Are You Prepared For Your Consultation With A Personal Injury Attorney?
Have you scheduled an initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer regarding your accident claim? If so, you should know that this initial meeting will often be the most important meeting you and your lawyer have throughout your entire case. During your initial consultation, you will have the opportunity to determine if you have found the right lawyer for the job, and will provide the lawyer with the opportunity to determine if they wish to take on your case. If either you or the lawyer are unable to gather the information you need, you may find that you are unable to make a wise decision regarding the future of your case. Thankfully, you can prevent this from happening by taking just a few minutes to prepare before the day of your consultation. Following the steps outlined below can help you to accomplish this task.
Step 1: Submit Questionnaires
There is a good chance that your lawyer will send you a questionnaire prior to the date of your consultation. In most cases, this questionnaire will request very basic information regarding your identity, your accident, and your injuries. Taking the time to fill out this questionnaire and send it back prior to your consultation will ensure your lawyer is also able to prepare for your meeting. In the long run, this will ensure that your lawyer is prepared to provide you with accurate, case-specific advice during your consultation.
Step 2: Record Your Questions
Chances are, you have a lot of questions that you wish to ask during your consultation. Unfortunately, you will have a very limited amount of time in which to ask these questions. In order to ensure you do not forget a single question once you are faced with the pressure of a time limit, you will want to record all of your questions in a notebook that is dedicated specifically to your legal correspondence. This same notebook can then be used to record the answers that your lawyer provides you with during your consultation.
Step 3: Gather Documentation
Verbally providing your personal injury attorney with your account of your accident is incredibly important. However, this verbal account will only go so far when the time comes to negotiate a settlement in your case. This is why it is so important to provide your lawyer with as much documentation as possible to back up your version of events. Taking the time to gather documentation such as police reports, witness statements, and medical records prior to your consultation will allow you to quickly and easily prove the merit of your case.
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