In this article, you will discover:
- Which documents to bring to your first meeting with a personal injury lawyer.
- The questions you should expect during your first meeting with a personal injury lawyer.
- The typical timeline for your claim, once you’ve hired an attorney.
What Documents And Evidence Should I Bring To My First Meeting With A Personal Injury Lawyer?
You need to bring as much as you can to the first meeting. The more you bring, the more the attorney has a feel for what the case is about.
Bring anything and everything related to your case, such as:
- Photographic evidence
- Discharge papers from the doctors
- Letters from insurance companies
- Insurance information that may be relevant to a car accident
- Vehicle registration
- Your health insurance card
- Your driver’s license
- Your social security number
What Types Of Questions Will A Personal Injury Attorney Ask During My Initial Consultation?
There’s a lot of information your attorney needs to get from you at the outset to determine if there’s liability and, if so, how they can help. Typical questions include:
- When did the accident happen?
- Where did the accident happen?
- What are the specifics regarding what happened?
- What injury or injuries have you suffered?
- Where are you having pain?
- Did you seek medical attention, and where did you seek it?
- Did you go to the hospital?
- Did you go to the hospital by ambulance?
- Did somebody drive you to the hospital?
- Are you currently seeking medical attention?
- Do you need to seek medical attention?
What Questions Should I Ask To Make Sure The Attorney Is The Right Fit For My Personal Injury Case?
Ask the attorney about their experience with cases like yours. Ask them whether you can reach them by phone when you need to.
Communication is key. You and your attorney will need to work together as a team. If your case goes to trial, you need to know this person.
Can you rely on them to communicate openly and reliably? Often, you sign with an attorney and never hear from them again. When you call, you can only speak with a paralegal.
Attorneys are busy doing a lot of necessary work in the background to move your case forward. However, to have a successful practice, they have to take time with you, even if it’s just a chat or a quick update about your case.
What Happens After An Initial Consultation With You, And How Soon Will My Personal Injury Case Begin Moving Forward?
We start very quickly. After the first consultation, where the client decides to work with me, we typically send the necessary paperwork through DocuSign. You don’t have to come into the office for that. You’re always welcome to visit the office, but we do a lot of work remotely via Zoom, phone or DocuSign.
Once I receive the signed retainer authorizing me to proceed, we will set up a file within a few days. We then notify the adversarial party as quickly as possible that we’re making a claim. Any delay can be problematic.
If it’s a car accident, we notify the insurance carrier of the vehicle that caused the accident. If it’s a slip-and-fall, we notify the adjacent property owner.
For cases against the city, transit authority or other municipalities, you need to get those notices of claims out quickly, because there are deadlines you can’t afford to miss.
How Do You Help New Clients Feel Safe And Understood During Their Very First Meeting With You?
I listen to clients’ concerns and respond to them. Too many attorneys talk but don’t listen. I also make sure to acknowledge that I heard and understood what the client has said.
I let them know I’m going to do everything I can to ease their burden, the burden being the medical expenses that they have to deal with, their inability to work and needing to collect either disability, workers’ compensation or no-fault benefits.
Still Have Questions? Ready To Get Started?
For more information on hiring a New York personal injury attorney, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling 844-47-FIGHT today.
