1 March, 2018
If you’ve been injured and are seeking legal action, a consultation with a personal injury lawyer is the first step towards understanding your options to getting the compensation you deserve. But more often than not, this experience is a first for many individuals. To ensure you go into your personal injury consultation feeling prepared and leave feeling confident, we’ve prepared a list helpful tips on how to make the most out of your first consultation.
Come prepared
Your consultation with a personal injury lawyer is your first opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the legal process. This includes questions about fees, expenses, expected time frames and your lawyer’s experience representing clients in similar cases and situations. To ensure you leave with all your questions answered, it’s important to prepare a little bit in advanced. Before walking into your consultation, you may want to:
Record: Write down any questions you may have about the legal process or your lawyer’s experience. Bring this list of questions with you to your consultation so you don’t forget to ask any of the questions you have.
Research: Do a little research on the personal injury lawyer and/or the firm you’ve decided to consult with. This will allow you to know ahead of time whether they have experience handling cases like yours. Doing some research ahead of time might also help you find the answers to some of your questions, which will save you time in your consultation and help you focus on the questions you do need to find the answers to.
Think about your question list
If you’ve scheduled your consultation, you probably already have a few questions in mind that you’d like to ask the personal injury lawyer who will be working on your case. But sometimes, it can be hard to think about what you need to know, especially if you’ve never been involved in a personal injury case before.
If this sounds like you, there’s no need to worry! Our team has compiled a list of questions to get you started. In your consultation, you may want to ask your lawyer:
- What is the legal process for a personal injury case?
- How many years of experience do you have?
- How have you handled cases similar to mine?
- What fees will I be responsible for paying if my case is successful?
- What fees will I be responsible for paying if my case is unsuccessful?
- What are the chances my case could go to trial?
- Would you be prepared to go to trial for this case if necessary?
- What can I expect from you and/or my legal team throughout this process?
- How much do you think this case is worth?
Prepare to be asked questions
Just as the consultation is a chance for you to get to know your lawyer, it is also the time when your lawyer gets to know you as a client. This means that it is helpful to both you and your lawyer for you to be prepared to answer questions about your incident and injuries. To prepare yourself for these questions, you should:
- Write down specific details from the incident (a description of the scene of the incident, a list of witnesses who may have seen the incident unfold etc.)
- Bring supporting documentation such as a medical report, photos from the scene, photos of your injuries, etc.
Leave the consultation with clarity
You always want to leave your consultation with clarity. Quickly look over your question list before leaving the office to make sure you’ve asked everything you wanted to ask. If you feel like you didn’t get a clear answer on one of the questions, ask your lawyer to explain it again. The legal process can be complex and sometimes confusing, so never feel afraid to ask for more clarity on a topic you don’t understand.
