Your initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer can easily be the most important meeting of your entire case. This consultation will serve as your opportunity to learn everything you need to know about your case and the lawyer who will be helping you to pursue it. This consultation will also provide the lawyer with the opportunity to learn more about you and your case so that they can determine whether or not they are the best person to help you in pursuing this case. Completing each of the steps below will help you to ensure you are properly prepared for this important meeting.

1. Provide Lawyer With All Requested Information

The lawyer you are scheduled to meet with will want to prepare for your consultation as well. The problem is, this lawyer will have no information regarding you or your case until you give it to them. This is why most personal injury lawyers will ask prospective clients to complete a simple questionnaire prior to their initial consultation. This questionnaire will typically ask you to provide some very basic information about yourself, your accident, and your injuries. Completing and returning this questionnaire should be your first step in preparing for your initial consultation. By completing this step in a timely fashion, you will be able to ensure that the lawyer you are meeting with is prepared to answer all of your questions.

2. Know Exactly What You Want To Ask

Chances are, a thousand different questions have raced through your mind since the day of your accident. You may be wondering how much compensation you are entitled to, how long it will take to settle your case, or what happens if you are never able to fully recovery from your injuries. The good news is, your meeting with a personal injury lawyer will give you the opportunity to ask all of these questions. The bad news is, most of these consultations will be limited to around a half an hour. Consequently, you will need to fit all of your questions into a rather short period of time. 

In order to ensure that not a single question goes unanswered, it is always best to create a list of questions that you want to ask. This list can either be presented to the lawyer directly or you can simply use it as a cheat sheet to help guide you from one question to the next.

3. Gather Supporting Documents

The most successful personal injury cases are those that are supported by a variety of documents. This is because the more evidence you have in your corner, the more difficult it will be for the insurance company to challenge liability in your case. This is why it is so important to gather all of the supporting documents you have and present these documents to the lawyer during your consultation. These documents should include witness statements, police reports, and medical records.

Not only will these documents help to ensure the lawyer sees the merit in your case, but they can also help the lawyer to provide you with more accurate answers to your questions.