Documents we review
We review documents in personal injury and maritime / maritime personal injury matters. Some of the most common items:
Insurance & Settlement Documents
- Settlement offer letters from auto, slip-and-fall, dog bite, or other personal injury carriers — we tell you whether the number is reasonable for your facts and what’s missing
- Full release and settlement agreements — the language that bars you from coming back later if your injuries turn out to be worse than you knew
- UM/UIM (uninsured/underinsured motorist) settlement papers from your own carrier
- Property damage releases — carriers often try to bundle bodily injury releases inside property damage paperwork; we catch it
- Medical payment (PIP) coordination notices
- Subrogation and lien letters from health insurers, Medicare, Medicaid, and L&I — what you actually owe vs. what they’re demanding
Maritime Documents
- Maritime employer releases / waivers — including Jones Act release language disguised as routine return-to-work paperwork
- Maintenance and cure offer letters from a vessel owner’s insurer or P&I club
- LHWCA settlement (Section 8(i)) papers — permanent compromise agreements that close your claim
- Cruise line settlement / release agreements
- Vessel charter, employment, or seaman articles with arbitration or forum-selection clauses
- USCG accident investigation reports and what they mean for your civil claim
- Ferry / passenger waiver and release forms
Contracts From Other Law Firms
- Contingency fee agreements — many include language permitting fee escalation, cost-shifting, or scope expansion that clients miss until settlement
- Hourly retainer agreements
- Co-counsel referral agreements
If you’ve already retained a personal injury or maritime firm and you’re uneasy about the fee structure or the way they’re handling your case, a flat-fee review of the engagement is one of the best $150–$300 you can spend. We tell you what your options are without the conflict of being your current attorney.
What you get
Every document review produces:
- A plain-English summary of what the document says — what you’d be agreeing to, what you’d be giving up, what’s ambiguous
- A flag list of provisions that materially affect your rights — release scope, indemnification, confidentiality, lien handling, future-claim waivers, arbitration, forum selection, fee shifting
- An action checklist — what to ask the other side, what to negotiate, what to leave alone, and whether to sign
- Attorney signature — the analysis is reviewed and signed by a licensed Washington attorney before it’s sent to you
Pricing & Turnaround
| Document Type | Flat Fee | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Standard insurance settlement / release (under 10 pages) | $150 – $250 | 1–2 business days |
| Complex settlement (multi-party, structured, lien-heavy) | $250 – $500 | 2–5 business days |
| Maritime employer release / waiver review | $200 – $400 | 1–3 business days |
| LHWCA Section 8(i) settlement review | $300 – $600 | 3–5 business days |
| Cruise / ferry passenger waiver review | $150 – $300 | 1–2 business days |
| Contingency or retainer agreement from another firm | $200 – $400 | 1–3 business days |
| Subrogation / lien letter analysis & reduction strategy | $200 – $500 | 2–4 business days |
Rush turnaround (next-business-day) available on most documents for an additional 25% surcharge.
How it works
- Send us the document — via the contact form, encrypted email, or secure upload link we’ll provide. PDFs preferred.
- You get a quote within 1 business day — flat fee, turnaround, and one-page engagement letter
- Pay by card or ACH — work begins on receipt
- You receive the written analysis by email on the agreed turnaround day, signed by the reviewing attorney
- Optional 15-minute follow-up call — included free with every review, for any clarifying questions
A flat-fee document review is an analysis of the paperwork you provide, not a full case workup. We don’t investigate facts, depose witnesses, request records, or negotiate with the other side under a document-review engagement. If you want us to take any of those steps, we’ll quote that as a separate service.
FAQ
Is this confidential?
Yes. Once you sign a flat-fee document-review engagement letter, the attorney-client relationship is formed: the attorney’s confidentiality duty under WA RPC 1.6 is in effect, and the privilege under RCW 5.60.060(2) applies to confidential communications made for the purpose of obtaining legal advice. Before an engagement is signed, anything you share — including materials you send with an initial inquiry — is treated as prospective-client information under WA RPC 1.18: the attorney owes you a duty of confidentiality, but no full attorney-client relationship or privilege is formed yet. Please hold off on sending the most sensitive material until engagement is confirmed in writing.
What if I’ve already signed the document?
We can still review it and tell you what you signed. Sometimes that’s the answer (you’re bound, here’s what it means). Sometimes there are arguments for rescission, fraud-in-the-inducement, or unconscionability — especially in maritime employer release cases. We’ll tell you honestly which side of that line you’re on.
Can you negotiate the document for me?
That’s a separate engagement — usually a demand letter or flat-fee negotiation engagement, depending on the document. We’ll quote it after the review if you decide to escalate.
Will you tell me whether to sign?
Yes — that’s the point. We give you a clear recommendation, with the reasoning, so you can decide. We don’t hedge or wait for you to ask the obvious question.