Tips When Calling a Lawyer for the First Time

It is always necessary to take expert legal advice before dealing with any issue. Even though the issue is, the client must prepare beforehand before calling a lawyer. The lawyer may ask questions that the client must be ready for in the consultation process. The client must make note of the following things before calling the lawyer for the first time :

1) Contact Information

The client must have all the contact information ready to provide to the lawyer before calling the lawyer. The client must be well aware of his name, address, email, and all phone numbers at which he can be reached. Also, one should make sure that he provides all the information correctly and to the best of his knowledge. It is also necessary to make the lawyer aware that in the absence of the client, who would be the point of contact for the lawyer. This makes the consultation process easy if one follows it before calling a lawyer. One can also consult a lawyer online.

2) Have a summary of the issues

Before calling a lawyer, one must make a brief note of all the issues that he is facing and the essential facts that he thinks is necessary for the lawyer to know. The client must be prepared beforehand for this. It is often seen that the client becomes nervous and forget certain essential details while calling a lawyer. It is always better to have all the points written and presented adequately before the lawyer. Sometimes the lawyer may misunderstand the facts, and it must be presented well. One should express oneself very clearly before the lawyer and have a summary of the issues before calling a lawyer or consulting a lawyer online.

3) Have Important Dates and Names handy

It is very important to have the dates on which the matter happened and the names of the parties to the case must be correctly mentioned before calling a lawyer. The date is important to determine whether a certain is claim is barred by limitation or not. The lawyer always asks the name of all the persons that may be involved to determine if there is any conflict. So, it is always necessary to have the dates and names handy before calling a lawyer.

4) Have a Calendar in front of you

While calling a lawyer, one must have the calendar in front so that one does not get confused with the dates, and it would be helpful for the lawyer too.

5) Have all related documents in front of you

One must make sure that all related documents are present in front of them while calling a lawyer as for any cases documents are very important for any information. For example, if a person has been involved in a motor vehicle accident, having the accident report, hospital records and insurance declaration page can be very supportive in the person’s case, as it will contain most of the information a lawyer would need to determine if they can assist you or not. This is important before calling a lawyer.

6) Make Sure the Lawyer Has No Conflicts of Interest

Before calling lawyer and having in depth meeting or conversation, the lawyer will want to know about any probable conflicts of interest that might stop him or her from morally representing the client. One should also have a list of defendants and witnesses in a particular case to make the lawyer aware. For example, if the lawyer or the lawyer’s firm represents anyone on the other side, they will have a conflict, and there is a probability that the lawyer may not assist the client. Therefore, it is safe to determine the same at an early stage, and it should be done when calling a lawyer for the first time. The sooner it is, the better.

7) Have a Clear Goal

It is essential to have a clear goal on what the client wants before calling a lawyer. It means the client must be clear about what he wants from the lawyer and what he wants to deal with before reaching the lawyer. It is also pertinent for the lawyer to know what the client wants ultimately. For example, one wants to file a defamation case. He has to be clear that he wants a civil suit or a criminal proceeding. If the client is not clear on this, it will create a problem in the future. Therefore, it is better to have it, though, before calling a lawyer.

8) Ask for the Consultation Fees

While calling a lawyer, he should be mindful of the prices to find out whether the client can afford the lawyer or not. The client needs to be aware of the fees that the lawyer is charging. This must be done very early to avoid future disturbances as early as calling a lawyer for the first time.

Conclusion

These are a few essential points that one must consider while calling a lawyer. For any dispute, it is good to take expert legal advice. Keeping the issues stated above in mind will make the call with the lawyer a successful one.