Many injured people feel stressed before they meet with a lawyer for the first time. This feeling is normal — maybe you’ve never worked with a lawyer before, so it’s a new experience. And, you’re most likely experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety in general after suffering a serious injury.
Don’t worry! Any good injury lawyer should focus on your needs and how they can help you recover. The best injury lawyers are compassionate people who care more than anything about getting justice for injured victims.
After you meet with your lawyer, you should feel relieved and more confident than before. If your first meeting with your lawyer adds to your stress and anxiety, then you need to find a different lawyer.
But even the very best lawyer will need a little help from you so they can understand your situation and give you their best advice. You shouldn’t need to spend a lot of time preparing, but a little organization can go a long way. In this article, we’ll talk about how you can prepare for your first meeting with your injury lawyer and what you should bring.
Preparing for Your Initial Consultation
The first meeting with your lawyer is called an initial consultation. If you have a personal injury case, this first consultation should always be free. The consultation creates a time for you and an attorney to lay out the facts of your case and then determine how strong your case is. After the consultation, your attorney should be able to tell you how likely you are to recover compensation for your injuries, either through a settlement or a lawsuit.
During the consultation, your attorney needs to learn as much as possible about how you got injured and who caused the crash (or other incident that led to your injuries). Your lawyer will probably ask you a lot of questions and focus on intricate details of the wreck.
If you start to feel stressed or anxious when talking about what happened, let your lawyer know — they will understand. It may help to write out your story of the crash beforehand so you’re not trying to recall details on the spot.
Questions your lawyer will ask during the initial consultation will probably include:
- Where and when did the accident take place?
- How did the accident happen?
- What were your injuries like, and how did they happen?
- Were there any witnesses? If yes, who are they?
- Was anyone else with you at the time? If yes, who?
- Did the police come to the scene? If yes, did they issue any tickets? And was a police report filed?
- Did you go to the hospital?
- Is your vehicle insured?
- Is the other party’s vehicle insured?
- Anything else you can remember?
Make sure to be completely honest with your lawyer when answering these questions. Your lawyer isn’t there to judge you, so they won’t shame you if you were partially at fault for the crash or did something that made your injuries worse. But they do need to know about any weaknesses in your case so they can give you accurate advice and adjust their strategy.
Gather as Much Information as You Can
As you can see from the above list of questions, your lawyer needs a lot of information. The more they know about your case and your injuries, the better and more accurate their advice to you will be.
Remembering all this information on the spot can be challenging. Instead, try to write down and organize the information beforehand. Gathering the info ahead of time will make your consultation easier and more relaxed.
“At Crosley Law, we are committed to empowering our clients and guiding them through every step of their personal injury claims. Before you attend an initial consultation with one of our lawyers, we’ll send you a list of information that we’ll need to review.”
At Crosley Law, we are committed to empowering our clients and guiding them through every step of their personal injury claims. Before you attend an initial consultation with one of our lawyers, we’ll send you a list of information that we’ll need to review. This detailed checklist includes:
- Contact information for anyone involved in the crash and any witnesses
- Any pictures you took of the crash and your injuries, including pictures of property damage and conditions at the scene
- A copy of the police report
- Any medical bills or medical records you’ve received from treatment related to the crash
- Any documentation that can prove how much income you’ve lost due to the crash (like pay stubs or tax returns)
- Any written communications you’ve received from the insurance company
- Anything you’ve written down about the crash, your injuries, and what’s happened since you got hurt (notes, diary, etc.)
If you don’t have every piece of information ready, it’s okay. For example, many victims don’t have a copy of the police report and aren’t sure how to organize their medical bills. Just bring whatever you can, and your attorney will go from there.
Download Initial Client Meeting Checklist
Don’t Forget to Ask Questions
Your lawyer shouldn’t be the only person asking questions during your initial consultation. This meeting offers you a great opportunity to learn about your lawyer, understand their approach, and decide whether they’re the right fit for you and your case.
Make sure to ask question like:
- Have you handled cases similar to mine? If yes, how many of those cases did you win at trial or settle?
- How often do you take cases to trial?
- How long does it usually take to resolve a case like mine?
- What are your fees, and how will I pay them?
- Will you handle my case or give it to another lawyer?
- Will the same lawyer handle my case throughout?
- Will my lawyer be available if I have questions? How do I get in touch with them?
- What will you expect from me?
Crosley Law: Fighting for Crash Victims in Texas
At Crosley Law, our attorneys have a reputation for efficiency and tenacious representation. Insurance companies know that we are willing to go the extra mile to get our clients the compensation they deserve. We dig deep into each claim and build a litigation plan that meets each client’s specific needs. Our experienced car accident attorneys know how to increase our clients’ chances of getting the fair compensation they need and deserve.
If you’ve been in a car accident and insurance is refusing to help or offering an unfair settlement, contact our attorneys for help today. Call us at 210-LAW-3000|210-529-3000 or fill out our online contact form to get started.
The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.
