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Meet Janis Stevenson

Meet Janis Stevenson

My name is Janis Stevenson and I am a personal injury paralegal. I was born in Buffalo, New York, where I lived in the suburbs until I was in 7th grade then we moved to God’s country, middle of nowhere, flashing stop light, etc. Went to a small private liberal arts college in Ohio called Hiram College just outside of Cleveland. Then my parents moved to Texas so I went there for a little while. My college roommate was in Georgia so that’s how I ended up here. I did not like Texas. I started working for AIG in the airplane insurance claims department which is where I found that I like litigation, so I went to paralegal school at the National Center. I ended up getting a job right before I mailed out 500 resumes. I then started working as a personal injury paralegal and I’ve been doing that since 1989.

I like to help people navigate litigation and insurance companies who can be very daunting and aggressive. They can also give you false information and take advantage of you. We also help clients by getting them the right medical treatment. Sometimes people just don’t know the right question to ask. At the end of the day, I enjoy meeting our clients and taking their case through litigation to wherever it ends. It’s always great when they are happy with the result, which they usually are. For fun, I have two amazing children that are now 15 and 12 who take up a lot of my time. But if I do have spare time I’m usually making fairy houses and fairy gardens and other similar crafts.

Here what Sue had to say about her experience with Champion Firm.

Hear About Sue’s Experience With Champion Firm

I was at a hotel and I fell. There was slippery paint on a concrete patio area. A colleague of mine had a relative who had a similar accident and she spoke with me about seeing an attorney. She recommended Darl Champion to me. The accident did require me to go to the hospital. I wasn’t able to walk. I went by ambulance. It required surgery which left me unable to walk for a while. I was out of work for almost six months. I had physical therapy at home to help me learn to walk to bear weight. My patella was shattered too much for doctors to simply repair it. A significant portion had to be removed. I then had physical therapy when I was able to drive.

I didn’t think of calling the insurance company first thing. The first call I wanted to make was to my employer because I wasn’t going to be able to come back due to my injury. My main issue was dealing with surgery and focusing on being able to walk again. It did not occur to me to call an insurance company. It did not occur to me to call an attorney either. I’m a baby boomer so I don’t know if it’s my generation, my age, or my own value system but it wasn’t something that came across my mind until the colleague recommended that I talk with someone.

I went to Darl’s website and filled out a questionnaire. What impressed me initially was when they emailed me different questions to answer. It was kind of a back and forth chat conversation. I was really appreciative of the responses from the person I was emailing. When I met Darl, I was very impressed. I found him to be very kind and very professional. I could tell that he was knowledgeable. After meeting with him, I felt very good about the things he had said and the way that he came across. I was very impressed because within just a couple days he had gone out to the property and got back to me very quickly saying that he would take my case.

We were able to settle our case with the company. I found that the more I spoke with the Darl the more I saw how much integrity he had. I was able to relate to him. I really like his support staff. I felt they were very professional and they were also very kind. I thought the entire process took a very reasonable period of time.

For me that personal relationship is really important, that I kind of click with somebody and feel good about them because as I mentioned I didn’t take this lightly. I felt that connection with everyone, from Darl and the rest of his support staff. I really wanted something that would be fair to me, fair to Darl, and fair to the company where I fell. I didn’t want to take advantage of people but I realized over time that I was going to have to physical issues that were going to be life-long, so I wanted it to be fair all around and I feel like it was.

Darl also impressed me because he gave me choices. Had I told him that I wanted to continue the lawsuit and go to court, he would have done that. He listened to me and my wishes. I believe that he thought that we did well and that it was a very reasonable and fair outcome.

I absolutely would recommend The Champion Firm. I will say when I first came here that Darl is much more experienced than he appears. He looks very young, but he is very experienced and very knowledgeable. I would absolutely recommend him without hesitation.

Hear what Walter had to say about his experience with Champion Firm.

Hear Walter’s Story

I was on my way to a job a couple years ago and an 18-wheeler ran me off the road, knocked me into the Jersey barrier, and totaled my car. I was driving a really small ’86 Honda Civic. We ran into the Jersey barrier head on, so the whole front end was smashed. No airbags deployed, but thankfully I survived the collision. I had to have a neck operation. They took a portion of my hip to compensate for the bone that they took out in my neck. The truck driver merged without using any signals. Luckily he pulled over, because he knew what he had done and came back to check on me.

I went to another lawyer and it didn’t work out, so I called another company that got me in touch with Darl Champion. He’s the man. He just made everything happen and made things really easy. I was without a car, and he came out himself to help me out. He didn’t send anyone on his behalf. My original attorney sent out a private investigator, and I was never actually able to meet him. The first time I met Darl, he came right out to the house to explain what was going on. He’s really good at what he does.

I really didn’t have to deal too much with the insurance companies. The lawyers handled that. All I had to do was deal with Darl. All the other stuff was handled by his team.

The whole firm is nice here. Everytime I come here I’m always treated like one of the lawyers. I like coming out here. He’s a life changer for my family. I wasn’t trying to get rich or anything, I just wanted what was fair based on my injuries.

Anybody that’s going through any kind of car accident, slip and falls, or other injury, I would absolutely send them to Darl’s firm.

Michael shares his experience with the Champion Firm

Michael Shares His Experience With The Champion Firm

I went to the deli to get a sandwich for me and my wife. I heard a loud sound behind me. I looked suddenly to see this guy pulling a cart behind me full of Pepsi-Cola. I didn’t feel anything of it at the time, so I just took my food and went on walking. I didn’t get a chance to make it to the cash register. Next thing I knew, I slipped and fell and I was in the air. My food went one way and I went the other way.

I had slipped on some water that I didn’t see. Next thing you know I see my legs coming out from under me. I felt my knee give way and was worried because I had just had surgery on it. I thought that the knee had snapped on me, but it was my femur bone.

The manager came to see what was going on. The water was around my foot and around the side of me. The manager was looking right at it. He talked to me and tried to keep me calm due to the fact I was in so much pain. I had never experienced pain like that. My speech was also slurring since I had bumped my head when I fell.

No one contacted me at all. The only person that I talked to was my lawyer. Darl came to me. It took about a year to get everything I wanted. In about a week or two I had checks coming to my house from the law firm. I was happy. This injury has prevented me from getting a job.

I would recommend anybody to Darl Champion. He is a good man and he will take care of you.