Steps To Take When Meeting Your Lawyer
After suffering injuries in an accident, you should consider retaining a personal injury attorney. Many people attempt to settle claims themselves but find that they do not receive a fair settlement from the defendant. Immediately after you are injured, seek medical attention, then, as soon as possible contact a personal injury attorney.
What to Expect When Meeting Your Lawyer
When meeting with your lawyer for the first time, expect to discuss your case in detail. At first, your lawyer will be asking the questions, but you should also have questions. Before your appointment, write down questions to ask your lawyer during a consultation. The answers to the questions open up a two-way conversation that helps you determine whether your personalities will get along or clash.
You can also determine if your lawyer is qualified to handle your case. Not all personal injury lawyers are familiar with all areas of personal injury. For example, not all personal injury lawyers handle wage and hour discrimination cases. You’ll want an attorney who is very familiar with those laws, not one who is just starting out.
What to Bring When Meeting Your Lawyer
You should bring any relevant documents and a notebook to take notes. If you were served with a lawsuit, be sure to review the lawsuit carefully, and bring it with you. If you have a way to make copies, make yourself a copy – you’ll need to give the original to the attorney.
Other items you should bring:
If your attorney gave you an initial consultation sheet to fill out, fill it out to the best of your abilities and bring it with you. Make sure your writing is neat and legible. The initial consultation sheet is often used to prepare the basis for a lawsuit or settlement negotiations if it has questions about the incident.
If you have any evidence, such as a police report from a car accident, or any medical records, bring those with you.
If you are meeting a personal injury lawyer, you don’t need to worry about payment. The initial consultation is free, and most personal injury lawyers, including Wallace & Graham, represent you on a contingency basis – that means the lawyer doesn’t get paid unless you win.
An outline of the facts of the case. This will help ensure that you don’t forget to discuss any important points, and will also help you answer the questions your lawyer will have for you. An outline also helps you fill out the initial consultation sheet.
What to Wear When Meeting Your Lawyer
Always wear respectable clothing when meeting your lawyer. You should dress as if you were going to appear in court or as if you were going to work in an office. If all you have is jeans, they are fine as long as they are not stained (some jobs stain every piece of clothing you have), a nice top, and appropriate shoes. Even sneakers are fine, as long as they are clean.
Your lawyer will want to know if you can represent yourself appropriately should you have to go to court. The manner in which you dress goes a long way toward showing your credibility, especially in a courtroom.
The Initial Consultation
Always get everything ready the day before the consultation. Leave 15 or 20 minutes early. If you are late, not only do you throw the attorney’s schedule off, but it could cause you to have less time with the attorney if he or she must leave the office for a court appointment, depositions, arbitration, or another meeting with third parties.
When you get to the office, you’ll have a few minutes to read over your notes to add anything you thought of after you initially made your notes, and refresh your memory of the points you need to discuss.
Contact a personal injury lawyer at Wallace & Graham as soon after an accident as possible. Even if you are still in the hospital, you should contact your attorney. If you want too long, you could run out of time to attempt a settlement prior to having to file a lawsuit, and you could forget some of the facts that are pertinent in representing you to the best of the attorney’s ability.