Going to Court

Going to Court

Kenneth Vercammen & Associates Law Office represents people injured in accidents or charged with criminal offenses. We provide representation throughout New Jersey. Don't give up! Our Law Office can provide experienced attorney representation for most cases. Our website www.njlaws.com provides information on personal injury and criminal cases.

Criminal, Municipal Court, Traffic 1. You must fully cooperate with the Law Firm and provide all information relevant to the issues involved in this matter. You must fill out the Interview Sheet accurately. If you do not provide accurate information to the court and your attorney, you may expose yourself to a higher DMV surcharge assessment. You must also provide details to your attorney on what you told the police. We recommend you contact DMV, now Motor Vehicle Commission, and obtain a driver's license abstract. 888-486-3339 or 609-292-6500. This will help your attorney when you go to court.

2. You must call the Court or Law Office 24 hours before all hearings and court appearances to confirm the case has not been adjourned.

3. You must bring all your original papers and entire file of all documents and letters you have received from the attorney, the Court, insurance companies and the DMV/ MVC connected to your case whenever you come to the law office, to court, or other appearances where both you and your attorney will be present.

When you arrive at Court, please check in. Hearing times are often delayed. If by chance the attorney handling the hearing is not at the hearing room when you arrive, please do not panic. The attorney will soon arrive to handle the case. The attorney often travels from other courts. Please remain in the courtroom/hearing room until the attorney arrives, if possible. Usually the attorney will go to speak directly with the Prosecutor or Court Clerk prior to going into the courtroom. In municipal court/traffic cases, we recommend our clients not speak with the Prosecutor but rather wait for your attorney to arrive. If you will have to pay court costs or a fine, bring a checkbook or cash. Most towns and state agencies still do not accept credit cards. Do not leave the court and go home until instructed by Mr. Vercammen or a member of our staff.

4. You must notify your attorney and the court immediately if your address or phone numbers change.

5. Under the NJ Rules of Professional Conduct and Court Rules, the attorney cannot send a letter of representation to the court until the Retainer is paid in full. All fees and requirements under this written retainer agreement and any other written documents must be complied with. You must also pay all legal bills. If you do not comply with these requirements, the Law Firm will not represent you. Failure to comply with all requirements shall permit the law office to withdraw its offer of representation. The Law Office always charges a fee of between $50 - $100 for bad checks.

6. The attorney does not usually adjourn hearing dates once the Court sets the hearing date by computer notice. If the client wants a new date, they should call the Court directly. The law office charges an additional $75.00 to cancel Court dates and reschedule once the court date is set.

7. The Law Firm agrees to provide conscientious, competent and diligent services and at all times will seek to achieve solutions which are just and reasonable for you. However, because of the uncertainty of legal proceedings, the interpretation and changes in the law and many unknown factors, attorneys cannot and do not warrant, predict or guarantee results or the final outcome of any case. Your payment of the legal fee indicates you have read and agree to this Agreement. This is a non-refundable retainer/representation fee, pursuant to Superior Court decisions and New Jersey RPC.

Personal Injury- Arbitration at the Courthouse

We provide our clients with a draft of the Arbitration Statement which we will file with the Arbitration Office. Please advise the attorney immediately in writing with any changes in the Arbitration Statement. The Arbitration is held before an attorney selected by the Assignment Judge who will read medical reports and statements submitted by the parties, then listen to testimony from the parties for approximately 15 minutes. The Arbitrator will make a decision as to who they feel is responsible and whether damages should be awarded. We suggest you visit the accident site during the week prior to Arbitration, and call all of your doctors to confirm all bills are paid.

We always provide our clients with a copy of the Answers to Interrogatories. Please carefully review the Answers to Interrogatories before the Arbitration. You should be fully familiar with the information which was supplied by way of answers to interrogatories because many of the Arbitration questions will involve the same information. If you cannot locate your copy of the Answers to the Interrogatories, please call my secretary and we will forward to you another copy.

You must be present in court and prepared to proceed at that time. You should bring all of your papers in connection with your case to Arbitration. Please call my secretary approximately 24 hours before this hearing to confirm that the Arbitrator has not adjourned your hearing.

CONTACT DOCTORS TO DETERMINE UNPAID AMOUNTS

Under NJ Law, you personally will be liable for all unpaid medical and treatment bills. Many MRI facilities and physical therapy centers fail to provide notice of unpaid bills to clients. They sometimes fail to properly submit to insurance, major medical or other available insurance's. You should call all doctors, hospitals and any other medical providers to determine the unpaid bills and confirm when they sent their bill to the insurance companies. If there is an unpaid bill, have the medical provider send a copy to you, and fax a copy to my office. Under the New Jersey Collateral Source Law, a defendant can never be liable for any bills unless the bill is first submitted to the insurance companies.

APPEAL OF ARBITRATOR'S DECISION

Either party if unhappy must pay $200.00 to appeal and have a trial. Usually insurance companies appeal to delay payment. Under Court Rule 4:21A-6 (1), a formal Trial De Novo must be filed within 30 days of the arbitration. If you are unsatisfied with the decision by the arbitrator, you must obtain a money order or prepare a check for $200.00 payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey, Court Rule 4:21A-6. A trial week is scheduled three to four months after the Arbitration. Your doctors will usually require you to pay them up front for their testimony. They will often charge you up front between $2,500.00 and $4,000.00 for testimony. On the trial week, you will have to sit around at the courthouse for several days until a Judge becomes available.

KENNETH VERCAMMEN & ASSOCIATES, PC ATTORNEY AT LAW 2053 Woodbridge Ave. Edison, NJ 08817 (Phone) 732-572-0500 (Fax) 732-572-0030

TRIAL AND LITIGATION EXPERIENCE In his private practice, he has devoted a substantial portion of his professional time to the preparation and trial of litigated matters. He appears in Courts throughout New Jersey several times each week on many personal injury matters, Criminal and Municipal/ traffic Court trials, Probate hearings, and contested administrative law hearings.

Mr. Vercammen served as the Prosecutor for the Township of Cranbury, Middlesex County and was involved in trials on a weekly basis. He also argued all pre-trial motions and post-trial applications on behalf of the State of New Jersey.

He has also served as a Special Acting Prosecutor in Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, Berkeley Heights, Carteret, East Brunswick, Jamesburg, South Brunswick, South River and South Plainfield for conflict cases. Since 1989, he has personally handled hundreds of criminal and motor vehicle matters as a Prosecutor and now as defense counsel and has had substantial success.

Previously, Mr. Vercammen was Public Defender for the Township of Edison and Borough of Metuchen and a Designated Counsel for the Middlesex County Public Defender's Office. He represented indigent individuals facing consequences of magnitude. He was in Court trying cases and making motions in difficult criminal and DWI matters. Every case he personally handled and prepared.

His resume sets forth the numerous bar associations and activities which demonstrate his commitment to the legal profession and providing quality representation to clients.

Since 1985, his primary concentration has been on litigation matters. Mr. Vercammen gained other legal experiences as the Confidential Law Clerk to the Court of Appeals of Maryland (Supreme Court) with the Delaware County, PA District Attorney Office handling Probable Cause Hearings, Middlesex County Probation Department as a Probation Officer, and an Executive Assistant to Scranton District Magistrate, Thomas Hart, in Scranton, PA.




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Since 1985, KENNETH VERCAMMEN has worked as a personal injury attorney, working for injury victims and their families. By taking a hard-hitting, aggressive approach toward the insurance companies, KENNETH VERCAMMEN and our co-counsel have consistently obtained outstanding results for many injured clients over the years I am proud to have worked on cases in various capacities, small and large. While obviously prior results cannot guarantee the outcome of future cases, I can guarantee that you case will receive the same degree of dedication and hard work that went into each of these prior cases.

In direct contrast to the hard-hitting approach we take toward the insurance companies is the “soft” approach we take toward our clients. I am proud of my compassionate staff as I am of the outstanding financial results they have achieved. For many years, I have watched them treat our clients with patience, dignity and respect. I would have it no other way.

Many years ago, I attended a seminar sponsored by the American Bar Association on Law Practice Management. This was to help insure that each of our clients is always treated like a person -- not a file! We recognize that you are innocent victims and that you have placed your trust in us. Please understand that we understand what you are going through. Feel comforted that we are here to help you.

If you retain KENNETH VERCAMMEN to represent you, we will give you the same advice we give each of our clients -- concentrate on your life, you family and your health. We will take care of everything else. Leave all of the work and worry about your legal rights to us. Trust us. Believe in us. Have faith in us as your attorneys. Understand that we will always to do what we believe is best for you and your case. Helping you is our job. In fact, it is our only job -- guiding injury victims like you through one of the most difficult times of your lives, with care and concern -- while fighting aggressively to the limits of the law to obtain compensation and justice for each of you!

Print our Personal Injury Questionnaire on our Website, Fill it out and Fax back, so we can determine if we can help you obtain an injury settlement. We would welcome an opportunity to prove to you what we have proven to thousands of injured clients -- that you can feel comfortable and secure in the fact that KENNETH VERCAMMEN - Trial Attorney We Fight To Win.

When you have been injured in an accident or collision, you are worried about who is going to pay your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. The last thing you want is to be taken advantage of by an insurance company. If you don’t protect your rights, you may not be able to make a claim.

Insurance companies have attorneys and adjusters whose goal is to pay you as little as they can. You need a New Jersey personal injury lawyer to fight for you. I am dedicated to helping your recover as much money as possible under the law.

You need an attorney who will work hard to protect your rights, maximize your insurance settlement and minimize the hassles of dealing with the insurance companies. You need an experienced and aggressive New Jersey trial lawyer with PROVEN RESULTS who will fight for you. Having an experienced Oregon personal injury lawyer can make the difference between getting what you deserve and getting nothing.

Without the threat of a lawyer who is willing to go to trial and seek a big jury verdict, why would an insurance company pay you what your claim is really worth? Lawsuits can be expensive, and many people do not have the money to pursue their claim. In every case, I advance all costs associated with pursuing your case and I do not ask you for a penny until we recover from the other side.

I am an experienced aggressive trial lawyer and a 3rd degree Black Belt. I am not afraid to take your case to trial if that is what it takes to maximize the amount of money your recover for your personal injury. I offer one-on-one service, and I will not hand your case off to an inexperienced lawyer or a paralegal.

Reduce the stress of making a claim.

Personal injury accidents can turn your life upside down. Making a personal injury claim can be difficult and time consuming. Once I take your case, you can stop worrying about dealing with the insurance companies and focus on recovering from your injuries. I take care of all of the paperwork, phone calls, and negotiations, so you can get on with your life.

p.s. For those clients who are afraid or reluctant to go to Court, KENNETH VERCAMMEN also offers a special -- “For Settlement Only” -- program. This means that if we are unable to settle with the insurance company, we will not go any further -- unless you want us to. You have my personal assurance that there will be absolutely no pressure and no obligation.

We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis.

This means:
YOU DON’T OWE ME A LEGAL FEE UNLESS I RECOVER MONEY FOR YOU.

Call our office to schedule a "confidential" appointment 732-572-0500

Kenneth A. Vercammen is the Managing Attorney at Kenneth Vercammen & Associates in Edison, NJ. He is a New Jersey trial attorney has devoted a substantial portion of his professional time to the preparation and trial of litigated matters. He has appears in Courts throughout New Jersey each week on personal injury matters, Criminal /Municipal Court trials, and contested Probate hearings.

Mr. Vercammen has published over 125 legal articles in national and New Jersey publications on criminal, elder law, probate and litigation topics. He is a highly regarded lecturer on litigation issues for the American Bar Association, NJ ICLE, New Jersey State Bar Association and Middlesex County Bar Association. His articles have been published in noted publications included New Jersey Law Journal, ABA Law Practice Management Magazine, and New Jersey Lawyer. He is the Editor in Chief of the American Bar Association Tort and Insurance Committee Newsletter.

Admitted In NJ, NY, PA, US Supreme Court and Federal District Court.

Contact the Law Office of
Kenneth Vercammen & Associates, P.C.
at 732-572-0500
for an appointment.

The Law Office cannot provide legal advice or answer legal questions over the phone or by email. Please call the Law office and schedule a confidential "in office" consultation.