By Jason D. Lazarus Introduction Catastrophically injured individuals have unique needs when it comes time to settle their cases.  A one-size-fits-all approach does not work given the complexities that are faced today upon resolution of a personal injury lawsuit. Consideration of how healthcare will be obtained have become much more complicated with the Affordable Care…

By Jason D. Lazarus, Esq. Introduction Assume you just settled a personal injury case for John Doe who is married to Jane.  John has a significant brain injury and there are questions of competency.  John was injured on the job but had a product liability claim which is the part of the case you resolved. …

B Josh Pettingill Appropriate settlement language can make a significant impact on the total amount of the workers’ compensation settlement, as well as dollars that the injured worker receives. This brief article will provide plaintiff/applicant attorneys with the requisite settlement language to maximize the workers’ compensation recovery, as well as protect their respective firms and…

Securing the best future for the client is always a priority for an attorney in a personal injury case. Depending on the amount, it may be in the client’s best interest to have a structured settlement annuity instead of a lump sum payment. A structured annuity often works in your client’s favor because it is…

When your client is awarded a settlement, an annuity can be utilized to parse out payments and ensure that funds are being distributed sensibly. After working tirelessly to build your client’s case so that they receive a fair settlement, you want to guarantee that their settlement retains its value for years to come. An annuity,…

In this two-part article, we are discussing the benefits of hiring a settlement planner. When a personal injury plaintiff is awarded a large settlement, they likely are not qualified to manage the funds they received in the settlement. There are many complex nuances in managing a settlement trust and its best to leave the financial…

Many people have heard the phrase “structured settlement” and may even understand the basic concept of what this entails. However, they probably do not understand how this process actually works. More importantly, they may not understand why settlement planning can benefit them. In this two-part article, we will educate you on the reasons why you…

Synergy has a group of experts, Synergy Settlement Consulting, dedicated to providing comprehensive and creative settlement planning solutions for clients.  The Settlement Consulting group creates holistic plans that take into account the specific needs of the client by matching them up with available financial products to meet those needs.  Structured settlements are an important financial…

Synergy has a group of experts, Synergy Settlement Consulting, dedicated to providing comprehensive and creative settlement planning solutions for clients.  The Settlement Consulting group creates holistic plans that take into account the specific needs of the client by matching them up with available financial products to meet those needs.  Structured settlements are an important financial…

In working with law firms across the country, we meet all types of trial lawyers with different types of practices. One of the most common things we hear is, “I wish I had cases that we could use you on” or “I don’t do high dollar cases” or “I think I have a large case…

By: Jason D. Lazarus, J.D., LL.M., MSCC, CSSC In a February 11, 2015 article from the Business Insider, Michael Kelly and Pamela Engel detail twenty one lottery winners who blew it all (see http://www.businessinsider.com/lottery-winners-who-lost-everything-2015-2?op=1). In the article, there are details regarding the myriad of ways fortunes were lost. For example, “Lara and Roger Griffiths bought…

At Synergy, we spend a lot of time in mediations helping attorneys and their seriously injured clients to plan for their post settlement future.  We try to create holistic settlement plans that meet our client’s needs while taking the least possible amount of risk.  The majority of financial products in the settlement industry are fixed income or fixed interest products.

In an interview with Brendan Lynch of Life Health Pro, Warren Buffett talks about the value of Berkshire Hathaway’s aggressive push into the structured settlement annuity market. 

On May 13, 2013 the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, issued an Investor Bulletin entitled, “Pension or Settlement Income Streams: What you need to know before buying or selling them.” It is the opinion of the authors that this bulletin is misleading and in some cases inaccurate concerning the sale of structured settlement payment streams and factored structured settlements as an investment vehicle.

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Reprinted with Permission from Roger Baron

The 5th Circuit handed down ACS Recovery Services, Inc. v. Griffin today, April 2, 2012.  Mr. Griffin was seriously injured in an auto accident. The ERISA plan paid medical bills of $50,076.19.  The plaintiff’s attorney secured a settlement of $294,439.82 and arranged for a structured settlement annuity “in an effort to avoid any equitable lien assertion” by the ERISA Plan.  Mrs. Griffin received $40,000 for loss of consortium.  The ERISA plan sued Mr. Griffin and his wife, as well as the trustee and the trust designated to receive the annuity payments.  The trial court “dismissed the claims against all of the defendants.”  This decision by the 5th Circuit affirms that dismissal.