The key to a lawyer-client relationship is honesty, which is why you should tell your Providence car crash lawyer everything upfront if you hope to win your case. Everything you tell your lawyer will be used to make an informed decision during the process of your case.
With that said, your lawyer should know these five things about you:
1. Your Criminal History
At your initial meeting, you should inform your lawyer if you have committed any felonies in the past or if you have any sort of criminal record to your name. Your Providence car crash lawyer may not run a background check on you but the opposing counsel will. Furthermore, you won’t help your case if your lawyer gets to hear about your criminal record at your deposition.
If you’ve been convicted of theft, fraud or any other crimes involving dishonesty, opposing counsel can use this information against you to get your case dismissed. Informing your lawyer about your criminal past will help them prepare you to answer questions about it and they might be able to keep it out of your trial entirely.
2. Prior Illnesses, Accidents and Injuries
Your lawyer needs to figure out what can be claimed in your lawsuit so you need to tell them what condition you were in before the accident. One of the first things an insurance adjuster will try to do is deny your claim by saying that your current injuries were caused by a previous accident. Don’t let your lawyer be caught unaware with such kind of information.
You should also inform your Providence car crash lawyer of any illnesses you’ve ever had including mental illness as this may affect any emotional distress claim you may have.
3. If You’ve Ever Filed for Bankruptcy
If you file for bankruptcy during your case, you need to inform your lawyer immediately. This is because your settlement could become part of the estate so the settlement money won’t go to you; it will go to your creditors. But if you tell your personal injury lawyer, she will be able to work with your bankruptcy lawyer to hopefully secure a portion for you.
There are certain bankruptcy exemptions that might apply to your lawsuit so you could recover some, if not all of your damages despite your bankruptcy.
4. If You’re Filing for a Divorce
If you are planning or have filed for a divorce during your personal injury case, you need to tell your lawyer. If your spouse was the one supporting you after your car crash accident, they may be entitled to a portion of your settlement amount. If this is the case, your lawyer will make sure they receive a fair compensation.
Given the fact that divorce sometimes rears its ugly head, your lawyer may want to depose your spouse before any hostilities arise. And if your accident led to your divorce (e.g you lost your job), your emotional distress damages might increase.
5. Subsequent Injuries after the Accident
Opposing counsel or insurance adjusters might say that you are trying to receive compensation for injuries that are not related to the accident so you need to tell your lawyer if you’ve had any other injuries since your accident. For example, if you were in a fender bender and opposing counsel discovered about it, they might try to make it appear like you are trying to claim injuries from that minor accident.
Besides, some injuries may in some way be related to your previous accident. For instance, dropping a heavy object on your foot because your injured hand gave in or a fall because your injured knee gave in.
Tell Your Providence Car Crash Lawyer Everything
If you are not sure whether certain information will be useful to your case, just tell your lawyer and let them decide if they’ll use that information or not. It’s better to overshare than to fail to disclose information. Your lawyer only cares about how the information is going to affect the lawsuit; she is not there to judge you. Moreover, your lawyer is legally bound to keep your information confidential.
If you have been in a car crash in Providence and you need legal insights and expertise to win a fair and just settlement, you can visit Kevin P Landry law offices in providence for a free initial consultation. Alternatively, you can call us at 401-751-0101 or fill out our contact form and we will come meet you wherever you feel comfortable.
