What to Know Before Your Personal Injury Free Consultation
Accidents are rare, almost nonexistent even. The word “accident” refers to an unpredictable and unavoidable mishap, yet, in the real world, many accidents are predictable, and almost all are avoidable. No matter the kind of accident that you’ve experienced—a motor vehicle accident, bicycle accident, slip-and-fall—it’s very possible that your injuries and emotional strife resulted from negligence in one form or another. But in order to determine whether your accident could garner compensatory payments from an at-fault party, you’ll need to file a personal injury lawsuit with an experienced Toronto attorney. And before you file suit with an attorney, most personal injury law firms will expect you to come in for a free consultation.
A law firm holds a consultation to evaluate your claim and advise you on whether it is wise to proceed with a suit. However, considering the importance of a successful suit to your recovery and peace of mind, you can equally use the consultation to evaluate the firms and attorneys themselves. With adequate preparation, your consultation will be as much an interview of the firm as it is an assessment of your case.
What to Bring to Your Personal Injury Consultation
Even if, upon booking a personal injury free consultation, the firm does not ask you to bring any documentation, there are nonetheless certain records you should bring that will help the attorney with your situation. Rather than waste the attorney’s time, as well as your own, here are some documents that can ease the consultation process:
- Police or accident reports detailing your injury;
- Any photographs or videos from the scene of the accident;
- Hospital, doctor, and/or therapy records (including diagnoses and prognoses);
- Bills from medical care providers;
- Documentation pertaining to work you missed as a result of your injury;
- Copies of all correspondence with insurance companies, and copies of any claims already filed with insurance companies or employers;
- An outline/calendar of important dates (e.g. the date of the accident, surgery, etc.)
Familiarize yourself with these documents before your consultation. If you have a strong grasp on the details of your accident injury case when entering your consultation, you empower yourself to engage the attorneys you meet with and speak intelligently to your situation.
Questions to Ask at Your Free Personal Injury Consultation
As earlier stated, you can use your free consultation to evaluate the firm just as much as they use it to evaluate your case. You’re probably teeming with questions related to the particulars of your case, but there are several important general questions you should proffer to even the best personal injury law firms.
- Does the firm primarily represent plaintiffs or defendants?
- Will the attorney you’re consulting with now be the same attorney representing you?
- How many cases similar to yours has the attorney handled, and what is their success rate?
- How long will the case take?
- Are there any alternatives to a suit, such as mediation or alternative dispute resolution?
- What kind of fee do they charge (hourly or contingency)?
Armed with the correct documentation and prepared with the right questions, you can go into your personal injury free consultation confident in your ability to find the right lawyer for your case.
Sources:
http://canadian-lawyers.ca/Understand-Your-Legal-Issue/Personal-Injury/Preparing-To-Meet-With-A-Personal-Injury-Lawyer.html
http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=30900