What Should You Bring to Your Initial Consultation with a Richmond Personal Injury Attorney?

Within days after your accident, you’ll want to contact a Richmond injury attorney. You need to find out if you have a potential claim for damages. The only way to know for sure is to take advantage of a free consultation with a Richmond personal injury attorney.

Why Do Richmond Personal Injury Attorneys Offer a Free Consultation?

It is true that your Richmond personal injury attorney offers you a free initial consultation. They want to give you a chance to meet with them and see if you even have a case. It also gives them a chance to see if they feel confident representing you. If they don’t think there’s enough time to get your lawsuit filed, they won’t want to accept your case. This consultation also gives you a chance to see if you want to hire the attorney in the first place. 

How Much Does It Cost to Retain an Attorney?

A lot of people are surprised to learn that it doesn’t cost anything to file a personal injury lawsuit in Richmond, Virginia. It’s not that the court doesn’t charge filing fees. It’s that your Richmond personal injury attorney is not going to charge you a fee until your case is resolved. They offer free consultations, as discussed above. 

Your Richmond personal injury attorney works on what is called a contingency basis. This means they don’t get paid until your case is settled or you win in court. Even if you win your trial, that doesn’t mean you’ll see any money right away. It could take months or years to get the judgment against the defendant paid. If they have no assets, your Richmond personal injury attorney will have to take extra steps to perfect and execute the judgment. 

Make Sure You Bring All of Your Documentation

In order to adequately prepare your case, your Richmond injury attorney needs to have all of the important documents. Make sure you bring the following items to your free, initial consultation:

  • Copies of any letters from the defendant, their attorney, or their insurance company
  • A copy of the police report
  • Pictures of the accident scene
  • Screenshots of any posts on social media about the accident
  • Copies of emails you have received related to the accident
  • A copy of your medical records
  • Receipts from the mechanic if you were involved in a motor vehicle accident
  • A copy of any bills, receipts, or explanation of benefit forms you’ve received

Once they have all of this information, they can get started on your case. They can reach out to the insurance adjuster and see why the claim wasn’t paid. They can also contact the defendant’s lawyer and see where they stand. This way, they can try to negotiate a settlement of your case rather than filing a lawsuit unnecessarily.

Prepare Questions You Intend to Ask at Your Consultation

From the moment you got hurt, you’ve probably wondered what you should do next. First, you need to get the medical attention you need. That’s the most important thing. Then you need to make arrangements to get your car repaired. Once these things are taken care of, call and talk to a Richmond personal injury attorney. They’ll set up a date and time for you to come into the office for an initial meeting. In the days leading up to your initial consultation, write down questions that you want to ask your Richmond personal injury attorney. This way, you don’t waste any of your precious time. It also will help ensure that you cover everything that’s on your mind during your free consultation. 

Call and Set up Your Free Consultation With a Richmond Injury Attorney Right Away

Once you’ve decided that you want to meet with a Richmond personal injury attorney, you’ll want to act fast. You only have two (2) years to file a personal injury lawsuit in Virginia. This is because of the state’s statute of limitations. The courts are really strict about you filing on time. If you miss this deadline, your case will be dismissed. That’s why you want to call and talk to a lawyer sooner rather than later. Give your Richmond injury attorney as much time as possible to prepare your case. 

Call our office and talk to our friendly staff. They’ll set up a date and time for you to meet with a seasoned Richmond personal injury attorney. If you can’t make it into the office, we can conduct the initial meeting by phone or online. The first consultation is free, and you don’t pay your attorney anything until your case is resolved.