General Library

Free Legal Articles for Vermont and New Hampshire Residents

On the page below you can find links to documents, reports, publications and discussions provided by Van Dorn & Curtiss.

The documents below are available to the public so that they can gain a better understanding of the legal challenges facing them, and why an experienced attorney is so important for success.

Contact us for a consultation today.

• Learn what elements are necessary to bring a personal injury claim based on negligence.   
  This article answers questions about the elements necessary to make out a negligence claim. Most personal injury cases are based on negligence. This article helps you understand if you have a personal injury case.
• What is a Tort? A brief overview of Negligent Torts, Intentional Tort, and Strict Liability   
  At Van Dorn & Curtiss, we specialize in tort law. A tort is a civil wrong resulting in injury or harm to another person. The injured person may seek the help of a court of law to prevent the continuation of harmful conduct or for monetary compensation for the harm suffered. In this respect, the tort, or civil wrong, provides the grounds for a lawsuit. One major purpose of tort law is to deter others from committing the same harms. For example, if a careless and reckless driver causes serious personal injuries to another person on the road, a civil suit based in tort will not only compensate the injured individual for the harm they suffered, but will deter the negligent driver from continuing to operate a motor vehicle in a careless and reckless manner. Hopefully, the negligent driver will be deterred from causing similar harm to another innocent driver. There are three major kinds of torts: negligent torts, intentional torts, and strict liability torts. These are discussed in more detail below.
• Sample depositions in New Hampshire Personal Injury cases including New Hampshire car accident cases and New Hampshire medical malpractice cases   
  In personal injury cases and medical malpractice cases in Vermont and New Hampshire after the case is started in court but before the trial there is period of time called the discovery period. This is when the parties to the law suit find out information from each that will help to prove their cases. One of the methods used to discover information is the deposition. The deposition is a process whereby a witness gives testimony under oath about what they know relative to the case. Of particular importance in serious personal injury cases is the deposition of the expert witness. On this page you will find samples of depositions taken in cases handled by Van Dorn and Curtiss.
• Doctors Struggle with Insurance Claims Process: Healthcare Costs Rise   
  Doctors are also struggling with insurance company tactics and their quest to increase profits. Just as the insurance companies blame lawyers for pushing up healthcare costs through lawsuits, the insurance companies claim doctors are pushing up costs by “over treating” patients and ordering expensive procedures.
• Letter From Leahy & Denault [PDF]   
  A letter from one of many attorneys that Van Dorn & Curtiss works with on New Hampshire personal injury claims.