuries
Find the right program and organize benefit questions.
Workers’ compensation: find the right program before calculating
Identify the relevant workers’ compensation program and official agency before using wage rates, disability percentages, deadlines, or settlement calculators.
A workers’ compensation benefit payment record
Track benefit periods, stated rates, actual payments, adjustments, and notices so you can identify a specific discrepancy for the claims administrator.
Workers’ compensation settlements and future medical care
Use California’s settlement types as an example to understand questions about future care, payment structure, review, and unresolved obligations.
A disability rating is not a settlement amount
Understand why a medical impairment or disability percentage cannot be converted into a settlement without the applicable program, documents, and benefit rules.
What to prepare for a workplace injury consultation
Organize employer details, reporting records, medical restrictions, wage information, benefit notices, and focused questions for a workplace injury consultation.
07
Small claims
Plan a focused claim and understand what happens after court.
Small claims court: a checklist before you file
Check the right defendant, court, amount, deadline, demand requirements, evidence, costs, and collection questions before starting a small claims case.
A small claims payment request: what to include
Prepare a factual payment request with the agreement, amount, supporting records, requested response, and delivery record while checking local prerequisites.
Preparing a small claims hearing packet
Organize the question, timeline, calculation, exhibits, and responses for a small claims hearing, and check the actual court’s submission instructions.
Winning small claims vs. collecting a judgment
Understand why a judgment and payment are separate, and organize the decision, dates, payment history, and official collection questions after court.
Unpaid invoice evidence: show the agreement, work, and balance
Build an unpaid-invoice record using the agreement, scope changes, delivery or performance evidence, invoice history, payments, and disputed items.