What to Expect in a Personal Injury Lawyer Consultation

If you’ve been wrongfully injured and are looking to file a personal injury claim, you probably have hundreds of questions about the process of hiring a personal injury lawyer, preparing for your settlement or trial, and the aftermath of the case. We are here to take the guesswork out of what you can expect in a consultation with one of our personal injury lawyers.

Your first meeting with a personal injury attorney is important because it gives you a chance to learn more about the process of filing a personal injury claim, and it also allows you to evaluate the lawyer’s level of experience in a case such as yours.

What Is a Lawyer Consultation?

Legal consultations are preliminary discussions between a prospective client and an experienced lawyer to discuss the details of a legal claim. During a consultation, an attorney will help outline the legal avenues available to the prospective client, considering the case details. Consultations can be done over the phone, in person, or via video call.

What to Expect During Your Consultation With a Virginia Attorney

An experienced lawyer is aware that the legal process can be difficult to understand for many individuals, so they will take the time to explain how best to proceed with your case for a favorable outcome. Your attorney should walk you through the legal process step-by-step and give you a look into the behind-the-scenes action that leads up to the culmination of your trial and the aftermath.

Filling out documents, legal briefs, and requests for replies can be time-consuming, and your attorney should discuss these steps with you.

Examining Your Case

It’s important that you are completely open and honest with the personal injury lawyer you are meeting with in order for him or her to decide how best to proceed with legal action. They will ask you the who, what, when, where, and why of your case, which will lead to a detailed discussion of the specifics surrounding your case. It’s important to remember that the lawyer is not making you relive what was potentially a traumatic event for any other reason but to get you the results you deserve.

Setting Expectations for Your Role in the Case

You play a significant role in the outcome of your case. At your first consultation, the personal injury lawyer should walk you through the steps you need to take. This may include never missing doctor appointments and being completely open and honest through every step of the process.

Discuss Fees and Communications

Whether you’ve decided to move forward with the personal injury lawyer or not, he or she should explain the next steps and everyone’s responsibilities as you proceed, including fees. They should explain the fee agreement to you, which includes what services the law firm will perform and how and when they should be paid. You should understand all aspects of the costs and ask for an estimate of what you will be required to pay.

Once you understand all money-related aspects, your lawyer should discuss how the case will proceed. They should understand the goals for your claim and explain how they will help you achieve them.

How Do I Prepare for a Legal Consultation in Virginia?

While providing you with legal advice, your attorney will offer insight into the steps you can take to be prepared to move your case forward. The more prepared you are heading into your consultation, the more effective and efficient your consultation may be. Here are several things you can do to prepare for a free consultation:

• Get all of the facts of your case written down. Accuracy is critical here. This should include all information related to your legal problem, such as what occurred, when it happened, where it happened, and why.
• Document all of your injuries. Be clear about any pre-existing conditions you have been treated for previously.
• Outline where you sought medical care, when, and what type of care was provided to you after your accident.
• Bring your insurance information, including the medical insurance documentation and car insurance information.

Suppose you have photos of the accident, police reports, witness names and phone numbers, and statements that help to move your case forward. During your consultation, you’ll spend anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour going through the details of your case. You have the time to present anything you feel is valuable.

How to Decide if the Personal Injury Lawyer is Right for You

You should not feel like you have to commit after the first consultation. It’s wise to shop around to find someone you feel comfortable with and someone you feel can get you the outcome you deserve. In this case, it’s important to remember that the lawyer is not the only one who should be asking questions. It’s a good idea to treat this like an interview to determine if he or she is right for you.

Use the conversation to gauge if this particular personal injury lawyer has experience with your situation. For example, if you’ve sustained a spinal cord injury, you want a lawyer who has experience with proving these injuries and obtaining fair compensation – someone who has connections with experts who can testify how your injuries will impact your future. The more experienced the lawyer is with the specifics of your case, the more likely they are to obtain a favorable outcome.

While many lawyers will offer online consultations, we don’t recommend proceeding with someone until you’ve met them in person.

If you’ve been through a traumatic experience, the most important factor to focus on is healing from the situation. The last thing you’ll want to do is spend all of your time fighting to be compensated for it. At Montagna Law, we will support you and do all the difficult legal work for you so that you can focus on recovery. If you’ve been injured, meeting with one of our personal injury lawyers will help take the stress of the case out of your hands and place the task on someone with the legal knowledge to achieve the compensation you deserve.

Why Work With Montagna Law

When you need legal services from a passionate attorney who is readily available to guide you through a personal injury case, turn to Montagna Law. We practice law to make a difference for our clients, and that means helping them with any legal issue they have in getting compensated for the damages someone else caused to them.

Testimonials

“I found that this firm is the best firm I have ever been with for me and my husband. I also found that Katie Jones has been really great. Katie Jones is very good about letting us know about what we need to do for our case and what they are doing for our case. I love the communication they have with us. I recommend this firm.” — Jill H.

“My experience from beginning to end was extremely smooth. From the sweet voice of Grace to the firm handshake from John, all made me feel secure in knowing that I made the best choice of hiring Montagna Law to represent me. You will not regret their service.” — Constance H.

Additional Resources

Is Virginia a No-Fault State?: The Commonwealth of Virginia is an at-fault state, which means that the person who causes the injury is responsible for the losses they inflict on others. Learn more about what being a no-fault state means.

Virginia Personal Injury & Accident FAQ: Read general information about personal injury claims and accidents.

Nine Common Types of Personal Injury Cases: As a comprehensive personal injury attorney, we handle most types of claims. Here are some of the most common.

Your Job Should be to Recover. Let Us Do the Heavy Lifting.

You have the right to get legal help if someone else hurts you. A free consultation is our way of giving you valuable insight into those rights. Contact Montagna Law now by calling 877-622-8100 or filling out our contact form.