A consultation with a personal injury attorney may be daunting at first. After an injury, you likely are in unknown territory with mounting medical expenses and unsure where to turn. In these situations, you need someone to fight for you. The best part about a consultation is that it is free. This distinguishes personal injury law from most other fields of practice. Personal injury attorneys operate on a contingency fee basis. This means we only take a fee if we win your case. Otherwise, you do not pay us a dime. This also means you do not pay a legal fee based on how much time you spend communicating with your attorney.
We prefer this method because an hourly rate disincentivizes clients from asking questions, potentially leaving them confused and in the dark. With the contingency fee, you can ask away and clearly understand your case and rights.
Where We Meet
This is ultimately up to you. We always prefer meeting our clients in person, leading to stronger working relationships. However, we conduct most of our consultations over the phone. We can handle every aspect of your case over the phone and email.
What We Will Discuss
When you have a consultation, we will start by discussing the merits of your case from a purely legal perspective. This is a critical first step in evaluating your case. Common questions at this stage include when the injury occurred, the severity of your pain, any medical treatment you may have already received, who the defendant is, and any other relevant questions that may come up based on the facts of your case.
In addition to the merits of your case, we’ll talk about whether your case is worth pursuing. A common reason you may technically have a case, but we will not want to proceed may be for two reasons. The first is that you have no damages. Even if we prevail on your case in court, the most you may be entitled to is nominal damages. Just to remind you, we must prove that you suffered harm. You do not get much money merely to prove the defendant was negligent. While we are very good at parsing through your case and finding compensable damages, some plaintiffs do not suffer any harm.
The second reason we may refrain from pursuing your claim is the lack of insurance coverage. Even if we prevail at trial and receive a favorable judgment, the defendant may be unable to pay. Their insurance may not cover the loss, or there is no coverage. Of course, we will consider all options, including the possibility that you can make an insurance claim under your coverage. But after exhausting all options, if there is still no money to cover your damages, then it is not a case you should pursue.
Next Steps
Wrapping up your consultation, we will discuss the next steps. We will ensure you are on a treatment plan that addresses your injuries. We will discuss what goes into valuing your case and what you can do to maximize the compensation you deserve based on your injuries. We will explain the way our fee structure works. And, of course, we will open the floor up to you for any questions. This is your case; we want you to feel comfortable with the process.
How Long Is A Consultation?
An initial consultation typically takes 20 minutes at most. Given our 70 years of experience, we know the exact questions to ask to extract every relevant detail. Of course, if you are in a car accident, for example, and you had multiple passengers and thus there are numerous plaintiffs, we may take longer to speak with each person and evaluate the merits of their respective case.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer
Our personal injury attorneys will happily conduct a free consultation with you. We practice injury law in Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Further, we most commonly handle car accident cases, truck accident cases, motorcycle accident cases, wrongful death cases, pedestrian accident cases, and nightclub injury cases.
