What To Expect During a Virtual Consultation With An Injury Lawyer

November 22, 2020 | Medical malpractice,Personal Injury

When you are searching for the right lawyer to handle your case, the reality is that the process can seem daunting. You want to be sure you are working with a trusted professional with who you are comfortable. Most attorneys offer a free consultation to give prospective clients a general review of the case. This free consultation also gives both the attorney and the prospective client a chance to determine their level of comfort with one another. Many personal injury lawyers in Seattle have offered virtual consultations for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many law firms into the 21st century. Now, virtual consultations happen all the time. Here, we want to discuss what you can expect if you have a virtual consultation with a personal injury attorney.

What Type of Technology is Used?

Some people are familiar with virtual conference technology, while others are not. As the COVID-19 pandemic is barreling towards the one year point, most people have become familiar with some form of video chat. This can include Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Skype, or any other form of video chat available. If you are scheduling a video virtual consultation with an attorney, you should call their office ahead of time and ask what their preferred technology is. If you are unfamiliar with how to use this technology, ask them for a little bit of help and patience when setting up the conference.

The Background Information

Whether your consultation with a lawyer is in person or through a video, one of the primary questions you need to ask an attorney is about their background. You do not want to hire an attorney who has no experience working on cases similar to yours. It may seem uncomfortable or rude to ask about a particular attorney’s history with your type of case or their success handling various personal injury matters, but the reality is that you want to know this information before you decide to work with an attorney.

The Legal Plan

You will want to ask the attorney what their legal strategy is for your case. Ask how long the attorney expects your case to take to resolve, discuss legal strategies the attorney may employ to ensure a successful outcome, and ask whether your attorney intends to attempt to settle the case or is willing to take it all the way to trial if necessary. You want to work with an attorney who is willing to go the full length for you.

Who Will Be Handling the Case?

Ask a prospective attorney who at the office will be handling the case. Many lawyers will have paralegals or legal assistants to help handle paperwork and scheduling, so make sure to get the name of the contact person for your case. You also want to ask whether or not the attorney you are talking to will be the one handling the majority of your case, including any courtroom appearances should a trial be necessary. Often, a “big name” attorney is used to draw clients in and for consultations, and then clients are handed off to more junior attorneys. You may be okay with that, but you need to know upfront how your case will be handled.

Virtual now and moving forward?

During your initial virtual consultation with an attorney, ask them about their COVID-19 protocols. Right now, this  virus is not going anywhere, so you want to have an attorney who will be mindful of your health and safety moving forward. We also want to point out that, while virtual meetings may not seem as serious as in-person meetings, most of the world has learned to function through these virtual interactions.