Free Consultation - What to Expect

What Happens at the First Meeting with an Attorney after an Injury?

If you have been hurt and are looking for an attorney, you are probably seeing a lot of websites free-with huge dollar amounts and promises of a free consultation. However, very few law firms seem to take the time to explain how those numbers get so large, and what happens during the free consultation.

What to Expect at the Free Consultation

During the first meeting there are a few key objectives:

1. Explain your injury
   I want to understand how you were hurt. If it was a work accident, I will ask about the workplace, your surroundings, how the injury happened, what safety protocols are in place and how they did or did not work during your injury. If it was an auto accident, I will ask about the other cars involved, I’ll want to know about your insurance policy as well.
2. Understand how the law applies to your situation
   I will help you understand how the law applies to your injury and recovery process. Regardless of the type of injury, the law tries to compensate the injury victim in a fair way. If you were hurt at work, the law protects your ability to make an income. If you were hurt in an accident, the law aims to compensate you for your medical bills and time missed from work. Make a plan for moving forward I will explain to you the expected timeline and what we will need to do. In certain cases additional medical evaluations may be needed. It’s important that you are getting the treatment you need to recover from your injury, I can help facilitate that process.
3. Understand the legal fees and how contingency works
   If you choose to hire me, I will walk you through the retainer agreement. You will not pay anything at the time of hiring me. Instead, I am paid a percentage of the recovery I secure on your behalf. So if you don’t win, or I don’t get compensation for your injury, you pay nothing. To read more about contingency and how you pay an injury lawyer, click here.
4. Give you time to make a decision
   You will not face a high-pressure sales situation during a free consultation. There are firms that put a lot of pressure on people to sign during the first meeting. I want you to feel comfortable with your decision to hire me. We do want to get started as soon as possible, but you are more than welcome to take your time to think it over before making a decision.

Why Do I Keep Seeing Multi-Million Dollar Amounts?

If you have looked at more than two or three personal injury and work comp sites you have almost certainly seen these 7 and 8 digit verdicts flashing across the screen. While it IS impressive that a law firm could secure that type of a settlement, you might want to ask what that actually has to do with your case.

Cases with multi-million dollar verdicts are typically cases that involve spinal injuries, injuries requiring life-long care, traumatic brain injury, diminished capacity or wrongful death. If you have a claim requiring your medical and missed wages get paid after an auto accident, it’s likely not a multi-million dollar case. Let me be clear, I am here to get you every dollar available through diligent legal work and dedicated attention to your case. I personally do not like the high dollar amounts because they are misleading to the client. What I do for my injury clients is get every dollar available; that means all of their medical paid, all of the money from missed work back, and in most cases a nice tax-free additional sum of money that will help you on your road to recovery. Injuries are not the lottery, and I wish more attorneys were more forthcoming about that in their advertising.