August 28th, 2020
Information to Have Prior to Meeting with an Attorney
Prior to meeting with an attorney, you should make sure you have the documentation and information relating to the matter so the attorney may then examine and possibly gather more information for evaluation. He or she would also need the information to come up with a plan of action if there is legal representation. For example, if you were involved in an automobile collision, you should make sure you bring the following documents to your meeting:
- The accident report.
- Any medical bills or records you have stemming from treatment you received after the collision.
- Any photographs or videos of either the collision itself or your injuries.
- Any correspondence you have received from your auto insurance carrier, the at-fault party’s insurance carrier as well as correspondence from your health insurance.
- Any written notes you have made relating to your injuries or other conversations you have had relating to the collision, your injuries, etc.
Bringing these documents to a meeting seeking representation after being involved in an auto collision is imperative as it allows your attorney to not only gather facts as to how the collision occurred, but it also provides a plethora of information such as the name of the person who hit you, who their insurance carrier is, how the insurance company has treated you to date as well as whether or not you may have to repay any money to your health insurance carrier. If you have all of this information on hand, your attorney will likely be able to more quickly assess your legal situation and take steps toward representing you.
While the information you need to bring to an attorney will differ based on the type of legal matter, it is important you bring all pieces of documentation or evidence with you to your initial client meeting that you believe establishes any facts or timeline with respect to the matter. For example, if you believe your insurance company has wrongfully denied a claim brought under your homeowner’s policy, you should not only bring your homeowner’s insurance policy with you, but you should also bring any correspondence sent to you by the insurance company as well as any photos or videos of the damage to your property and/or the investigation conducted by the insurance adjuster. These documents provide useful information to the attorney from the get-go.
Although it is not always possible to bring documents with you to your first meeting, you should make sure you are at least knowledgeable about incident dates and times as well as who did what so your attorney can again establish the facts at hand, conduct a conflict check and take any other steps necessary to begin representing you.