Helpful Hints for When You Meet With a Free Consultation Lawyer at a Personal Injury Law Firm
If you’ve experienced a car accident, slip-and-fall accident, medical malpractice, or any other unfortunate event that caused injuries, you may be wondering about a free personal injury attorney consultation. Once you have conducted some research for a personal injury lawyer in your area, you should schedule an initial lawyer consultation where you can receive answers to the questions that have been building up about your damages and injuries.
Most personal injury attorneys do not charge for an initial consultation, and Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, is no different. We offer legal advice during an obligation-free initial consultation with any person who has been injured and needs answers. Before we meet, here are 9 things you should know about a free lawyer consultation.
What to Expect During Your Personal Injury Lawyer Consultation
At your initial meeting, your personal injury lawyer will first want to hear a detailed account of what happened. They will be collecting a variety of information from you during this process, but for the most part, you will have the details they need to make an initial determination about your case. This article will help you ensure that you are prepared, know what to expect, and bring the necessary documents to make your initial consultation as fruitful as possible.
You should know that the length of the initial interview varies widely, depending on the type of negligence, how many people are involved, and the circumstances that led to your injuries. For more straightforward cases, like car accidents with personal injury protection insurance, the first meeting most likely won’t take very long. The initial interview will usually last longer in more complex cases, like medical malpractice or defective products. No case, however, is simple or straightforward.
The following are nine things you should know about your free consultation lawyer review:
#1: What is the Statute of Limitations for Your Personal Injury Case?
Before you give much thought to pursuing a personal injury lawsuit for your injury, you must first consider whether your case has expired. The best time to seek compensation is immediately after an injury to avoid missing any deadlines. However, sometimes a client may wait to file a personal injury lawsuit and miss their opportunity to recover compensation.
In Florida, the statute of limitations for a personal injury case was recently shortened to two (2) years from the date of the incident. If the claim is against a government agency, like the city you live in, you may have a different deadline to file a lawsuit. For wrongful death suits, the limit is two (2) years from the date of death.
There are several reasons why you shouldn’t wait too long to set up a free lawyer consultation to make the best decision about working with a personal injury law firm. First, evidence may disappear, witnesses may move or become unavailable, and it will be harder to build a strong case as time passes. Also, your lawyer needs sufficient time to prepare an insurance claim, enter into settlement negotiations, and explore various alternatives before filing an official lawsuit.
If you haven’t waited too long, you can move forward in your initial consultation with your personal injury lawyer to discuss the particulars of your case and get to know your potential attorney.
#2: Getting to Know Your Attorney
Before you select an attorney to consult with, you should do basic internet research on them. Look at websites like Avvo.com, SuperLawyers.com, the Florida State Bar Association, and of course, Google Reviews. These are great places to start.
Remember, the consultation is as much your time to get to know the attorney(s) you will be working with as it is their time to understand your case, answer your questions, and provide some basic legal advice. Most people know right away if they like someone, trust someone, or think they will be a good match.
This free lawyer consultation is not only about whether you think you can work with them but whether you feel they have the qualifications, experience, and expertise to handle your personal injury case. Remember, the personal injury attorney you choose represents your chance at receiving compensation for your financial losses, such as medical bills, property damage, and lost wages.
Aside from general first impressions, consider if you feel the attorney will handle your specific case well. Do they seem comfortable with the material? Do they seem confident in their abilities? Do they seem believable? Are they responsive, and did they answer all your questions?
#3: What Should You Bring With You to Your Free Consultation Lawyer Meeting?
Your personal injury attorney will want to review your case using as much information as possible. For this reason, it’s essential to bring any and all documentation you have regarding the injury and accident.
The following are some of the records, statements, and information you should bring to your initial consultation:
- Photographs of the accident and your injury(s)
- Accident reports
- Police investigation notes
- Citations or tickets
- Witness statements or contact information
- Self-taken notes about your injury (see #4 below)
- Doctor’s notes and emergency room notes
- Medical records
- X-Ray and MRI results
- Automobile and health insurance cards/information
- Other driver’s information or information about the property where your accident occurred.
Bringing all this information gives your personal injury attorney the opportunity to understand the complete picture of your case so they can provide you with answers about your potential for pursuing compensation. The more thorough the information the attorney has to assess, the better the legal advice will be. With all this information, your personal injury attorney can give you the basics on how they would pursue compensation, which gives you a chance to determine whether their action plan sounds reasonable.
#4: Bring Updated Notes and Records About Your Personal Injury Accident
There are two critical issues that will arise over and over again during your legal injury claim:
- What exactly happened during the incident that caused the claim?
- What kind of harm or injury resulted?
Since these issues will come up at almost every stage of the process, it is vital to have a clear record to refer back to so you don’t forget important points. Read this article for more detailed information about what to do at the scene of an accident.
In order to preserve this information, take detailed notes immediately after the incident and throughout the process, including what happened, where it happened, who was involved, and how your injuries affect your daily life. This will almost surely help strengthen your legal claim.
The following are some of the pieces of information about your personal injury accident that you should keep track of:
- What exactly happened before, during, and after the incident
- Time and place of the incident
- Weather conditions
- Witnesses and what was said
- What you experienced during and after the accident, both physically and emotionally
- Type and extent of your injuries, both physical and mental
- Any medical treatment you received or expect to receive
- The effect of your injuries on your work, social, and personal life
- Time missed from work, as well as any events you had to cancel or miss
- The effects that your injuries have had on your close family relationships
This information, both at the consultation and ongoing, can help your attorney to gain a greater understanding of what happened and how it has affected you. It allows them to create a list of damages that you can pursue through a personal injury claim and gives a more complete picture to help ensure you receive appropriate compensation. If you do not tell your lawyer about or forget to mention something, they can’t include it in a demand or claim.
Always put your health first following a personal injury accident. If you cannot collect some of this immediate information because of the seriousness of your injury, ask a trusted friend or family member to help. Also, once you have retained a lawyer, they can also do a thorough investigation and gather evidence on your behalf.
#5: During the Attorney’s Free Consultation, You Must Give a Detailed Account of Your Personal Injury Accident
Most of the initial consultation will consist of providing your account of what happened during your accident, injury, or illness. At this time, the attorney will also ask you detailed questions to provoke more details and to gain a greater understanding of what happened. Your personal injury case may develop in a way where you will have to give this account in a deposition or in front of a jury during a trial.
This initial consultation serves as a trial run, where the personal injury lawyer can learn the facts of the accident from your recollection and assess your believability. Although this may not sound “nice,” it’s important to understand how you present yourself when speaking about a personal injury accident. Juries believe some people and not others for a variety of reasons. An attorney will not turn down a viable case because of this, but they may use this information to help coach you for future scenarios, like giving a deposition.
#6: Come Prepared With Questions to Ask Your Accident Lawyer
This initial consultation is as much about you learning about the personal injury process and your potential lawyer as it is about them learning about the specifics of the case. Before your appointment with your attorney, be sure to write down all the questions in your head.
To optimize your consultation time together, it is best to have your questions already prepared. Make sure you cover anything that you have been wondering about. There is no such thing as a bad question.
[Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions]
The following are some of the topics you could ask your potential personal injury lawyer about:
- Payment for medical treatment
- How long the personal injury process will take
- Important evidence necessary for the personal injury claim
- Things you should avoid after your auto accident or other personal injury accident
- What is the process after the initial free consultation
- Information about how insurance companies handle personal injury claims
- Statute of limitations on your type of personal injury
- Is legal representation even necessary?
- What can I expect if I choose to hire your law firm?
- What damages can you pursue?
- How does a personal injury lawyer get paid?
#7: Ask About the Viability of Your Personal Injury Claim at Your Free Lawyer Consultation
Once you have given your account of what happened and told the attorney about your injuries, they will discuss the viability of your case. Not all cases require filing a lawsuit, and not all cases will receive a monetary settlement from an insurance company. It is better to know now if your case is not worth pursuing than to waste your own time. If this happens, and you feel you want to continue, seek a second opinion.
The attorney may also refer you to another attorney at this point. This uncommon occurrence can happen if your case does not fall within the practice area of that particular attorney or if there is a class action lawsuit you can join. An honest attorney will know their limitations and not accept cases solely as a way to make more money. If an attorney refers you to someone else, they probably understand why that attorney is qualified and what they can do differently to help you.
Understanding What Laws Can Affect Your Personal Injury Claim
If you and your attorney are ready to proceed with your case, they will explain the laws covering your situation. Each type of personal injury accident has its own set of laws that govern how to process these claims. They may have different rules for statute of limitations, what constitutes liability, and what behavior is considered negligent. Make sure to ask your personal injury lawyer about which laws affect your specific case, so you can do your own research after you leave the initial consultation.
Once you have discussed the viability of your case and any pertinent laws, your personal injury lawyer can explain your best possible options and the strategy they will employ to help you recoup compensation. Obviously, they will not have a detailed plan of action ready to go in 30 minutes, but they can give you some ideas. This is often an exciting part of the consultation for clients as they feel relief that they’re on the right track to compensation.
#8: Discuss Attorney’s Fees and Compensation for the Personal Injury Lawyer
Once you and your attorney have discussed possible options, strategies, and a general plan of action, it is time to handle the logistics. Most personal injury attorneys take cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning that they will only be paid for their work if they recover compensation for your injuries. This is the best plan for both parties.
Often, injured victims cannot afford to pay out of pocket for an attorney. This allows people to obtain legal representation who otherwise couldn’t afford it and gives the attorney incentive to work as hard as possible to obtain the most money possible. If you paid a flat fee, the attorney would get paid no matter what and would have less incentive to work for more.
Signing the Contract With Your Personal Injury Lawyer
At this point, you will sign a contract in which you and the attorney agree to the fees discussed. You will usually give your lawyer partial power of attorney, which means they have limited permission to gather and sign documents on your behalf. This is used for things like medical releases and documents submitted to the court.
You will also sign a HIPAA release form so that your attorney can request your medical information and records. This way, they can handle the majority of the work for you without you having to run around town or spend hours on the phone searching for documents.
#9: Discuss What Your Next Steps Are For Your Personal Injury Claim
After you have covered all the information above and the contract and documents are signed, the attorney and their legal team will begin handling your case. At this point, they will start notifying the insurance company(s) of their demands, and negotiations will begin. If things cannot be worked out directly with the insurance company, then mediation, arbitration, and potentially a lawsuit may follow.
Before you leave the meeting and turn over your case to the personal injury lawyer, it’s important that you know what the legal process is going to look like. Ask what they are going to be doing over the next couple of weeks and months, so you can have an idea of what you should be doing and how you can help while you wait.
You need to focus on recovering from your injuries, and your medical bills will pile up. Make sure you have a way to contact your personal injury lawyer to get consistent updates on the claim process and to provide them with updated details about your medical treatment and costs and any other issues that pop up.
Contact Dolman Law Group for a Free Lawyer Consultation Regarding Your Personal Injury Claim
Our clients and community have come to expect a great deal from Dolman Law Group. We believe that communication between a client and their attorney is essential to providing quality, personable legal representation, and we take pride in remaining accessible to our clients. For this reason, all of Dolman Law Group’s clients receive the personal cell phone number and email address of the attorney who will be working on their case. Our clients also know that their cases will be handled with the appropriate attention and utmost professionalism.
For a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer, contact Dolman Law Group. We are proud to represent clients in our community and are happy to listen to the details of your case. Consult our legal services page to see if we can help with your type of case. If you are ready to set up a free consultation about your injury claim, contact us at (727) 451-6900 or fill out our contact form today.
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers,
PA 800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
727-451-6900
