We’ve written so many blogs about what to look for in a personal injury lawyer, how to find a good personal injury lawyer, circumstances when you may need a personal injury lawyer, and even red flags to look out for in a personal injury lawyer. By now you may be wondering, what about clients? After all, personal injury attorneys decide whether or not to take a case and work for their potential clients; are there things that attorneys might consider to be red flags that some clients have? What makes a good client anyway? And is there such a thing as a bad personal injury client? If you’ve got those questions, hang tight: we’ve got your answers.
BE HONEST
When filing a personal injury claim, it isn’t uncommon to feel overwhelmed by all the questions the attorney, paralegal, or legal assistant is asking you to answer. There may be times when you actually don’t know the answer to a question that the personal injury attorney is asking you. This is especially true when trauma is involved. If you don’t remember, or you aren’t sure, do not guess. Never ever make a guess. Instead, tell the person you’re talking to that you don’t know the answer or that you can’t remember. If you think you remember but you aren’t completely sure, play it safe and tell your attorney something like, “I think this is what happened, but I’m not entirely positive that I remember correctly.” This way, your attorney doesn’t come across any surprises while they’re trying to build your case. Whether you’re intentionally trying to hide something or just aren’t sure, the truth is going to come out at some point and when it does it sometimes gets ugly. It will never help your case to be less than honest with your attorney and their staff, and could actually hurt your chances of getting the compensation you deserve.
GIVE DETAILS
When you’re telling the attorney, legal assistant, or paralegal what happened, make sure you’re as clear as you can possibly be. The person representing the personal injury firm may ask you a ton of questions not only about the incident, but about things that may seem unrelated to the incident, such as your medical history. In these cases, personal injury firms are typically attempting to anticipate what the at-fault party’s defense will be. For example, many insurance companies may look for reasons not to pay the injured party. A good personal injury attorney will be able to anticipate what those reasons will be and attempt to get ahead of the insurance company’s reasoning, but they can only do that if they have all of the information. So, when a personal injury attorney or their staff asks you questions about your driving record, medical history, and more, make sure you clearly answer all their questions.
SEND RELEVANT INFO PROMPTLY
The process of filing your claim should be relatively easy for you. When it comes to getting the maximum compensation, your personal injury attorney should be doing most of the work on your behalf. However, a personal injury attorney may need to call you to ask you for information about your medical providers, copies of records, details of the incident, and other things. If your personal injury firm asks you to send documents over, make sure to send them as soon as you possibly can. The process of filing a claim and getting compensation can be a long process in certain situations. And the process gets much longer if you are taking months to send over the documents your personal injury firm has requested you to send over. Even though you understand it’s going to take some time to get your case resolved, you expect your attorney and their office to work promptly on your case. A great client will promptly respond to their attorney’s requests as well.
HAVE REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS
It’s important for personal injury clients to have reasonable expectations. As we’ve detailed previously in other blogs, a personal injury attorney should never promise a specific outcome, especially regarding compensation. However, after reviewing all the relevant details of your case, a personal injury attorney may give you a ballpark estimate of how much compensation they can help you earn. But the personal injury attorney should make it very clear that this is an estimate only. A good personal injury client will need to be realistic about how much compensation the personal injury attorney will be able to win for their injuries, and understanding when the attorney hesitates to give a specific amount.
BE PATIENT
Lastly, a good personal injury client should remember to be patient throughout the personal injury claim process. Filing a personal injury claim should be easy for the client since the personal injury firm should be doing the bulk of the work. However, that doesn’t mean that personal injury clients can expect to have their claims resolved instantly. Instead, a good personal injury attorney will make sure that the client’s injuries are fully evaluated, treated, and resolved, and will take the time necessary to methodically build the case and periodically update their clients with what’s happening with their case. And, in turn, a good personal injury client will understand that this process may take a while. Unfortunately, your personal injury attorney may call you with an update that says they’re still waiting to hear back from one of your doctors, the hospital, the insurance company, or the other party. If this is your case, make sure to be patient and trust the process.
FILING YOUR CLAIM
If you’ve been injured, and you’re ready to file your claim, contact Moxie Law Group today for a free consultation. Our attorneys are dedicated to fighting for the compensation you need in order to get you back to doing what you love. Contact Moxie Law Group today for your free case evaluation.
