What to Bring to Your First Consultation with a Personal Injury Lawyer

The most important step to take after an accident of any type is to contact our law office as soon as possible. If you fail to file your claim within the statute of limitations period, your claim will be forever barred.

A list of questions about personal injury claims

The next most important step is to bring a list of all your questions. Every accident victim has numerous questions about who is responsible, what they can do to help their case, what compensation they can receive, how insurance issues work, and many other questions. It helps if you write these questions down on paper or leave notes on your cell phone.

Don’t worry, though, if you forget to bring your list. Our Washington, DC personal injury lawyers understand the different questions accident victims have. We can review those questions and provide answers. We also answer the questions you have as your case proceeds. Our team wants our clients to feel free to contact us with questions at any time.

Documentation to bring if you have an accident or medical malpractice claim

Some of the specific items you should bring with you depend on the type of claim you have. Our lawyers handle vehicle accidents, medical malpractice claims, birth injuries, product liability claims, sexual assault claims, and other types of injury claims.

Please know that if you can’t find this information or fail to bring the information with you, we can obtain everything we need after the consultation – through you, through written requests of the people who have the information, and through the legal discovery process.

Some of the documents that we will need (at the initial consultation) or shortly after the initial consultation include the following:

Insurance information

Generally, we like to review all the insurance policies that can help pay for your bills and damages. These policies include:

• Your vehicle liability insurance policy. We want to review your coverage. Our lawyers want to know what UM/UIM (uninsured/underinsured) coverage you have.
• Your personal injury protection insurance (PIP) policy. This coverage pays for your medical bills (and, possibly, your lost wages) up to specific dollar amounts. Using it may limit your right to sue unless your injuries meet the serious injury threshold.
• Any non-liability vehicle policies. These policies include collision insurance, comprehensive insurance, and rental insurance.
• Your health insurance coverage. This coverage should pay for your medical bills while your personal injury claim is pending.

If you spoke to any insurance representatives, we’d like to know who you spoke to, when the conversation took place, and how the conversation took place (phone, texts, emails, in-person, or other ways).

We generally recommend that you do not speak with any insurance agents for the people or businesses responsible for your accident. Your attorney can speak to these agents for you. We generally recommend that you notify your own insurance agent that you’ve been in an accident so they can provide immediate help and conduct their own investigation if they want to.

Information about the accident

If you have information about the people involved in the accident, the cause of the accident, or other relevant accident information, it would be helpful if we could review those documents. Some of the information that accident victims (and people who are with victims at the time of the accident) may have includes:

• Useful vehicle accident information. This information includes the names, addresses, driver’s license, vehicle registration, and vehicle insurance information. Identification information of the names and phone numbers of any witnesses helps us speak to these witnesses as soon as possible.
• Useful property accident information. If you are hurt while on someone’s property, we’d like to know who you reported the accident to or who, on behalf of the property owner, spoke to you.
• Photographs and videos. Any visual evidence of a vehicle accident site, the damage to vehicles, the condition of the property where you fell, the condition of a product that was defective, or other accident photographs and videos can help establish liability. Images of your bruises, cuts, bleeding, and other physical and emotional trauma can help support your claim for damages.
• Police information. If the police were called to the scene of the accident, it would help if we knew which department and officer you spoke to. We can obtain any police reports we need and speak to the police, when necessary.

Medical information

It helps if you bring the following medical information to the initial conference. Again, we can obtain this information for you once we know the initial doctors you saw. In the cases of medical malpractice claims, we generally obtain all the information we need through the formal discovery process and with the help of the medical professionals we employ on your behalf.

The medical information you should bring to the initial conference includes the following:

• The name and location of the emergency center or burn center you went to.
• The name and location of your family doctor.
• The names and locations of any other healthcare providers you’ve seen; including doctors, hospitals, physical therapists, pharmacists, and any other healthcare providers.
• Any written information about your injuries that you received from any of the healthcare providers, such as your diagnosis and recommendations for treatment.
• The medications you’re taking.
• Any other relevant medical information.

Financial information

It helps if we can review your pay stubs or recent tax returns so we can help calculate your income losses. We can also ask your employer for this information. We work with financial experts and life planners when necessary.

Wrongful death cases

If a loved one dies due to the negligence or fault of others, it helps if we have the following information at the time of the initial consultation. Again, we can obtain this information after the consultation. We understand that the primary focus of families when a loved one dies is to mourn and honor their loved one.

Helpful information includes:

• The funeral and burial bills
• Your loved one’s last will and testament
• Any court-approved appointments/approvals of a personal representative for the estate
• Identification of the family members

Nace Law Group has more than 40 years of experience representing personal injury victims. We have a strong record of success in helping victims and families obtain strong verdicts and settlements. Relax. The most important step to take after an accident is to contact us. We can handle everything for you once we begin our representation. Call Nace Law Group or use our contact form to schedule a free consultation. Our personal injury and wrongful death lawyers handle claims on a contingency fee basis.