Legal cases, and the unpredictability of their outcomes, can be frightening. As such, speaking to a lawyer before starting any legal proceedings can significantly improve your chances of successful litigation.
At The Law Offices of Payas, Payas, and Payas, we offer a complimentary consultation for new clients to help you decide your course of action. To get the best out of this meeting, here are a few things you can try:
Be Specific
Attorneys are typically very busy, and consultations with them are likely to be short. So, during a legal consultation, ensure you only discuss your case’s specific circumstances and not legal generalities. This way, the attorney can give you more practical and effective advice.
To ensure they get as much relevant information as possible from clients, most attorneys use questionnaires, and some even request their paralegals to help clients fill out the forms. Ultimately, the more information you provide about your case, the better the opportunities you give the attorney to help you.
Provide Detailed Information
The first consultation provides the best chance to build the overall structure of your case. As such, you should share every bit of information that could help win the case, no matter how trivial it seems. This may include license plate numbers, your notes, videos, and even witness testimonies.
With this info, the lawyer will be in a better position to give you a high-quality action plan.
Ask as Many Questions As You Can About the Process
When leaving the complimentary consultation, you should ideally have a clear idea of how your case will proceed. Naturally, some aspects, such as third-party negotiations, are bound to change as the case proceeds but generally, there will be a clear process flow.
So, don’t be afraid to ask your attorney about everything regarding the case, starting from the documents required to the identity of individuals in the firm you’ll be dealing with and even the estimated costs of every option at your disposal.
All said, your initial consultation will not be complete without a discussion of the firm’s billing policies. The attorney you’re meeting may not be able to give you a certain figure. However, every law firm has a fee overview, which will be available on request. The overview will include an outline of the minimum fees, billable services, and billing frequency. With these in mind, you can roughly estimate the costs of the whole process.
Looking for an experienced personal injury attorney in Orlando, Florida? Get in touch with us today.
