These are things you can expect from your lawyer:
- He should interview you.
- He should educate you about personal injury claims.
- He should gather the necessary information to support your claim: accident reports, medical records, bills, and lost-wage evidence.
- He should look at your insurance policy and health insurance to see what type of coverage is available for you, whether it’s Med Pay, health insurance, or uninsured motorist coverage.
- He should look at your own policy and make suggestions about what you might buy in the future: e.g. uninsured motorist coverage, Med Pay.
- He should interview you and gather evidence from witnesses.
- He should collect any other evidence, such as photographs of the vehicles if they are available.
- He should see if there are any legal problems to the case, such as whether you might partially be at fault for the accident or whether another party might be involved in the accident.
- He should gather your medical bills.
- He should monitor your medical treatment and help advise you about whether you should consider seeking outside medical care.
- He should look at your health insurance to see if it might pay some of the bills and whether you have to pay it back.
- He should look at whether there are any liens on the case requiring full payment at the time of the settlement to these doctors.
- He should contact the insurance company and set up the claim to put them on notice.
- He should attempt to negotiate the case with the insurance company.
- He should advise you on whether litigation is appropriate for your case and what the risks and rewards of pursuing litigation are.
- He should prepare and file a lawsuit.
- He should talk to clients, you, witnesses, and to healthcare providers prior to a deposition.
- He should take the deposition of the defendant if it is appropriate in the case, as well as other witnesses.
- He should help you prepare responses to their questions.
- He should go to court and he should do all the paperwork and preparation necessary to make a good presentation in court. This should include knowledge of the facts and the ability to present that knowledge to the jury, having any documents or evidence necessary in the exhibits.