The first meeting that you have with your New Bedford personal injury lawyer can be impactful on your case reaching far into the future. Any step in your personal injury case can be life-altering so you need to have the right lawyer representing you. The first meeting is usually to gauge how the lawyer can help you and also how to navigate the legal system. It’s very important that you prepare yourself adequately to ensure that your initial consultation is fully maximized.
Whether you are suing for a workers’ compensation claim, a car accident claim, or a slip-and-fall claim, your lawyer should be able to inform you what your type of case requires from your initial consultation with them.
Before you contact a personal injury lawyer in New Bedford, you have to check the statute of limitations with regard to your case. The statute of limitations is defined as the length of time after an accident that you have to file a lawsuit. It varies according to the type of case. For example, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice in the state of Massachusetts is 3 years from the time you learn about your injury. Your lawyer should be able to tell you whether your case is still eligible to be pursued in a court of law.
Hire the right type of personal injury lawyer for your case
Not all lawyers specialize in personal injury cases. For instance, a lawyer might be competent enough to handle a divorce case but they are not suited to help you with your car accident claim. Therefore, you need to make sure you’ve contacted the right type of lawyer for your case.
Some lawyers may also specialize in personal injury cases but they only handle certain types of cases. For instance, they may only specialize in car accident claims but not product liability claims. Additionally, they may also specialize in your specific type of case but prefer to handle claims with certain types of injuries. For example, they might handle car accident claims but prefer to handle accidents involving spinal cord injuries or some other type of permanent injury. At the end of the day, the last thing you should do is to waste your time on a lawyer who says that they specialize in everything.
What should you prepare for your initial consultation?
Gather all documents
It’s important to collect all documents pertaining to your case because your lawyer will need them to get a clearer picture of what your claim is about. They will also use these documents to come up with a strategy for handling your personal injury lawsuits.
Some of the documents that you need to present to your lawyer during your first meeting include
- Medical records and a receipt of medical expenses incurred
- Police reports
- Pictures of your injuries and the accident scene
- Insurance statement
- Financial documents
- Witness statements
Explain to your lawyer exactly what happened
It helps to have a chronology of events written down to help you get your story straight. Writing down information such as dates, events, parties involved in your accident, and so on will help your lawyer to understand exactly what happens in order for them to devise a strategy of attack for your personal injury lawsuit.
Be clear on what you want to accomplish
It’s important to be clear on what you want before your meeting with your new Bedford personal injury lawyer. This will give the lawyer a clearer focus on how to move forward with your personal injury case and also how serious you are with it. Your goals could include revealing the wrongdoing in your company, justice for what you underwent, clearing your reputation, or seeking compensation.
Contact a New Bedford personal injury lawyer for help with your personal injury claim
If you’ve recently suffered a personal injury caused by someone else contact one of our personal injury lawyers in New Bedford and we’ll discuss your case. At Kevin P Landry Law Offices we specialize in personal injury law and we give representation that gets results. Our initial consultation is free and we have the skills and resources needed to ensure that we can recover meaningful compensation to cover the damages that you incurred. Contact us at 508-999-0800 to schedule your free initial consultation.
