What Should I Bring With Me For The First Meeting With My Personal Injury Attorney?
When you are getting ready to have your first meeting with a personal injury attorney, there are some important aspects to remember on what to bring and even what questions to ask.
The fact that you are meeting witth an attorney means you have been in some form of accident, so you will have a lot on your plate and on your mind. The last and worst thing you could do is simply waste the time of your personal injury attorney or even waste your money by not being prepared for this first crucial meeting.
Your personal injury lawsuit might be worth thousands of dollars, so you need to bring specific items and get your lawyer up to speed on your particular case as soon as you can to get the legal ball rolling.
Before The Meeting
Most lawyer will ask you to bring some sort of background form to the meeting, which will have your personal injury story, reason for filing a personal injury lawsuit and some simple basic information about yourself.
To get an even faster start on your personal injury lawsuit, most of the lawyers who request the basic information forms will ask you to mail those forms in before the meeting. This way, you won’t be charged while your
personal injury attorney simply looks over your file.
Some of the basic information that might be on the personal injury questionnaire include:
- Witnesses to your injury that can back up your claim (even those who will testify)
- Who the defendant is and why they are negligent
- How the injury happened and where
- Your specific injury and the doctor you are seeing to treat it
What To Bring
Being proactive when first meeting with your lawyer
will show that you are ready for action and will force your
personal injury attorney to take you more seriously. If the questionnaire is not requested, it is still recommended to bring that information with you to the meet.
In addition to that information, you should also bring:
- Police reports giving the story of what happened and maybe even the officer’s opinion on who is at fault
- Doctor records of the injury and how it is being treated
- Medical bills and hospitalization costs
- Estimated costs for the future from your doctor or a hospital (If your injury is not healed)
- Pay stubs to show how much you make (and how much you are loosing by not working)
- A listing of how the injury has affected your family (ie – if your wife has had to miss work to take care of you – those are also lost wages)
- Insurance information
In 2005, a study revealed that personal injury attorneys that took on clients prepared with all the necessary items right from the start were 23 percent more likely to win the case and get the settlement they wanted. The more prepared you are, the better chance you have to win the case.
What to Ask
Being proactive during the first meeting with your
personal injury attorney does not mean keeping your mouth shut. Asking questions can reveal some vital information about your case to your lawyer. You should look at the first meeting like an interview and have a list of questions ready to ask. You don’t want to remember a crucial question after the meeting right when you walk out of the office because you weren’t prepared.
Some pertinent questions to ask include:
- Has the personal injury attorney ever handled a case like yours or similar to yours with this kind of injury?
- If so, how much compensation for negligent damages has the personal injury attorney recovered in lawsuits similar to yours?
- How many years has the lawyer been working with personal injury lawsuits?
- - Is there a serious chance you will win this personal injury lawsuit?
- What is the next step to filing this lawsuit?
- How much time will your particular case take to get the settlement you want and how much will the personal injury attorney charge for their services?
- How does the personal injury attorney plan to prove the other party is negligent and liable for damages?
Asking these probing questions will not only show that you are proactive, it will also show that you are competent and can help the lawyer win you the compensation you deserve.