If you've been injured in an accident, and are considering filing a Georgia personal injury lawsuit, chances are you've also started looking at potential Atlanta personal injury attorneys.
Typically, a first meeting with an Atlanta personal injury attorney will either make or break your hiring decision. If you and the attorney decide to work together on your case, your initial meeting will perhaps be one of the most crucial stages of your Georgia personal injury lawsuit. This is where you set the direction your claim will go.
There are a few things to prepare ahead of time to enable your time together to be as productive as possible. First off, you'll want to bring any appropriate documents to the meeting.
Documents you should bring to your first attorney meeting include:
- medical records;
- car repair bills;
- photographs of the accident scene and/or your injuries;
- insurance papers; and
- witness statements.
Also, prepare yourself for a barrage of questions, with everything from your current health conditions and recollection of the accident to conversation with insurance adjusters. Answer your attorney's questions as thoroughly and honestly as possible.
At this time, also make sure to ask your Atlanta personal injury attorney how often he or she communicates with clients, and the frequency with which you will get updates on your case. You want to make sure that an efficient line of communication exists, so that when challenges arise in your case, you'll both be on the same page.
You'll also want to discuss the attorney's experience handling your type of case and the lawyer's fee schedule so there are no surprises down the road.
Once the initial meeting is over, you may choose to interview other lawyers or perhaps make a decision to retain the first lawyer you speak with as your legal counsel.
Hiring your Atlanta personal injury attorney is just the first step in the process of settling your Georgia personal injury lawsuit. You can learn more about the stages of a Georgia personal injury lawsuit by visiting our article library.
When to Contact an Atlanta Personal Injury Attorney
If you are the victim of someone else's negligence or carelessness, whether in a traffic accident or some other type of accident, you have certain rights guaranteed by law. To help you understand these rights and seek the compensation you may be eligible for to help get your life back in order, contact the Atlanta Law Offices of Sheryl L. Burke for a no-cost consultation on your injury case.
