You definitely need legal counsel. I think you have a strong
case, base on the facts you have provided. If you cannot afford to
engage legal counsel, you can go here:
http://app.minlaw.gov.sg/lab/default.asp
WHO
IS ELIGIBLE FOR LEGAL AID?
Who is eligible for legal aid?
The services of the Legal Aid Bureau are for poor Singapore
Citizens and Permanent Residents who are in Singapore and come
within the ambit of the scheme and meet the requirements of
financial Means Test.
Briefly, to qualify for legal aid,
(a) you have to be a Singapore Citizen or a Singapore Permanent
Resident and is present in Singapore;
(b) you have to satisfy the Means Test. Your disposable income,
that is, your income for the past 12 months before the date of
application for legal aid and after deducting prescribed
allowances, must not exceed $10,000/-, and your disposable capital
must not exceed $10,000/-; and
(c) there must be merits in your case. (The Merits Test )
If you do not satisfy the Means Test but are facing hardship, the
Director of Legal Aid may extend legal aid to you (subject to the
requirements of the Merits Test) if:
1. You satisfy certain statutory provisions; and
2. It appears to him in his absolute discretion to be reasonable to
do so to relieve hardship.
If you intend to hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit, you have to be
aware of how it charges. It can be as of follows:
1)Hourly based. This option is usally the costliest of all. The
more complicated your case, the more billable hours are needed for
preparation and gathering of documents.
2)Contingency fee. This means if you lose, you don't have to pay.
But take in mind that any expenses that may(almost certainly will)
incur during the legal process, like experts view, document fees,
court fees, etc, are all chargeble. However, if you win, your
lawyer will usually take a cut from the damages awarded to you, the
plaintiff. If you're lucky or your lawyer is good, she can even
demand that the defendant pay your part or all of your court fees.
As this option usually means you have to pay your lawyers a larger
amount if you win, u should only consider this option if the lawyer
is taking a bigger risk than you.
3)Fixed fee. Win or lose, you pay the stipulated amount as agreed
earlier. After deciding on retaining the lawyer, she may request
that you pay a deposit, or also called a retaining fee. After the
case, you need only to pay the balance.
In your case, I think your lawyer will sue the doctor for
malpractice. The damages that might be awarded, if you win, depends
on the loss of future earnings of your mother, hospital fees
incurred as a result of the doctor's negligence, and many other
factors your lawyers can possibly creatively come up with.
It is most important that you can find a lawyer who is good and
willing to help you all the way. There are lawyers out there who
just want your money but don't give a shit about whether you win or
lose.
Do not take my words for gospel, I am in no position. Just helping
out as much as I can. Remember, what you pay is what you get.
