The Initial Meeting: What to Expect

When a person has been involved in an accident, they are looking for help. When they call our office, they initially speak with intake specialists who takes some general information about the incident, gathers the facts necessary to evaluate, on a preliminary level, whether it's a case a lawyer should look at and determine whether or not we can help.

So, once the initial call has been made, an appointment is set, the injured perspective client comes to our office. They are placed in a conference room and they're asked to bring with them, beforehand, all of the materials that have anything to do with their case up to that point.

For an auto accident case, that usually consists of the driver exchange information, the little ticket that's given to them by the investigating police agency that gives some basic information about the case. They may come with their own insurance information, with any kind of bills or receipts, their initial medical care, their pharmacy prescriptions, and so forth.

They are first interviewed by a case manager, who takes more information about the case: the basic personal information, the contact information, general facts of the accident, run down of the injuries, the potential liability of the responsible party, is all taken down in a general sense. And then the individual is joined by an attorney who continues the interview process. The fee arrangement is explained—the retainer agreements, the contingency fee contract is presented to the client. It's gone over in great detail by the lawyer and where there's an agreement on the terms, the client retains our law firm, signs the retainer agreement and any authorizations for the release of medical information, lost earnings information, and so forth.

The process is explained in detail to the client of what to expect—the very stages of a personal injury case. And once that meeting is concluded, the work begins. The client is asked to remain in contact with our law firm, to follow up appropriately with medical care and treatment, to advise us of any changes in medical treatment or injuries, and to communicate with us is also a two-way street where we provide the clients, frequently, with updated information concerning what we have found with the respect to the investigation of the case, collection of the documentation necessary to present the case. Then, hopefully within a few months and in most cases, the successful negotiations and conclusion of the case.