Calling a lawyer after any event can be stressful, especially if you’ve never interacted with a lawyer before. Here at Moss Hachey Law, we recognize that clients are new to ‘the process’ and are worried about what to expect, what information to bring, and, more importantly, what will be discussed. If you’re looking for a personal injury lawyer in Fredericton, this guide will help you prepare for your first consultation.
The Basics
To start, please bring a piece of identification with you to the appointment, as the Law Society requires us to confirm your identity. We will keep this on file.
Information Collection in Personal Injury Cases
Second, be prepared to discuss what happened that led to your injury. This means the “Who, What, Where, Why, and When.” It also means the events in the day leading up to your injury and the days afterwards. Sometimes clients will feel nervous about talking about more private details (such as behaviour or facts that they feel may be ‘bad’ for their case). It’s important to tell your lawyer everything. We’ve had many situations where the client was worried about a fact that was ‘bad’ when it actually was helpful to their case! We also need to know if the client was ‘in the wrong’ in any way, as it is better for us to assess your case properly. If you have photos of the scene, those are important to send along either ahead of time or immediately after the meeting. These could be critical in a slip and fall claim or when meeting with a car accident lawyer in New Brunswick.
Third, be prepared to talk about your medical treatment and who your providers are. Who have you been to see so far? Who are you planning to see? What are your current symptoms? This is an essential part of your personal injury consultation.
Fourth, employment. If you are unable to work because of your injury or have had to reduce your hours at work, it’s important that we know immediately so that we can help you find benefits.
Fee Agreements and Authorizations
Moss Hachey Law operates on both hourly fee and contingency fee agreements. We will work with our clients to make sure the right option is presented to you, given your unique situation.
We will also have authorizations for document collection for you to sign. These authorizations allow us to collect your medical records, motor vehicle reports, and employment documents. We always ask clients to collect or send any relevant documentation they may have on their own, such as tax returns.
Closing
At the end of the meeting, we will give you an assessment of your case. There is no pressure, and no question is off limits. If we do not feel your case has a chance of success, we will be upfront and tell you in the meeting. The worst situation is having a client pursue a claim for years with no chance of success. However, our assessment is only based on the facts presented, which is why it is important to tell us all the information you have or can remember.
If you’re preparing for your first meeting with a personal injury lawyer in Fredericton, reach out to Moss Hachey Law.
