The exact value of any personal injury claim or lawsuit cannot be determined before a settlement or verdict is reached. If any lawyer or firm guarantees a specific amount of recovery for your case, avoid them. There are damages, such as medical bills and lost earnings, which can easily be calculated because they have a set monetary value; however, non-economic, or 'intangible,' damages have no set monetary value and are entirely left to the discretion of the court, making them virtually impossible to verify beforehand.