Let’s say that the Applicant is a solid citizen with a clear and moving story. The damages are massive and it is a slam dunk proving the liability, but the case then goes nowhere.
Why? Because the person responsible, the Defendant, is absolutely broke. They have no “deep pockets” (that’s the term that lawyers actually use).
The bottom line for the approval by the advance company is, literally, the bottom line (financially) of the person or entity that caused the injury. If the person or entity that caused the injury has no money to pay the damages, the case is worthless and a complete waste of everyone’s time. It’s sad, but “No bucks, no case.”
Of course, everyone viewing this case with the goal of a money payment will be looking first, at the person or entity that caused the injury and then second, at any secondary source of money, which usually means insurance. Many a poor person in a junk car has caused an accident with injuries, but luckily, the poor soul was insured (probably because the law forced them to be insured or they would be arrested for driving).
Another secondary source can sometimes be found by determining that the uninsured indigent person that caused the injury was actually working for an entity with a large bank account. Many an accident was caused by someone with shallow pockets but they were actually employed and under the direction of a large multi–billion dollar corporation. So, it’s just a case of “Follow the money.”
These are the four essential elements that the advance company is basically looking for and, when satisfied, they are all the elements of a good civil case. Even though it is not your job to evaluate the case based on these four elements, it is still a very good idea for you, during your conversations with potential Applicants, to keep your eye out for them.