Contact an Attorney Quickly After You Decide to Pursue a Case

If you are not sure whether you should hire an attorney, you should be aware that it is usually in your best interest to act fast. While it is good to take some time to think about the case and determine whether you really need help, you do not want to wait too long, for various reasons. Find out the main reasons that waiting too long to get a lawyer can ruin your chances of meeting your goal, whether it is to stay out of legal trouble or get money from someone who owes you.

One of the most important things to remember is that there is often a statute of limitations, which means you cannot wait too long to bring a lawsuit against someone. The amount of time you have tends to change by state or county, as well as the subject. For example, if you were injured in a hit-and-run car accident several years ago, you should check the statute of limitations in your state before attempting to bring a case against the alleged driver. The same can be said for a situation in which you think your neighbor's property encroaches on yours, or when their dog's barking used to keep you awake, keeping you from getting to work on-time. No matter how serious or trivial your complaint is, you should make sure you are well within the allowed time frame before producing a lawsuit.

Another issue that comes with waiting too long to see an attorney is that you might forget facts that would support your case. For instance, if you have been assaulted by someone, but cannot remember the exact date or other details since it was years or even months ago, you have a very low chance of winning. You need to appear organized and prepared if you hope to win the suit, and this includes remembering and correctly recording all the facts, which is hard to do years afterward. If, for some reason, you cannot bring a case for a few years, at least write down the facts immediately afterward, and keep this information in a safe place.

The same advice pertains to any evidence you have. In general, it is harder to collect evidence years after a crime has taken place, especially since sometimes the police or your attorney prefer to do it themselves. You would not call the police months after an accident, expecting them to be able to determine what happened by checking skid marks on the road. Similarly, you should not expect your lawyer to be able to get the proper evidence on a crime that occurred months or years ago.

It does take time to figure out if you need an attorney, and then you have to take some time to choose one. However, you are advised to at least start looking for nearby attorneys right away by scheduling a few initial consultations. This way you are at least on the pathway to finding a lawyer, and you can get an idea of whether you even have a case to pursue.