If you are a victim of an accident due to negligence of someone else, then you need to discuss your case with your personal injury lawyer. You might not know exactly what you have to get during your first meeting with the attorney. Don’t worry. This article is to prepare you people with the things you got to before and during the consultation.
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To be fully prepared and to take full advantage of your first consultation, you need to carry your documents and other important information which might be connected to this incident that has caused this injury. So below are some of the list documents you need to carry:
- Medical reports: This would include all the documents related to your treatment such as the hospital details where your treatment was done, your treatment reports, medical bills, medical prescriptions, etc. (this should include everything from the beginning to the end of your treatment day). It should also include details of any further treatments that are required.
- Lost salary: This detail would include the deductions that happened because of your unavailability at your workplace due to the injury such as pay stubs, documentation of your employer showing your absentees, tax returns etc.
- Insurance details: This would include your health insurance coverage information such as the ID cards and the copies of your policy information. You can also carry any letter that you might have received from the at-fault party’s insurance company.
- Accident Reports: This includes any police or accident report which might have been filed, any pictures which might have been taken about the accident, or any property damage. You can also give the contact information about any witnesses present at the incident. It is better to gather as much information as possible so that your lawyer can get enough pieces of evidence to make your case strong. In case, you do not have any of the documents available with you, then you can tell your lawyer who can help you obtain these details. Always remember if you have an official report of your accident, then there are higher chances of you winning the compensation.
- Repair estimates: In case there was a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, then you can claim the repair amount of your vehicle. You can get a repair estimate and get that document too at your first visit.
- Other expenses: There might be other expenses related to your injuries such as physical therapy or any transportation costs for your visits to the hospital or any in-house care expenses. You need to bring every copy of these expenses and submit it to your attorney.
There are several questions which your personal lawyer will ask you during your first meeting. You have to be well-prepared mentally and emotionally both so that you can recreate and tell him the entire incident clearly to your lawyer. One thing to remember is that the lawyer is asking all these questions to make sure that he understands the whole incident well, and help you get your claim. Hence the more details you give is better. Following are the questions that are likely to be asked during the meeting:
- What kind of injury has been caused to you and how intense it is?
- Did you visit the doctor and what treatments have been carried out?
- What is the type of insurance coverage you got?
- Did you speak to any insurance adjusters and know what sort of statements has been given by you?
- Give details about your employment?
- How this incident has impacted you and even your family? Whether it is emotionally or physically both.
Also, you as a victim can ask certain questions to your lawyer, to ensure that they are fit and stable enough to fight your case. What you can do is to write down your list of questions before meeting the lawyer:
- Since how many years he has been practicing this personal injury law?
- Did he fight any cases similar to yours? What was the result of the case?
- How long it will take to get your compensation?
- Will he be personally looking into your case or someone else will assist you?
- What will be his fee structure?
- What other information will he need from you?
It is important that you feel comfortable with your lawyer in the first meeting itself. This is because there is a lot of sensitive information that you need to tell him, so trust is very important here. If you feel good in the first meeting and seem to have a good rapport with your lawyer, then this is a good sign.
Lastly, if you decide that want to work with this personal injury lawyer, then you need to be ready to fill out some paper works. There are a lot of things that you need to do but this would be to protect your legal rights. After this, you need to discuss the lawyer’s fee and also sign up for a medical release form. That is required for your lawyer to get access to your medical reports.
Remember it is better that you deal with the lawyer who works on a contingent fee basis and you need to pay him only if you get your compensation.
Conclusion:
We hope this article has helped you to prepare well before your first meeting with your lawyer. Your personal injury lawyer will not only give you some hope but also be a relief for your injury, both mentally and physically. The sooner you call them, the sooner you get your claims. Though this entire process seems complex the result will always make you happy.
