Fort Worth Injury Lawyer

Questions and Initial Advice

Prospective personal injury clients will be asked a series of questions relating to their accident. The most obvious one which is "what exactly happened before, during and after the accident?" is likely the most important as well. These statements become the basis of accident victims' claims, and prospective clients should provide as detailed accounts as possible. After listening to their clients' chronological description of events, lawyers are likely to ask about police reports filed, official or unofficial interviews that have been given about the accidents and statements signed. Police reports help lawyers to gain different perspectives about the events surrounding accidents. Clients will also be asked about the statements that they have publicly made about their accidents. For example, a news crew interviews a client who survives a bad car accident, and the client states that they are okay except for some minor cuts and bruises. Although the client was able to walk away from the accident scene with few visible injuries, that person could still require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation later. However, they have given the impression publicly that they are in fair physical condition. Lawyers need to know about these admissions early so that they can prepare statements that minimize their clients' risks of losing cases even after real injuries are discovered by qualified medical professionals. Lawyers are also interested in conversations between their clients and insurance company representatives that relate to revealed insurance policy limits; this type of disclosure to the plaintiff is helpful for establishing requested award amounts. A key piece of advice that lawyers offer their prospective clients during initial consultations is to not sign any authorization forms requested by defendants' insurance companies prior to legal review. Insurance companies can use full disclosure of medical and wage records to justify lower settlement award amounts.

Administrative Legal Paperwork

Personal injury attorneys also introduce their pay rates and contract terms during initial consultation sessions. Reputable lawyers like those at Doan Law Firm allow clients to thoroughly review retainer terms and conditions as well as pay scale information before contract signatures are required.