A Conversation with Corey Fong
Attorney
I understand you grew up where everyone wants to visit...Hawaii. What was that like and why would you ever leave?
I was lucky enough to grow up in the sunny state of Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. Although Oahu is only 75 miles in circumference, it has more than half a million people living on it. It is an island that never sleeps, with the bars and nightclubs staying open until 5:00 a.m. I decided to leave and come to the States to broaden my education, because let’s face it, it’s hard to be serious when everyone else is having a good time.
How did you decide on Connecticut?
I attended law school in New England and met my wife, Kate, there. She is from Upstate New York, and it made sense for us to settle here and start a family. I also fell in love with the seasons. In Hawaii, it is always the same warm climate, which although it sounds great, can get boring. I especially love the snow and have taken up snowboarding, which is not that different from surfing. I also enjoy the foliage and the large hardwood trees. The giant trees on our island (which they called ironwood) were all cut down. The old Hawaiian kings bartered the trees until there were none left.
What makes Carter Mario Injury Lawyers different from other law firms where you have worked?
Definitely our customer service; it is our office culture. One of the biggest problems in our industry is attorneys do not have enough interaction with their clients because they can’t find the time. We have an amazing computer software system which has been customized for our office, excellent management staff that oversees the day-to-day business, as well as top attorneys and support staff. We receive constant training, not just on the law, but on personal interaction with our clients. Calling our clients is not something we do if we can find the time; it is part of our procedure. Not only are clients called every two weeks, but with our open-door policy, no one needs to make an appointment to come to our offices. They can just drop in at their convenience, and there is always someone available to speak to them.
What do you possibly say to clients every two weeks? I thought in the life of a case there are long periods of time when the case moves slowly.
That is correct. During the treatment phase of the case, that is the stage where the client is actively treating and documentation is being gathered by our firm, there can be periods where there may not be much to report. That is not to say, however, that the calls we make to our clients during this time aren’t extremely important.
For one thing, the calls allow us to get a status on how each client is feeling and how their treatment is going. Sometimes we find that a client may think that a soreness, or an unusual numbness is no big deal, and so they don’t mention it to their doctor. We find that because we call our clients so frequently, they often bring up concerns with respect to their injuries that they otherwise wouldn’t have thought to mention, which can be important both for their claim and for their overall recovery. Secondly, some clients, particularly those who haven’t hired an attorney before, may have questions regarding their case or the overall process. Each call we make to our clients is an opportunity for them to voice these concerns; we want to ensure that each client knows exactly what is going on with their case and is comfortable with it. Finally, by taking the time to get to know our clients on a personal level, they become more than just a file number to us. Even after a case is completed, I will call or receive a call from a past client regarding how they’re doing or what’s new in their life.
Many clients are concerned that they will not be able to pay for legal expenses. How does that work? What is the No Fee Guarantee that your firm advertises?
Because of the way the law is written in Connecticut, we are able to provide you, our client, with our No Fee Guarantee. Essentially this means that you don’t have to pay us a fee unless we are able to get you money. If we lose your case, you don’t owe us a legal fee; it’s as simple as that. When we are able to get you money, which is almost always if we have taken your case, our fee is 33 percent of your gross recovery. This amount sometimes "slides" down to a lower percentage amount if the settlement or verdict is more than $300,000. Sometimes people will call our office and want us to represent them for a lesser fee. Our position is that a lot of work goes into a file in our office, and we do an excellent job at giving our clients the best service possible. Lawyers who discount their fee generally give discounted service. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. At Carter Mario Injury Lawyers, we earn our fee and more.
Free Case Evaluation
At Carter Mario, we are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We guarantee your phone calls will be returned that day, or lunch is on us! Clients come first for all of our Connecticut personal injury lawyers, and we strive to provide excellent representation to injury victims throughout the state, including Bridgeport, Hartford, Milford, New Britain, and Waterbury. Call us at (800) 900-6700 or fill out a free online consultation form.
The Connecticut injury lawyers at Carter Mario represent clients with injuries stemming from auto accidents, dog bites, drug injuries, fire and burn injuries, medical malpractice, Social Security Disability denials, slip and fall accidents, truck accidents, workers’ compensation denials, as well as the families of wrongful death victims.
