Your first meeting with a nursing home lawyer is crucial to your case moving forward. During the consultation, your attorney will decide whether you have a case. If your lawyer does not think that your case will go anywhere, he or she may not take it. This is because personal injury lawyers are paid via a contingency fee. Your lawyer receives payment when you receive your settlement and not before. He or she won’t work on a lawsuit that there is no chance of winning.
You want to make sure that you make a good first impression and that you have enough information to prove that your case is worth fighting. Here is how you should prepare for your consultation.
Gather Documentation
To make a strong case, you need documentation. Create a file with all the evidence that you think that you will need. This file should include your notes and observations, photographs, medical documents, and anything else that can help prove that the abuse took place. No matter the evidence that you’ve compiled, it always helps to have notes and a record of what happened and at what dates and times. This can help your lawyer follow along with the events that took place, rather than dumping a lot of medical facts or information at once.
Prepare to Discuss the Case
The meeting will not be you handing over evidence and discussing what happened. You will be having a conversation with the attorney about the case itself. Be prepared to answer any questions about the case that the lawyer may have. Also, remember to be completely honest. Sometimes, family members may leave details out because they fear that it might hurt the case. Dishonesty will look worse. It can also be difficult for your lawyer to build your case without having all of the facts. You do not want the other side to discover something that you weren’t honest about from the beginning. For instance, some family members may hide their loved one’s memory problems in fear that he or she may not be taken seriously.
When you meet with a lawyer, you need to be prepared. Make sure that you have all the necessary documents and be prepared to not only answer questions but to ask some of your own. If you’re ready for your consultation, contact and set up an appointment with a lawyer, like a nursing home lawyer from Brown Kiely LLP, today.