While we are a top-tier law firm with extensive experience, the truth of the matter is that all claimants should retain an attorney in general when filing a lawsuit, for numerous reasons. The first is that they are licensed in your jurisdiction and therefore know the specific guidelines that your case must follow, and they will handle the work of proving the defendant’s negligence (which is the crux of any suit). Claimants in Washington state should be familiar with the concept of comparative fault before beginning the lawsuit process. 

The simplest way to imagine comparative fault is to basically get rid of the titles of plaintiff and defendant, as under this provision all parties involved in a given proceeding are eligible to receive a portion of the fault. When most people envision a lawsuit, they imagine a head-to-head debate with a clear-cut “winner” at the end– this is not entirely false, although comparative fault can make it so that all parties may walk away with lighter pocketbooks as any percentage of the blame you are assigned is deducted from your end settlement by an equal amount (10 percent liable = 10 percent deduction).  In the end, the party with the highest percentage of fault is barred from compensation altogether.