Should You Settle or Should You Sue?

Lawsuits are Financial Decisions: Weigh Costs and Choices

How do you know whether filing a lawsuit will yield the money or actions that you want? Lawsuits are financial decisions. Weigh costs with choices and interview several attorneys if you're going to file a lawsuit.

Florida attorney L. Reed Bloodworth asks the question: Should you settle or should you sue?

Reed says that filing a lawsuit should be purely a financial decision whether it's a business, trust, estate, employment or other type of dispute. It may be a lawsuit against family, or against a Fortune 500 company, but it can become expensive and last for more than a year.

Other Options to Filing a Lawsuit

If your business partner breached a contract, you may be able to negotiate a settlement to resolve a dispute.

But if a vendor won't deliver products or services, you may be losing money every day. Is there a negotiation to reconcile and come to an agreement? Reed handles negotiations through legal actions

Will a lawsuit cost more to file and execute? Time, costs and unknown outcomes can be financially challenging

Everyone says they want "a pit bull in the courtroom." In actuality, they want a rationale, highly skilled negotiator who is savvy. He or she needs to know what a judge or jury will do and the risk that clients take in filing a lawsuit.

Your attorney had better understand litigation and be able to explain your choices clearly.

Should you sue or should you settle? Ultimately, your attorney provides choices and possible scenarios. But no one can know what a jury will do or which way things can turn.

Talk with Reed about what Reed and the Bloodworth Law team can do for you.How do you know whether filing a lawsuit will yield the money or actions that you want? Florida attorney L. Reed Bloodworth says that filing a lawsuit should be purely a financial decision.

If your business partner breached a contract, you may be able to negotiate a settlement to resolve a dispute. 

But if a vendor won't deliver products or services, you may be losing money every day. 

Will a lawsuit cost more to file and execute? Time, costs and unknown outcomes can be financially challenging 

Everyone says they want "a pit bull in the courtroom." In actuality, they want a rationale, highly skilled negotiator who is savvy. He or she needs to know what a judge or jury will do and the risk that clients take in filing a lawsuit. 

Your attorney had better understand litigation and be able to explain your choices clearly. 

Should you sue or should you settle? Ultimately, your attorney provides choices and possible scenarios. But no one can know what a jury will do or which way things can turn. 

Talk with Reed about what Reed and the Bloodworth Law team can do for you.

Top Florida Employment Law Firm Bloodworth Law

Hi, I’m Orlando, Florida, attorney Reed Bloodworth, managing partner of Bloodworth Law, a top Florida employment law firm.

Today I’d like to talk about employment law representation for plaintiffs and defendants, employees and employers.

We Handle Employment Law

At Bloodworth Law, we handle employment law including:
—Non-Compete Litigation
—Discrimination or Harassment cases
—Wage and Hourly Disputes and
—Employment Law Consultations

Typical non-compete cases involve salespeople with close client relationships. Doctors, scientists, engineers, technology staff, and C-level staff who provide highly specialized work.

They may be exposed to intellectual property, or hold very specific knowledge about the industry, a product, a scientific discovery, or a technical skill.

Employee discrimination and harassment cases would include representation of an employee who feels they’ve been discriminated against or harassed on the basis race, religion, gender, pregnancy or any of the other list of protected classes.

We Represent Companies

At Bloodworth Law, we represent companies accused of discriminating or harassing someone. We work with employers who have an employee who’s been accused of discrimination or harassment by another employee.

The laws regarding overtime and minimum wage are very technical and complicated so problems often arise with employers and how those wages are paid.

We Represent Employees

We represent employees who feel that they have not been receiving appropriate minimum wage or overtime pay.

Along those lines, we work with businesses of all sizes that have to develop policies, procedures, and practices to avoid liability in hourly and wage disputes, as well as in harassment and discrimination law.

We know both sides of employment law which is valuable when it comes to settling or when to file a lawsuit. Again, I’m Reed Bloodworth, founder of Bloodworth Law. Give us a call. Let’s talk about what happened to you.

Look Across the State of Florida for the Best Representation

Hi, I’m attorney Reed Bloodworth, managing partner of Bloodworth Law in Orlando.

The attorneys at Bloodworth Law are committed to traveling throughout the state of Florida. We travel throughout the I-4 corridor, from Tampa to Daytona, and across Florida from Pensacola to Miami. 

It’s important to work with an experienced probate and trust litigation attorney and it’s why you should look across the state of Florida for the best representation on your case.

It may feel comforting to hire an attorney right around the corner or a few miles from your home. But when it comes to litigation, you want the most skilled attorney with exposure to a wide range of probate and trust cases.

Some questions to ask yourself:

• Does your attorney know what your rights are in a probate or trust litigation case?
• Does your attorney have a proven track record in trust and probate litigation?
• Has your attorney practiced probate and trust litigation for over a decade?

I regularly travel the I-‐4 corridor to clients for probate and trust litigation.  I also routinely travel to other cities for cases such as Fort Lauderdale, Naples, Palm Beach, and other Southern Florida cities and all the way up to North Florida, including Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

We understand that when you’re dealing with a probate or trust legal problem, it can be emotional and difficult, even uncomfortable to have to hire an attorney to resolve what’s often a family matter.

You might be afraid to ask family questions about a legal document that you believe to be incorrect. Or you may want to ask about a trust or estate without feeling vulnerable. You may be angry or hurt if you’ve found out that you’re no longer in a will or trust.

It’s when you feel in your gut that something is wrong that you should talk with an attorney. Without speaking to an attorney, it's impossible to know what your rights are in a probate or trust case.

No matter what, you want your case handled by the best possible probate and trust litigator. We work in the courts that are near you. You never leave your city because we come to you.

Our relationships and our resources support our clients across Florida and the reason I’ll travel across Florida is that some of the most interesting cases fall outside of Central Florida.

I find that my best clients come from all over our state.

Again, I’m attorney Reed Bloodworth, let’s talk about what happened to you.

Why Businesses Can’t Self Represent in Florida

We Travel to Florida Clients for Probate Cases and Trust Cases

We Travel to Florida Clients for Probate Cases and Trust Cases

Attorney Reed Bloodworth travels the I-4 corridor to Florida clients for probate cases and trust cases. 

While I’m located in Orlando, Florida, I regularly and willingly work in Broward County courts, Palm Beach County courts.

I have trust litigation, and probate litigation clients from Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Naples and other Southern Florida cities all the way up to the top of Florida, including Duval and Columbia counties. 

When to Talk With an Attorney

We understand that when you’re dealing with a family probate or family trust legal problem, it can be emotional and difficult. Uncomfortable and even sad. 

You might be afraid to ask family questions about a legal document that you believe to be incorrect. Or you may want to ask about a trust or estate without feeling vulnerable.

You may be angry or hurt if you’ve found out that you’re no longer in a trust or an estate. It's difficult to know what to do when you're dealing with financial and personal challenges.

What you do know is that you want it handled by the best possible trust litigator or estate litigator. And to take this problem on, you’re going to look everywhere to find the best possible legal representation.

Here are the counties Bloodworth Law works in:

• Brevard
• Broward
• Citrus
• Clay
• Columbia
• Duval
• Flagler
• Hernando
• Hillsborough
• Indian River
• Lake
• Manatee
• Marion
• Martin
• Orange
• Osceola
• Palm Beach
• Pasco
• Polk
• Sarasota
• Seminole
• St. Johns
• St. Lucie
• Sumter
• Volusia

I like to travel, my team likes to travel and when you need us, we’ll be there.

The Client Communication Process

First, we meet in person to talk about your case. What are the key details and what is it that you would like to achieve?

We work in the courts that are near you and that are in your county. You never leave your city because we come to you. Our relationships and our resources support our clients across Florida.

Then, we make sure we’re accessible and available to you throughout your case. We can communicate via Skype, by Facebook, or face-to-face, whatever your preference. The goal is to keep you informed on your case.

Our Team

In our office you’ll be talking with me, Attorney and Managing Partner, Reed Bloodworth. Our Paralegal, Carlos Acedo, our Associate Attorney, Juliane Brumbaugh, and Of Counsel Attorney, Tonya Walker. We are apprised of your case so that when you need answers, you’ll receive answers.

Who We Work With

I decided to represent plaintiffs, defendants, families, individuals, and businesses. I wanted to offer clients payment options so that they may begin cases right away without the stress of a paying a large retainer upfront.

I also am committed to traveling throughout the state of Florida. I’ll travel from Tampa to Daytona, from Pensacola to Miami. I will go throughout the I-4 corridor, from east to west, north to south. The reason I’ll do this is that sometimes the most interesting cases fall outside of Central Florida and the best clients come from all points of our state.

What If I Don’t Know What I’m Inheriting?

Hi, I’m Reed Bloodworth, founding partner of Bloodworth Law, PLLC. 

I'm located in Orlando, Florida but I travel to clients across the state. 

I often have clients that are beneficiaries of Florida estates but ask, “what if I don’t know what I’m inheriting?”

These are beneficiaries who don’t know exactly what it is they’re inheriting from the estate.

Often times, a personal representative of these estates are siblings or other family members and these family members are not forthcoming with information.

Your Rights as a Beneficiary of an Estate

However, your rights as a beneficiary of an estate are many. You have rights and entitlements to certain information.

Some of the basic rights you have as a beneficiary are included here. Be sure to speak with an experienced probate or estate litigation attorney to get specific answers to your concerns about estates.

Copy of Will

You have the right to get a true and correct copy of the will. The will, will inform you who the beneficiaries are and what those beneficiaries are supposed to receive.

Notice of Administration

The next is the right to receive a notice of administration. The notice of administration is an important document in the probate proceeding. It contains information that’s pertinent to the administration. A Notice of Administration begins the running of the statute of limitations that enable you to challenge the validity of the will. That time period is 90 days.

Receive an Inventory of the Estate

You also have the right to receive an inventory. An inventory is a list of all of the assets that are contained within the estate.

Annual Accounting of Estate 

Additionally, you have basic right to receive at least annually an accounting of the estate. 

The accounting shows where all of the money has been spent or acquired things of that nature. This is required pursuant to Florida statutes. You’ll get that once a year at a minimum.

Challenge the Validity of the Will 

If you believe the will that has been admitted to probate was obtained through improper purposes, then you have the right to challenge the validity of the will. Perhaps you suspect:

• Undue influence
• Fraud
• Lack of Capacity
• Duress
• Tortious interference

Issues With the Personal Representative 

Additionally, as probate proceeds, if you believe the personal representative is not up for the task of performing his or her duties, or you believe that the personal representative is performing those duties improperly, then you have the right to petition the court to remove that personal representative and put someone else in its place.

Unsure of Beneficiaries?

If you are unsure of exactly who the beneficiaries of the estate are, you have the right to petition the court to determine who the beneficiaries are. That can be important in certain situations.

Partial Disbursement of the Assets 

If the probate proceeding is taking a long time or perhaps a certain amount of the assets of the estate are ready to be disbursed but have not yet you have the right to petition the court for a partial disbursement of the assets of the estate.

Dispute Creditor Claims

If a creditor files a claim against the estate and you don’t agree with it, or you believe it’s improper, then you as a beneficiary have the right to object to that claim.

There are many, many other rights that beneficiaries have in an estate probate. 

Remain Calm

Don’t make accusations or instigate arguments with family members or beneficiaries. Probate and estate issues can be very emotional. Instead, speak with an attorney about your concerns and proceed with the right attitude so that issues remain as calm as possible for cooperative resolve.

If you have any questions pertaining to your rights as a beneficiary, let’s talk about what happened to you.

Great Chili for an Incredible Charity

Fun and Food at 7th Annual Chili for Charity 

Attorneys Reed Bloodworth and Juliane Brumbaugh.

Bloodworth Law, PLLC, sponsored the 7th Annual Chili for Charity created by the Rotary Club of Winter Park. 

This is the premier Central Florida chili cook-off event featuring creative chili dishes by local restaurants and other chili-making experts.

We sampled many designer chili recipes and made it home without spilling any on our shirts.

Participants compete for a Peoples’ Choice Award and dishes are evaluated by a judge’s panel. Foodies tasted chili from about 30 local vendors, and there was live entertainment, desserts and bourbon tasting.

The highlight was the chili of course. There was also a silent auction and a Porsche raffle to help raise money on a beautiful evening at the Winter Park Farmers’ Market.

Chili for Charity was created by the Rotary Club of WinterPark to raise funds for the Rotary Club’s Charitable Foundation. The Foundation gives grants to more than 30 local charities annually.

Since 1998, The Winter Park Rotary Club has donated over $800,000 to Winter Park community non-profits including Alzheimer’s & Dementia ResourceCenter, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida, Foundation for Foster Children, Easter Seals Florida, Habitat for Humanity Maitland/Winter Park, Grace Medical Home, United Way and many others.