Meeting with a Personal Injury Lawyer in California: Vital Things to Know

California personal injury law is complex and hard to understand for someone not legal-oriented; that is where attorneys come in. A personal injury attorney understands the intricacies and the peculiarity of California personal injury law. However, when consulting a lawyer, there are vital questions you must ask them and other things to know.

At the Initial Contact

When you are meeting with the attorney for the first time, they will request basic information from you. That includes information concerning the incident, your injuries, and your insurance details if they are available.

At that point, you will know whether or not they can handle your specific personal injury case. If they cannot, a good lawyer will refer you to someone who can help. However, if it is within their scope of practice, the next thing is to schedule an intake meeting.

What Happens at the Intake Meeting?

This meeting can be long and overwhelming, but it is manageable if you know what to expect. At this stage, your attorney will ask you for a detailed account of the incident or accident that caused your injuries. For example, if you were disabled, they will ask what caused the disability and request a detailed health history.

Furthermore, the lawyer will review documents, discuss the risks, and then let you know if pursuing the claim is a good idea. The intake meeting is a thorough meeting where much information is obtained to get the whole picture of the case. With the information you provide, the lawyer will form a preliminary opinion and inform you of any potential issues.

Note that every personal injury case has setbacks; while some are red flags, some may be scalable. If the injury is caused by a car accident, for example, California legislation adds more risk and needs extra review.

Also, at this stage, you will discuss thresholds and deductibles, and you will calculate how much income you have lost. Meanwhile, if you need rehabilitation, your attorney can connect you to a good rehab facility with accident benefits.

Vital Questions to Ask Your Attorney at the Initial Meeting

The questions you need to ask the lawyer to determine if they can handle your case must come before you hire them. “At the first meeting, the client should do the talking, then at the intake meeting, the lawyer does the talking,” says Attorney Walter Clark of Walter Clark Legal Group. With that said, here are important questions that can help you ascertain if the lawyer is a good fit:

• Have you been practicing personal injury law for a while, and how long? If they have not been at it for a while and your case is complicated, they might not be a good fit.
• Do you practice in this particular area of law – why? You want a lawyer who handles your particular type of case because that means they have the needed knowledge. Asking why helps reassure you that the attorney is not doing it for the money, but truly has your interest at heart.
• Do you have to travel out of town or is the lawyer’s office local? It is extremely important that you get an attorney based in California – for comfort and because they understand the local laws.
• Where and how often will your meeting with the personal injury attorney be held? The answer to this depends on whether you want personalized legal representation or if you are okay with meeting with clerks.

Conclusion

Many personal injury claimants delay consulting a lawyer because of legal fees, which can be huge. However, many California personal injury lawyers work on contingencies, meaning they will only charge a percentage of what they recover for you.