What to expect in your meeting with a Canadian Personal Injury Lawyer

Many personal injury cases are a victim’s first experience meeting a lawyer. The situations surrounding the injury may impair a person’s ability to focus or remember exactly what happened. Preparing ahead of time for a meeting with a Canadian personal injury lawyer enhances the chances they will take your case and make the injured ‘more confident’ during the actual meeting.

Police reports. Depending on the severity and circumstances surrounding the injury, there may be a police report regarding the case. This tends to occur when the injured party was involved in a car accident. In situations like these, any reports and documentation need to be brought to the meeting with your Canadian lawyer.

Medical bills and documentation. Any records or costs associated with the treatment of injuries relating to the case are important indicators for lawyers. If they decide to represent you, these documents will help them gauge how much in damages you are eligible to receive. Any notes or statements from the physician regarding recovery times should be mentioned as well. X-rays, CAT scan results and other such medical evidence will help the attorney establish what damage was incurred. Documentation of any pre-existing conditions should be included as well. Being completely honest and painting an accurate picture is vital at this stage and can help avoid heartache in the courtroom later on.

Questions. Practice answering questions lawyers will more than likely ask and think of some questions to ask them. For example, if you were injured in a car accident, remembering details like the speed you were traveling, did you have your safety belt on, what do you think caused the accident, were you or the other driver drunk, and other factors that could play into the case as it unfolds.

 Once you feel you can thoroughly answer any conceivable questions they might throw at you, come up with some of your own. How do you get paid (retainer, percentage, etc.) and what kind of additional costs might there be, what sort of experience do you have with these types of cases, in your experience how much can I expect as a settlement/judgment, will you be handling my case personally, and what other information do you need from me, are all good questions.

It is a good idea to consult with more than one attorney regarding the merits of your case even if the first is more than willing to represent you. Getting the best deal you can with the best lawyer you can get is the goal. Some lawyers are more costly and may be worth the added expense.

Consultations can seem a lot like an interview. In one sense, lawyers are interviewing you to see if your case is worthy of representation and in another sense you are interviewing the lawyer to see whether or not you would like them representing you. Coming prepared to these consultations can help smooth out this process and allow you to focus on this key question.