by
If you have suffered an injury due to another’s negligence, you may have heard about the benefits of a free meeting with a personal injury lawyer near you.
During a free consultation, you can discuss your case with the attorney, receive legal advice regarding what steps to take next, and get an honest opinion regarding whether or not you have a viable claim. However, before you show up, it’s important that you know what to bring to your meeting. In order to get the most out of your time, and ensure that the lawyer knows as much about your case as possible.
As you prepare, here’s a list of important things to bring to a meeting with a personal injury lawyer:
1. Your Honest Story
Perhaps the most important thing to bring to your meeting with your personal injury lawyer is an honest story.
You want to give your attorney a play-by-play of precisely what happened leading up your accident, how the accident occurred, and the extent of harm you suffered immediately and what your recovery has been like. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you prepare a written statement beforehand that includes as many details about the accident as possible. And it goes without saying that hyperbolizing your accident or extent of your injuries won’t do anyone any good, and could actually hurt your case.
2. All Medical Bills, Records, and Other Documents You Have
Any evidence that you have about your accident, the person against whom you wish to file suit, and your injuries should be brought to your initial consultation. Accordingly, this includes any photos of your accident or injuries, police reports, receipts for purchases/expenses related to your injury, pay stubs and bank statements (to provide proof of amount of lost wages you’ve suffered), insurance policies you hold, doctors’ notes, prescriptions, and more. The more evidence and documents that you bring, the better.
3. List of Questions
Finally, we recommend that you bring a list of questions that you have for the personal injury attorney with whom you’re meeting. For example, you may have questions about:
- The attorney’s background, education, and current caseload;
- The number of cases like yours the attorney has handled and won in the past;
- How long your case will take to settle;
- How much you may be able to recover in compensation and what types of damages are available for you;
- What your role throughout the process will be;
- Whether or not you will have to go to court;
- Who will be working on your case; and
- How fees and costs will be handled, including how much you will owe the attorney at the conclusion of your case.