One of the first things to do after a car accident is to contact a car accident attorney. Working with an experienced personal injury attorney will not only make your work easier but also increase your chances of getting higher compensation.
The good news is that most personal injury attorneys offer free consultation services. They will listen to you and tell you if you have a case or not. But what should you expect in your first consultation meeting with an accident attorney?
Case assessment
Whether the consultation takes place online or via the telephone, the first thing an attorney will want is to get a clear picture of the circumstances and facts surrounding the car accident. This means that the two of you will need to physically meet and talk.
The first thing will involve you narrating the actual events, before, during, and after the accident. You should also tell him the kind of damage caused by the accident. This conversation can take place either at the attorney’s office or the office of a legal secretary.
After giving your side of the story, the attorney will ask you the following follow-up questions:
• Have you talked to any representatives of insurance companies about the accident? If yes, which insurance companies and what exactly did you tell them?
• Have you discussed the details of the accident with anybody else? This may include family members, friends, first responders, or any person at the scene of the accident.
• What type of car insurance policy or health insurance do you have?
• Were there any eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident? If so, did you take their contacts?
You will also need to hand over any documents related to the accident like car repair estimates, medical bills, police reports, photographs, letters, and correspondence emails from insurance companies.
Share everything
Do not hold back any information from the accident lawyer because doing so may negatively affect the outcome of the case. Even if you haven’t agreed to work with the accident attorney, information shared during the first meeting is legally protected by client privilege. This means you can provide all relevant information without fear.
If the attorney doesn’t take your case
If the attorney refuses to carry on with your case, it doesn’t mean it is a weak case. There are several reasons why attorneys turn down cases. These include:
• If the attorney has a lot of work
• Potential conflict of interest
• If the case doesn’t fall within the attorney’s scope of skills and experience
• If the attorney doesn’t have adequate resources to try your case
If the attorney takes your case
In case the attorney accepts to try your case, you should find out from him about the chances of success. However, you should understand that the attorney may not know exactly if you will win the case or not. There are always several variables and unpredictable situations that can pull the case in any direction.
In a nutshell, there’s a lot to expect during your consultation meeting with a car accident lawyer. The main objective of this meeting is normally to establish the facts about the case.
