Now we come to the most important part of learning how to prepare for your first meeting with a personal injury lawyer. You need to bring certain items that support your claim.
Copy of the Official Police Report
A copy of the official police report represents one of the most influential pieces of evidence. It lists the date and time of the personal injury incident, as well as the possible cause or causes. Law enforcement will not respond to a slip and fall incident, which means you need to get a copy of the accident report provided by the business or organization where the slip and fall took place.
A copy of the official police report is a valuable document for a personal injury attorney because the judicial system considers the document to be an objective analysis of a personal injury incident. It references crucial evidence and lists the names of witnesses. A copy of the official police report also contains the names and contact information of the other party or parties.
Photographs of the Scene
If you stayed at the scene of the personal injury incident, taking photographs with your Smartphone can provide your attorney with important evidence. This is especially true for car accidents and premise liability cases. For an auto collision, you take photos of the damage done to your vehicle. You also want to store images of the crash scene, with an emphasis on tire marks and road conditions.
Expenses Related to Your Injuries
Personal injury lawyers want two types of documentation. The first type of documentation establishes liability in the form of convincing evidence. The second form of documentation demonstrates how much the personal injury has cost you financially.
Submitting medical bills to a personal injury attorney can lead to the calculation of an estimate for monetary damages. You should also bring in the bills for repairing property damage and timekeeping records that show how much time you have missed work because of your injuries.
Medical Records
Your insurance company wants to see your medical records before approving an insurance claim. If you decide to file a civil lawsuit, you need to submit medical records during the litigation process. The results of diagnostic tests establish you suffered from one or more injuries because of a personal injury incident. Copies of treatment programs and physical therapy sessions demonstrate the seriousness of your injuries.
One important document to hand over to a personal injury lawyer is a written statement that makes a prognosis about the need for future medical care. The personal injury attorney you choose should include estimated future medical expenses while calculating monetary damages.
List of Questions
The personal injury attorney sitting across from you during a free case evaluation is not the only one asking the questions. How to prepare for your first meeting with a personal injury lawyer requires you to bring a list of questions. Your turn to ask questions should come near the end of your first meeting with a personal injury attorney.
You want to leave a free case evaluation with a thorough understanding of the experience possessed by a personal injury attorney. Asking how long a lawyer has practiced personal injury law and how many cases the attorney has worked that are similar to your case gives you an idea concerning legal experience. You should ask if the attorney plans to work on your case from start to finish. Some lawyers delegate legal responsibilities because of their workload.
Make sure to ask about the fee structure and how long the personal injury attorney expects your case to resolve.