9 Things You Should Know About a Free Personal Injury Lawyer Consultation

JAMES D. PAYER | November 1, 2024 | Florida Personal Injury Blog

Almost any personal injury lawyer will be happy to schedule a free lawyer consultation to discuss your case. Since personal injury lawyers charge no upfront fees, these consultations are completely free of charge. To make the most out of your consultation, however, you’ll need to know what to expect. 

The Purpose of the Consultation

An accident lawyer’s free consultation has a purpose for both you and your lawyer. Of course, you’re going to want an estimate of your chances of winning your claim. In addition, you’re going to want to know how much you’re likely to walk away with if you do win your claim. 

No honest lawyer will give you a certain answer to either of these questions, particularly the second one. Most of the time, however, they will give you a ballpark estimate. 

Your lawyer is interested in the same two questions as you are, plus one more question: how much work is it going to take to process your claim? Ultimately, all three of these questions collapse into one question – is it worth it to represent you? 

Because a personal injury lawyer doesn’t get paid unless they win, you can be certain of one thing. That is, if the lawyer offers to represent you, they believe they can win your claim.

Preparing for the Consultation

Gather any relevant materials and bring them with you to your initial consultation. This could mean medical records, accident reports, photographs, and correspondence with insurance companies. 

The more information you provide the lawyer, the more effective your consultation will be. Ask your lawyer in advance what evidence they want you to bring to the consultation.

Understanding Attorney’s Fees

A personal injury lawyer’s free consultation is part of an overall “no win, no pay” contingency fee structure. A personal injury lawyer will charge you no upfront fees. Because of this, as long as your claim is strong, you can hire a lawyer without a dime in your pocket. 

You can also rest easy with the security of knowing that you will never owe your lawyer a dime in legal fees unless they win your case, either in court or (far more likely) at the settlement table. If you win, your lawyer takes a pre-agreed percentage of your total compensation.

Evidence

It is not necessarily inaccurate to state that when it comes to a personal injury claim, evidence substitutes for truth. In other words, the truth doesn’t matter unless you can prove it with evidence. The evidence doesn’t necessarily have to be admissible in court. 

A police report of the accident, for example, is probably inadmissible in court. It is useful evidence in settlement negotiations because (and only because) your lawyer can always cross-examine the police officer who wrote the report to elicit the same information that appears in the report.

At your consultation, talk to the lawyer about what evidence they need and what evidence still needs to be collected. For instance, you probably have not yet interviewed witnesses.

Honesty and Candor

It’s just as important to be honest and candid with your lawyer as it is to be honest with your doctor. Honesty means not telling any lies, and candor means not staying quiet when something needs to be said.

Your lawyer cannot help you with anything they don’t know about, so just tell the truth. If you are claiming a back injury, for example, but you originally hurt your back in a previous accident, your lawyer needs to know that ASAP.

Assess the Lawyer’s Expertise

Some lawyers are better than others; it’s just a fact of life. One of the best ways of judging the quality of your lawyer – for your purposes, anyway – is to ask the lawyer whether they have ever handled a claim that is similar to yours. Car accident claims are different from amusement park accidents, and amusement park accidents are different from workplace accidents. If the lawyer hasn’t handled a few claims like yours, you might want to find yourself another lawyer.

Another good idea is to check out the lawyer’s listing with the Florida Bar.

Understanding the Legal Process

Make sure that your lawyer walks you through the legal process from beginning to end. They should explain every stage of the process, starting with the initial consultation and ending with trial or settlement and disbursement of your funds. You can also expect the lawyer to explain the terms of their fee agreement in detail. 

You shouldn’t necessarily get upset if your lawyer tells you something that you don’t want to hear, especially if it is outside the lawyer’s control. The lawyer might just be “telling it like it is,” which is a very good sign when it comes to assessing the attorney’s integrity. 

The Timeline of Your Case

Every personal injury claim operates on its own timeline, because every case is different. Some cases, for example, require the lawyer to file a lawsuit to gain access to pretrial discovery proceedings. These proceedings can help you obtain evidence that can break a negotiating stalemate. Other cases resolve without the lawyer ever having to file a lawsuit. 

After you have provided the lawyer with information about your claim, ask them to estimate how long it will take your claim to resolve. Nevertheless, skepticism is warranted if the lawyer seeks too certain about timing.   

Your Role in the Case

If you are seriously injured, you might need your lawyer to handle almost everything. Nevertheless, your lawyer is likely to need at least a few things from you. They might need you to decide whether to accept a settlement offer, for example. 

If you are less seriously injured, your lawyer might ask you to take an active role in your case. If your lawyer expresses an interest in representing you, clarify expectations before you decide to hire them.

The Sooner You Seek a Personal Injury Consultation, the Better Off You Will Be

Personal injury claims do not enforce themselves. You must enforce them, preferably with the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer. It’s true that you need to act within the statute of limitations (in Florida, it’s usually two years). You’re better off acting much sooner than that, however, because evidence tends to deteriorate over time.

Contact Our Orlando Personal Injury Law Firm For Help Today

If you’ve been injured in an accident in Orlando, Florida, and need legal help, contact our experienced personal injury lawyers at Payer Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.

We proudly serve Orange County and its surrounding areas: