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Preparing for the consultation

Lawyers are regular people, and there's no reason to be scared or nervous. But if you've never had much experience with the legal system, you might be somewhat nervous before your consultation. There are a couple of things that will help you deal with your nervousness, and help assure that you come away from the consultation with the information you need to know. First, take description of your case that you wrote out before making your phone calls with you when you go to see the lawyer. This will help tremendously in assuring that the lawyer understands what it is that's happened. Oftentimes, between nerves and being upset over what's happened, it's easy to lose focus and not be ale to communicate as clearly as you'd like. Also take the time to write down a list of questions you have for the lawyer and take that with you too. If you've received any legal papers, or have papers or other documents that pertain to your case, be sure to take them with you - both the originals and copies. Don't leave the originals with the lawyer however, especially if you haven't hired her or him as yet. And be sure to make copies for yourself to keep even after you've hired someone. 

Examples of questions you might want to ask  

• What experience have you had with my type of case?
• Where are you located? An attorney close to you may offer advantages over one that is far away.
• Have you handled similar cases?
• How did the case(s) go; what was the outcome?
• What might I realistically expect as far as the outcome in my case?
• About how long do you expect the case to take?
• What are your rates?
• How will you charge me?(link to the fees page) Will I need to pay a retainer first?
• How often can I expect to be billed?
• What other charges might I expect besides your fees?
• Can you give me an idea of what the total charge might be, including fees and expenses?
• Who else in your office will be working on my case?
• What do I need to do personally, what do I need to provide, in order to help my case?
• How will you inform me of the progress of the case?
• How do you expect to approach my case, very aggressively, prepared to go to trial if necessary, or looking more to get a settlement quickly? Why?
• Do you advise that I try an alternative such as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)?