What should you bring for your consultation?
If you’ve been injured in an accident due to the negligence or intentional act of another person, hiring an attorney to handle your personal injury case is the first step towards getting compensated for your losses, including the cost of your medical and hospital bills, lost wages or income, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium.
Once you’ve chosen your attorney, you’ll need to prepare for your initial consultation to discuss your case. Therefore, it’s important that you know what to bring to your consultation because you want to make the most of this time with your attorney.
Your attorney will ask you to describe the important facts as they pertain to your case. So, if you haven’t already written down everything that describes the event that resulted in your injuries, you’re going to want to do so before your consultation. This will help to keep you organized and will ensure that you’re including all of the important details of the incident such as relevant dates, times, addresses, and names.
You’ll also want to bring all documents that are related to your case. This includes an accident report if a motor vehicle was involved, a copy of your driver’s license, medical records, and bills as well as any paperwork that’s related to your condition and/or diagnosis, and records of lost wages or missed work days.
Your attorney will also want to have your medical and car insurance information which could include copies of your policies, ID cards, and any correspondence from your insurance company or the insurance company of the other party involved regarding your claim.
If you took pictures of the accident and/or pictures of your injuries, these could prove to be important evidence if your attorney determines that you have a legitimate case. In addition, bring with you all contact information for any witnesses to your accident.
Making your case
Taking the time necessary to gather all of the paperwork that’s related to your potential case is very important in assisting your attorney in determining whether or not you have a good case.
In addition to educating yourself on what to bring to your free consultation, you should take some time to make a list of questions that you’ll want to ask your attorney during the initial meeting. Some examples include:
- How many personal injury clients have you represented?
- What is your track record of verdicts and settlements?
- Who will actually handle my case?
- How will you communicate with me during the process?
- Do you try lawsuits in court as well as handle out of court settlements?
Filling in the gaps
Anything that you have in writing that is relevant to your personal injury can be very helpful to your potential case. Finding paperwork — including emails to your insurance company regarding your injury, as well as informal communications such as text messages to your boss about your injury and how it will affect your ability to work — can be of help to your attorney.
Michael Shubeck of Rapid City Lawyers truly cares for the people he represents, and has worked hard to earn the reputation as one of the best personal injury attorneys in South Dakota. Call our office to schedule your initial consultation, and see how he may be able to help you.