Personal injuries happen to vehicle drivers, pedestrians, customers, and more. When you have an accident, you may need financial help to pay for your medical treatment, property damages, and out-of-pocket losses. An insurance company may contact you to ask about the accident and offer you money. However, consider talking to an attorney before you respond to an insurance company.
Consulting with a personal injury firm might clear up any confusion or fears about recovering from an accident. You may learn about your rights and the legal procedure for getting the compensation you need and deserve from the negligent actor who caused your damages. Many attorneys offer free consultations.
What to Expect During a Consultation with an Attorney
At a consultation with a top-rated California personal injury attorney team, you can explain your situation and ask questions about what to expect from the law firm. You will learn about the firm’s expertise, experience, and members. The initial consultation is often the time to get a feel for one another and whether you and the firm are a good fit.
The first meeting will also be an excellent opportunity to discuss your case. The attorney typically asks you what happened, why, and what resulted from your accident. The questions allow you to detail the accident so the legal team can determine who is responsible for your injuries and the extent of your damages.
If they decide your case is valid and strong, the firm representative will explain what happens next, giving you a rundown on the preparation and possible outcome of your case. In particular, your attorney may outline the timeline for a personal injury case, including gathering documentation, consulting experts, and collecting other evidence to prove your claim and summarizing the legal steps to resolving it. A personal injury attorney team in California can help you understand what to expect when seeking compensation after an injury accident.
What Should You Bring to a Legal Consultation?
Your initial consultation is the time to educate your legal representatives about your case so that they can advise you accurately. So, preparing for your consultation matters. Before your appointment, gather all your information, including police reports, medical records, witness statements, photos, and other evidence of the accident.
Even if you think a detail or document is unimportant, be prepared to offer as much information about the accident as you can recall. Full disclosure of everything you know is critical to your attorney team, who is there to help you honestly evaluate your case. Tell the truth, regardless of how you may feel about what happened. All you disclose is confidential, so feel free to disclose everything, even facts you think hurt your case.
The first meeting with your attorneys is also a perfect time to get information, so jot down your questions. For starters, you might be curious about your case costs, timeline, and legal team. Here are some common questions clients ask at the first consultation.
Ask How Much You Will Have to Pay
Most clients want to know if they can afford a lawsuit, as well as the out-of-pocket costs to pursue their claim and attorney’s fees.
You may be relieved that most attorneys take personal injury cases on a contingency basis. That means that the attorney team gets paid when you do. So, for example, when you receive a settlement payment from an insurance company or a jury verdict award, your attorney firm takes an agreed-upon percentage of the payment or award. Typically, they receive a third of what you get, but the contingency fee averages between 33% and 40%.
Also, some attorneys cover the expenses of working on a claim, such as document costs, expert witness fees, and other expenses. Should a lawsuit become necessary, court filing fees and court reporter fees are some of the costs you may be expected to pay. Your legal team may agree to foot the costs, waiting for reimbursement until your settlement or award payment.
Remember that your attorney does not get paid if you receive no compensation. As such, choose a law firm that works on a contingency rather than an hourly fee arrangement. When you retain a lawyer’s services for a personal injury case, you will sign a contingency fee agreement.
Ask if the Attorney Specializes in Personal Injury Cases
Law firms may have practice area specialties, such as personal injury. Personal injury attorneys may handle different types of personal injury cases involving vehicles, slip-and-falls, pedestrian accidents, and workplace accidents resulting in wrongful death, traumatic brain injury, or other injuries.
Choose an attorney firm with various skills and expertise to manage your case.
Ask About the Value of Your Case
Many factors may influence how much compensation you receive for your damages, so a legal team may not give you a specific dollar figure. On the other hand, they can tell you which damages you may legally seek, and the jury verdict award figures for personal injury recoveries similar to yours. However, each case is unique. Thus, a responsible attorney is not going to promise you unrealistic results.
Inquire About Which Damages You Can Seek
In preparing your case, your law firm will collect evidence to prove your losses from an accident. In California, you may claim economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Lost earning capacity
- Pharmaceutical costs
- Non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
Though money does not put you back the way you were before the accident, it can help you get the medical, financial, and emotional support you may need during your recovery and beyond. You can ask your attorney what you qualify for and how they plan to prove damages. They know how to establish a personal injury claim.
Discuss How Long It Will Take to Resolve Your Case
Your legal team will first try to settle your case with an insurance carrier. After gathering the necessary proof of your claim, including who is at fault and how much you lost from the accident, they will negotiate with an insurance adjuster representing the responsible party’s (or parties”) insurance carrier.
It is hard to pinpoint how long it takes to agree on liability and damages. Your medical treatment may be ongoing, the insurance company may want time to investigate the claim before negotiating, and many other factors may delay a quick settlement.
In addition, your attorneys may be unable to settle with the insurance carrier. In that case, they may have to file a lawsuit and litigate your claim in court. With that in mind, choose a law firm that has long experience winning personal injury cases in court. If you sue others involved in the accident, you want experienced trial lawyers to handle your case from the start.
Ask How You Will Be Updated on the Progress of Your Case
Your attorney will communicate with you about case developments as they occur, on a scheduled basis, or in some other way. Ask your lawyer how you will find out about your case, whether by telephone call, email, or text. Each firm has its preferred communication methods.
Schedule a Free Consultation with Our California Personal Injury Lawyers
Our professional legal team offers free, confidential consultations for those seeking legal help with their personal injury claim. Learn how our team will work to investigate, prove, negotiate, and, if necessary, litigate your personal injury case.
If you are an accident victim of another’s negligence, call The Simon Law Group at (855) 855 8910 and request your free consultation today.
