How to Prepare for Your First Meeting With a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you’ve gotten hurt in an accident that was someone else’s fault, it’s a good idea to talk to a personal injury attorney to see what your options are. But if you want this initial consultation to go smoothly, you should be willing to do some prep work beforehand.

What are the most important things to prepare before your initial meeting?

Get to Know Your Lawyer

Before hiring a personal injury lawyer, you should do some preliminary research. Obviously, you’ll want a lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases, and preferably one in your city. You should also hire based on years of experience, past results, and general approach.

This is a great opportunity to get to know your lawyer before you start talking to them. You may be able to answer some of your own questions based on what you find on their website, and there may be resources to help educate clients like you. The more background information you have, the more value you’ll be able to get out of your first meeting.

Prepare All Your Evidence and Information

Before that first meeting, it’s also a good idea to prepare all the evidence and information you currently have about the accident and its aftermath.

These may include things like:

Photos and videos. Were you able to take photos and videos of the scene of the accident, or of the injuries you sustained as a result of the accident? Can you get photos or videos from other people, or secure surveillance footage that shows what happened? Visual evidence is some of the best and most important for cases like these.

Receipts. You may also want to gather and present receipts for expenses you’ve incurred as a result of the accident. These can include things like medical invoices, prescription medication costs, payments you’ve made to repair property damage, and estimates for future expenses.

Witness testimony. Witness testimony may not be bulletproof evidence, but it can help reinforce your version of events. Eyewitnesses who saw the accident can detail what happened, and expert witnesses may be able to give opinions on the nature of your damages.

Your own notes. You should also prepare your own notes on what happened during and after the accident. What were you doing? What did the negligent party do? How did you handle the accident? What efforts have you made to mitigate damages on your own?

Get Ready to Ask Questions

Your lawyer will probably guide the conversation during your initial consultation, but keep in mind that this is a great opportunity to ask questions, such as:

What are my chances of winning? The biggest question is probably the most important one to you: what are your chances of winning? Most personal injury lawyers won’t take on a case unless it has a reasonable chance of success, and most personal injury lawyers have enough experience to tell the difference between a winning case and a losing one.

What will this process look like? If you’re not familiar with how personal injury cases work, this is a good chance to learn more about it. After filing a complaint, the negligent party will file a response, you’ll work together to gather and present evidence, then you’ll enter settlement negotiations. Most cases reach a mutually agreeable settlement long before a trial becomes necessary.

What are your fees? Make sure you ask about and understand fee structures. Personal injury attorneys typically only charge if you win a settlement, but make sure this is the case and verify that the fees are reasonable.

How much experience have you had with cases like this? Your personal injury attorney may or may not have experience with this particular type of case.

What will our strategy be? Together with your lawyer, you can set goals for your settlement and determine a viable strategy to get there.

What should I do now? Your lawyer will probably instruct you on this no matter what, but by the end of the meeting, you should have an idea of what you’re supposed to do next.

What can I expect in terms of communication? Ask about how frequently you and your lawyer will communicate moving forward.

How long will it take to reach a settlement? Depending on the nature and circumstances of your case, it could take months or even years before you finalize a settlement. Your lawyer can help you set accurate expectations here.

If you go into your first meeting with your lawyer prepared, it will likely go much smoother, and you’ll likely feel better by the end of that meeting. Moving forward, trust your lawyer’s recommendations and take care of all your tasks to maximize your chances of achieving the best results.