If you've been injured in a car accident, slip and fall, medical malpractice, or any other unfortunate event, you may be wondering about free personal injury attorney consultation services. Once you've done some research on personal injury attorneys in your area, you should schedule an initial consultation where you can get some answers to your questions about your damages and injuries.
Most personal injury attorneys do not charge fees for an initial consultation, and the Pennsylvania Dolman Law Group accident injury attorneys are no exception. We provide legal advice during a free initial consultation with anyone who is injured and needs answers.
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What Can You Expect During a Free Consultation with a Personal Injury Lawyer?
During your initial meeting with a personal injury attorney, your personal injury attorney will first want to hear a detailed description of what happened. Along the way, they'll gather all kinds of information from you, but for the most part, there's nothing you don't already have an answer to. This article will help you ensure you are prepared, know what to expect, and bring the necessary documentation to make your initial consultation as productive as possible.
You should be aware that the length of the initial interview can vary widely, depending on the type of negligence and the circumstances that caused your injury. For more immediate cases, such as a car accident with personal injury protection, the first meeting likely won't take long. In more complex cases, such as medical malpractice or defective products, the initial interview usually lasts longer. However, none of the cases are simple or straightforward.
Here are nine things you should know about free advice and personal injury cases:
What is the statute of limitations for your personal injury case?
Before you seriously consider filing a personal injury lawsuit for your injuries, you must first consider whether your case has expired. This doesn't apply to most people because it's very common to seek compensation right after an injury. However, sometimes clients can wait years to file a personal injury lawsuit.
In Florida, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases under Florida Statute 95.11 is four (4) years from the date of the incident. If the claim is against a government agency, such as the city where you live, you only have three (3) years. For wrongful death actions, the time limit is two (2) years from the date of death.
If your events occurred in less than the above years, you meet the necessary requirements. You will not face time issues that prevent you from seeking compensation. You can have an initial consultation with your personal injury attorney ahead of time to discuss the details of your case and get to know your potential attorneys.
Know Your Lawyer
Before choosing an attorney to consult with, you'll want to do basic internet research on them. Check out sites like Avvo.com, SuperLawyers.com, Florida State Bar Association, and of course Google Reviews. These are great places to start.
Remember, a consultation is your time to get to know the attorney you will be working with, and it is your time for them to understand your case, answer your questions and provide basic legal advice. Most people know right away if they like someone, trust someone or think they'd be a good fit.
The initial consultation is not just about whether you think you can work with them, but whether you think they have the qualifications, experience and expertise to handle your personal injury case. Remember, the personal injury attorney you choose represents your opportunity to seek compensation for personal injury losses such as medical bills, property damage, and lost wages.
In addition to general first impressions, consider whether you think the attorney will handle your specific case well. Do they look happy with the material? Do they seem confident in their abilities? Do they look believable?
What should you bring to your initial consultation?
Your personal injury attorney will want to review your case with as much information as possible. For this reason, it is important to bring all documents you have regarding injuries and accidents.
- Here are some records, statements and information you should bring to your initial consultation:
- Photos of accidents and injuries
- accident report
- Police Investigation Notes
- citation or ticket
- Witness Statement or Contact Information
- Self-notes about your injury (see #4)
- Doctor's Notes and Emergency Room Notes
- medical records
- X-ray and MRI results
- Auto and Health Insurance Card/Information
- Additional driver information or information
- Information about the property where the accident occurred.
Providing all of this information gives your personal injury attorney the fullest possible view of your case so they can give you answers about the possibility of seeking compensation. The more comprehensive the information the attorney must assess, the better. Armed with all of this information, your personal injury attorney can provide you with a basic understanding of how they will seek compensation, which gives you the opportunity to determine whether their plan of action is acceptable to you.
Bring Notes and Records About Your Personal Injury Incident
During the course of your workers' compensation claim, two key questions will come up repeatedly:
- What exactly happened during the events leading up to the claim?
- What harm or harm was done?
Since these questions arise at nearly every stage of the process, it's important to have a clear record for reference so you don't lose track of the important points. See this article for more details on what to do at the scene of an accident.
To preserve this information, take detailed notes immediately after and throughout the event, including what happened, where it happened, who was involved, and how your injury affected your day-to-day life. This will almost certainly help strengthen your legal claim.
Here is some information about personal injury incidents you should file:
- What exactly happened before, during and after the event
- time and location
- weather
- witnesses and what was said
- your experiences during and after the accident
- the type and extent of your injury (physical and mental)
- any medical treatment you receive and any
- The impact of the injury on your work, social and personal life
- Missed work time, and any events you had to cancel
- Impact of Injury on Close Family Relationships
This information, both during and after the consultation, can help your attorney better understand what happened and how it affects you. It allows them to make a list of damages that you can pursue through a personal injury claim and provides the big picture to ensure you are properly compensated. If you don't tell them or forget to mention something, it's impossible for a lawyer to include it in a demand or claim.
If you are unable to gather some of these instant messages due to the severity of your injury, be sure to ask a trusted friend or family member to do so. After a personal injury accident, remember to always put your health first.
Detailing Personal Injury Incidents
During your initial consultation, you will spend most of your time telling what happened during your accident, injury or illness. During or after your description, the attorney will ask you detailed questions to gain more information and better understand what happened. Your personal injury case may develop in such a way that you must confess in front of a jury during trial.
This initial consultation serves as a test run where the personal injury attorney can learn from your recollection the facts of the accident and assess the client's credibility. While this may not sound "good," it's important to understand how you present yourself when talking about personal injury incidents. For whatever reason, juries believe some people and not others. Lawyers won't dismiss a viable case because of this, but they may use this information to help guide you in future situations, such as testifying.
Prepare Questions to Ask Your Personal Injury Attorney
This initial consultation is as much about you understanding the personal injury process and your potential attorney as it is about them understanding the specifics of the case. Be sure to write down any questions that are on your mind before meeting with your attorney.
Counseling can't last forever, so it's best both you and the attorney have your questions ready. Make sure you cover anything you've been wondering. That's half the reason for consulting in the first place.
[Here are answers to some frequently asked questions]
- Here are some topics you can ask your potential personal injury attorney:
- Medical fees
- How long does the personal injury process take
- Important Evidence Needed for Personal Injury Claims
- Things to Avoid After a Car Accident or Other Personal Injury Incident
- The process after the initial free consultation
- Information on how insurance companies affect personal injury claims
- Statute of Limitations for Your Type of Personal Injury
- Is a legal representative required?
- What can I expect if I choose to engage Dolman Law Group?
- What damages can you pursue
- How Personal Injury Lawyers Get Paid
Find out the viability of your personal injury claim
Once you state what happened and tell the attorney about your injuries, they will give you information about the viability of your case. Not all cases require litigation, and not all cases can collect money from insurance companies. It is better to know now whether your case is worth pursuing than to waste your own time. If this happens and you feel like going ahead, seek a second opinion.
A lawyer can also refer you to another lawyer
Oni at this point. This rare situation can happen if your case is not in that particular attorney's area of expertise, or if you can participate in a class action. A good lawyer always knows their limitations and doesn't take any case just to make more money. If a lawyer introduces you to other people, they may understand why the lawyer is qualified and what different ways they can help you.
What laws affect your personal injury claim?
If you and your attorney are ready to handle your case, they will introduce you to the laws that apply to your situation. Each type of personal injury accident has its own set of laws governing how these claims are handled. They all have different rules about statutes of limitations, what constitutes liability, and what conduct is considered negligent. Be sure to ask your personal injury attorney which laws affect your specific case so you can do your own research after your initial consultation.
Once you've discussed the viability of your case and any relevant laws, your personal injury attorney can tell you what they think are your best options and the strategies they will employ to obtain your compensation. Obviously, they won't have a detailed action plan ready in 30 minutes, but they can give you some ideas. For clients, this is often an exciting part of the consultation, as they feel relieved that they are being compensated.
Discussing Personal Injury Lawyer Fees and Compensation
Once you and your attorney have discussed possible options, strategies, and an overall plan of action, it's time to tackle the logistics. Most personal injury attorneys take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means they only get paid if they are compensated for your injuries. This is the best solution for both parties.
Often, injured victims cannot afford attorneys' fees. This enables people to get legal representation that would otherwise be unavailable, and incentivizes lawyers to work as hard as possible to get as much money as possible. If you pay a flat fee, lawyers get paid anyway and have no incentive to work for more.
Sign a contract with your personal injury attorney
At this point, you will sign a contract where you and the agent agree on the fees discussed and grant them a partial power of attorney, which means they have limited authority to sign documents on your behalf. This is used for things like medical releases and court filings.
You will also sign a HIPAA release so your attorney can request your medical information and records. This way, they can handle most of the work for you without you having to run around town or spend hours on the phone searching for files.
Discussing Next Steps for Your Personal Injury Claim
After you have covered all of the above information and signed the contract and documents, the attorney and his team of paralegals will begin working on your case. At this point, they will begin to notify the insurance company of their requirements and begin negotiations. If the matter cannot be resolved directly with the insurance company, mediation, arbitration and potentially litigation ensue.
Before you leave the meeting and let a personal injury lawyer handle the case, it's important that you know what the process will look like. Ask them what they will be doing in the coming weeks and months so you can get an idea of what to expect while you wait.
You also have to worry about recovering from the injury, and the medical bills will pile up. Make sure you have a way to contact your personal injury attorney for consistent updates on the claims process and give them details about your medical bills and any other damages that pop up.
Contact Dolman Law Group for help with your personal injury claim
Our clients and communities have high expectations of Dolman Law Group. We believe that communication between clients and their attorneys is critical to providing quality, personable legal representation, and we pride ourselves on maintaining that connection with our clients. For this reason, all Dolman Law Group clients receive a personal mobile phone number and email address of the lawyer who will be handling their case. Potential clients can also expect that their cases will be handled with due attention and the utmost professionalism. Source: dolmanlaw.com
