If you’ve been in an automobile accident, it’s always smart to set up a free consultation with an auto accident attorney. An attorney can look over your case and help you decide next steps. Here’s what you should expect when you set up such a consultation with Cheyenne, Wyoming personal injury lawyer.
What to Expect in Your Initial Consultation With a Cheyenne, Wyoming Auto Accident Attorney
An Assessment of Your Case
A key reason to have a consultation at all is so that you can have an attorney’s professional opinion on your case. You can expect your attorney to start by asking all the basics. What happened? When did it happen? Where did the accident take place and who was involved? Why did the accident happen: in other words, who was at fault, and what did the police say when they came to the scene?
All of these questions are very important, as getting the basic facts allows the attorney to then ask deeper questions. The deeper questions will ask more about the details, such as whether you’ve already spoken to the insurance company and what they have said, exactly what injuries you’ve sustained and what your doctor has said about them, whether the other driver was insured, whether you have medical insurance and what has been covered or not covered so far, and what kind of evidence you have.
You can expect a good attorney to be completely honest with you. If the attorney thinks you really don’t have a case to bring a claim, they will tell you so and not allow you to waste your time and money trying to bring a claim that is very unlikely to succeed. If they think the claim is worth bringing but will be difficult, they will explain to you why and talk about some of the hurdles that will need to be overcome and what kind of evidence is necessary. If they think the claim is a simple one and should be fairly easy to negotiate, they will tell you that, too.
An Opportunity to Evaluate the Attorney
You should also see this consultation as a chance for you to evaluate the attorney as much as the attorney is evaluating your case. You want to have confidence that the attorney is qualified and experienced enough to successfully bring your claim to a conclusion.
You want to see evidence that they have a good track record of success, and that track record should include at least a little court experience. Most of these cases are settled out of court, and ideally, yours will be too. However, there are times and situations where the insurance company simply will not negotiate in good faith, and, in those cases, it may be necessary to take them to court. You need a lawyer who has successful experience taking things into the courtroom.
You also want to evaluate whether this attorney is a good fit for you personally. Do you feel comfortable talking with them? Do they respond to your questions clearly and directly? Did they show that your time is valuable to them? This is also a time for you to ask questions about what it’s like to work with them, such as how often you can expect to be contacted, what fees there might be, and what happens if things drag on longer than expected.
How to Prepare
Bring All the Evidence You Have
To prepare for your consultation, start by gathering up all the evidence that you have that relates to the case. This might include things like a copy of the police report, copies of your medical bills and receipts, any information you have on the costs to repair a vehicle, any correspondence that you’ve had with the insurance company so far, photographs from the accident scene, and the information and contact of any witnesses that the attorney will be able to contact to get statements from.
If you know whether there were any cameras in the area that might have taken video of the accident, be sure to tell your attorney about these, as well. The more evidence you bring along with you, the easier you make it for your attorney to assess the case and give you a clear understanding of what to expect.
Prepare to Talk Frankly
We mentioned above that your attorney will be honest with you and tell you very frankly whether you have a claim or not. But you should also prepare yourself as you go in to talk frankly with the attorney in turn.
A lawyer cannot help you if they don’t know what really happened, so you always want to tell your lawyer the truth. If a lawyer takes your case, you can rest assured that they cannot and will not discuss the details with anyone without your permission; but you don’t want your attorney going into negotiations, or into the courtroom, only to be blindsided by information they should have known but did not.
Be Respectful and Expect Respect
Show the attorney that you understand they are a professional and that their time is valuable by showing up on time. There’s no need to dress in any special manner, but it always conveys respect when you are clean and neat. Understand that the attorney is busy and has obligations to clients, and have patience if there’s a short waiting period.
At the same time, you should expect the same kind of respect to be shown to you, and if it’s not, this isn’t a person you want to work with professionally. The attorney should not make you wait for any significant length of time without informing you, apologizing, and giving a basic explanation. While the attorney does have obligations to other clients, you are considering hiring them! They should also not try to rush you out of the room, make you feel stupid for not knowing something, promise you unrealistic outcomes, or speak to you in legal jargon that makes it difficult to understand what they’re really saying.
When you and your attorney respect each other, you can count on having a good working relationship, which goes a long way towards a successful outcome for your claim.
Prepare a List of Questions in Advance
Once you have gotten into the room and begun talking, it can be easy to focus so much on your case that you forget about specific questions you need to ask. If you make a list in advance, you’ll be sure to cover everything. Some of the questions you should ask include:
- Should I expect to work with you, another attorney, or with a group of attorneys for my case?
- How often will your firm be communicate with me, and who will do the communicating?
- If I have a question, how do I get in touch?
- What possible outcomes do you foresee?
- Can you give me a general timeline for how long this might last?
- What do you think are the chances of success in my case?
- Is it likely this will be settled out of court?
- What do you think will be your strategy in my case?
For a free consultation today on your auto accident, contact the Ochs Law Firm for help in Cheyenne, Casper, Jackson, Laramie, Cody, Gillette, and Idaho Falls.
