What Should I Expect During an Initial Consultation with an Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer?

After an accident or incident that causes you harm, you are likely searching for an Atlanta personal injury lawyer who suits your needs and can secure the best possible outcome for your claim. A consultation is a great opportunity to get to know your attorney and for them to get to know you and learn more about your case.

Please know that the initial consultation is a very friendly conversation. We want to learn more about you and for you to learn more about us. We will answer all your questions. We will also have many questions for you. We don’t expect you to know the answers to every question we ask. It’s perfectly acceptable to say, “I don’t know” or “I need to think about it.”

At Harris Lowry Manton LLP, we understand how nervous and upset injury victims and their families are after a car accident, construction site accident, product defect accident, or any other type of Atlanta personal injury accident happens. Our lawyers will calmly and clearly guide you through every step of the litigation process, from the initial interview to the resolution of your case.

Do you have a valid claim?

The main goals of the initial discussion with your Atlanta attorney are to determine whether you have a viable legal claim and to decide if you agree that we are the firm that should represent you.

To determine if you have a viable injury claim, our lawyers must establish whether:

• The defendants owed you a duty of care
• If the defendants breached their duty of care to you, and
• If that breach caused your injuries.

In many cases, the clients who meet with us do have a valid claim.

For example, motorists owe a duty of care to everyone else on the roadway to drive safely. If a driver speeds or runs a red light, that breaches their duty to drive safely. If a driver’s car slams into your car, causing your head to hit the dashboard so that you need to be taken to the hospital to treat your head injury, that’s usually enough to show the accident caused your injuries.

We’ll also explain how the claims process works. There are many different parts to a personal injury claim, including:

• The investigation
• Filing a complaint
• Responding to the answers of the defendants
• Pursuing discovery of defendants and witnesses (in writing and orally and requesting relevant documents from the defendants)
• Reviewing every aspect of your injuries with your physicians
• Preparing a formal demand letter
• Negotiating with insurance companies, and
• Trying your case before a jury.

We’ll guide you through each phase of your claim.

Do you want our firm to represent you?

Please feel free to ask us any questions. The initial consultation is free, whether you have 10 questions or 100 questions. We’re happy to discuss our record of success – we have more than 100 results in personal injury cases of one million dollars or more.

We work with a team of investigators and your doctors to help make your case as strong as possible. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers are skilled at doing all the small detail work that often can result in significant settlements and verdicts. We’re respected by insurance companies, defense lawyers, and numerous legal associations for our dedication to our clients, our preparation, our persuasive abilities, and our skill at trying cases in court.

We treat each client like family. Rest assured you will be able to speak with our lawyers directly as your case proceeds. We answer phone calls and other communication requests on a timely basis. We do want to know you personally. The better we know you, the better we can demonstrate just how much your life has changed because of your accident.

We advise clients that they should not handle their Atlanta personal injury claim on their own. They should never settle a claim without legal representation. The insurance companies want to deny your claim or pay as little as possible. You need experienced lawyers who understand when to begin settlement discussions, how to speak with your doctors, how to prepare a formal demand letter for everything you are entitled to, and how to negotiate with the insurance adjusters.

Please know that your conversation with our lawyers is confidential, and you can (and should) tell us all relevant information regarding your case. While we want to know and emphasize the strengths of your personal injury case, we also need to understand the weaknesses so we are fully prepared to minimize those weaknesses.

The contingency fee agreement

In personal injury cases, if you want us to represent you, we prepare a contingency fee agreement at the end of the initial meeting. This agreement includes the following:

• You agree that Harris Lowry Manton LLP will represent and fight for you.
• We will discuss every aspect of the case that affects its success with you.
• We only receive compensation if we obtain a settlement or a jury verdict in your favor.
• The specific amount of compensation (a percentage of any recovery) that we receive if your case is successful.

What documents will you need to bring to the consultation?

While you are not required to bring any documents with you to the initial meeting, it does help make the consultation more useful if we have the following information, which can be in the form of specific documents or written notes:

• Your vehicle insurance policy if the case involves an auto accident. We need to ensure you comply with the policy’s terms and know the coverage limits in case we need to file an uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) claim.
• A list of the hospitals, doctors, and therapists you’re seeing. If an agreement is reached to represent you, we’ll need to get the medical records from these healthcare providers and speak with the doctors managing your care. We also want to review if you wish to see other doctors we recommend.
• Obtain any witness information you can provide. If you have any information about the driver that struck you, the names of the people who saw you fall, or anyone who has useful information, it helps us build your case. If you don’t have the information, don’t worry – our investigators can help. We’ll also work to obtain all the relevant information through the formal discovery process.

We also like to see any photographs or videos you have. Again, don’t worry if you don’t have any visual information. We’ll investigate that part of your claim for you.

At Harris Lowry Manton LLP, our Atlanta personal injury lawyers have the experience and resources to help you secure the full compensation you deserve after an accident caused by someone else’s negligence. We demand compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, loss of bodily function, scarring and disfigurement, property damage, and other damages Georgia law permits. From the initial consultation through the resolution of your claim, we’ll calmly and clearly guide you through the litigation process. Call us or complete our contact form to schedule your free initial consultation. We’re ready to help you today.