Facing life after a serious injury is not fun. There are medical treatments to undergo, recuperative periods to face, and often mounting expenses that have to be addressed. That’s why you chose to hire a Scarborough personal injury lawyer and seek some sort of compensation from the party that caused the injury. If you really want to increase the odds for receiving a settlement or judgment, it pays to work closely with your legal counsel. Here are some tips on how to do just that.
Be an Active Participant in the Discovery Process
The discovery process is just another way to say that the lawyer is gathering information about every detail related to the case. One of the best things you can do is actively participate in that process. Most people who have been injured have a hard time just getting by each day. In addition to dealing with the physical pain, they have to deal with the anxiety that typically comes from being injured. Moreover, beyond being physically disabled and mentally distressed, you also have to deal with significant medical expenses. One way to get you through these hardships is by being completely honest with your legal counsel.
You do this by making sure to tell your attorney everything that could have even a remote connection to the case. A good rule of thumb is to pass on information even if it seems to be of no particular importance in your eyes. There have been personal injury cases that changed directly because of some minor detail that wasn’t mentioned until too late. Tell it all to your legal counsel and allow your attorney to decide what’s relevant and what has no bearing on the situation.
Keep Your Lawyer Updated on All Medical Appointments and Procedures
Sustaining personal injuries after an accident is not easy to deal with. You need a reliable and expert personal injury attorney to help you. But you also need to help your lawyer win your personal injury case. Here are some tips that will assist you in updating your legal representative on your health status:
- It’s your responsibility to take good care of yourself after the incident. It would help if you don’t hesitate to visit your doctor. Availing of professional medical services can help provide you with the necessary medical treatment to ensure you get your previous quality of life back. This is especially true if you sustained a severe injury at the workplace, in which case you’ll need a personal injury lawyer with experience in employment and disability. For instance, experienced personal lawyers from Aaron Waxman and Associates are always ready to represent your best interests and fight for your rights.
- Check if your medical records are updated. Make sure /your health provider updates and provides you with a copy of your medical records.
- Another thing that you need to do is to keep your lawyer informed on all your medical procedures and appointments. This will help them have a clear idea of your medical condition. After all, you want to avoid unnecessary delays and complications in your case and to have your injury claim filed on time.
As your attorney seeks to secure a reasonable amount of compensation, it’s important that the legal counsel is up to date on your current medical condition. That includes any future procedures you will need to undergo that are related to the injury. When and as you see your doctors and more treatments are administered, make sure that information is forwarded to your attorney. It could impact the amount of compensation that needs to be secured in order to ensure you do not live with constant financial difficulty.
Refer All Queries From the Responsible Party to Your Legal Counsel
It won’t be long after the injury that the responsible party will be seeking to communicate with you. If the communication is not direct, do expect it to come from the party’s insurance provider. The goal is not to see if you’re all right or to see if you need anything right now. You can bet that the underlying motive is to have you say something that could be interpreted in a way that shifts part of the responsibility to you.
As your personal injury attorney will tell you, the best way to cut off this strategy is to not interact with the other party in any form. All communication goes through your legal counsel. Even at settlement meetings, you don’t respond to questions until your attorney advises you to do so.
Return Calls Emails and Texts From Your Lawyer ASAP
Think of how frustrating it is to contact someone and not get a response. Relate that feeling to communications from your legal counsel. For the duration of the process, make sure that you respond quickly to any contacts from your lawyer. If a voice mail is left, return the call. Should you receive an email, respond as quickly as you can. Should your lawyer text you, waste no time in replying. This one simple courtesy will go a long way toward keeping things from getting unduly complicated.
Remember that the lawyer is your advocate during this time. Give your full cooperation at all times. Doing so could make a difference in terms of how the personal injury case is structure, the potential for receiving a settlement or judgment in your favor, and in general settling the matter so you can move on with your life.