A personal injury lawyer hopes to obtain a contingency fee. For that reason, he or she wants to contribute towards achievement of an optimal result.

A lawyer’s early steps, after taking on a client’s case

Gather evidence, such as medical bills, surveillance footage, a witness’ statement, photographs or a government report. They will collect information, such as the police report, medical records or government documents; the lawyer might interview one or more of the witnesses.

Sometimes a personal injury lawyer needs to review the traffic laws for a given reason, in hopes of showing that the defendant was negligent. They will work with client to create a demand letter and will review the adjuster’s response to that same letter.

Later steps by lawyer

As the case moves forward, the claimant’s lawyer negotiates with representatives from the defendant’s insurance company.

Lawyers have to make a decision if the negotiating process hits a roadblock. For instance, the claimant might not find any of the offers from the insurance company to be acceptable. Upon the emergence of such a roadblock, a hired attorney might suggest the filing of a lawsuit.

Lawyers’ role during the lawsuit process

• Files a complaint
• Serves complaint on defendant
• Prepares the client for the discovery process
• Questions witnesses during the deposition stage of the discovery process
• Answers requests for documents; those would come from the lawyers on the other side of the dispute.
• Might file a pre-trial motion, seeking a judge’s refusal to admit the introduction of certain pieces of evidence.
• Prepares an opening and closing statement, if there is a trial
• Prepares exhibits, if there is a trial
• Contacts potential expert witnesses

An attorney’s role at every stage of the claims process

At each stage of that process, one of the attorney’s most important tasks involves keeping in touch with his or her client. If a client has a question, an answer should come from the hired source of legal guidance (lawyer). Moreover, any answer ought to be made available just as quickly as possible.

Ideally, the client and personal injury lawyer in Schaumburg have already chosen the method by which any question should be delivered to that source of legal guidance. Sometimes, an attorney prefers to talk on the phone. At other times a client might get asked to send an email.

On rare occasions, lawyers do want to have face-to-face discussions with their clients. Usually, a lawyer’s preference becomes apparent during the consultation. Smart clients should decide against dealing with a member of the legal community that does not show a willingness to respond quickly to a client’s questions. No potential client should feel obligated to rely on a given lawyer’s services. Smart clients make use of time spent in consultation with a legal mind.