If you are quite lucky, you will live out the remainder of your life and never have to consider anything about a personal injury lawyer.  The only reason you will find yourself in the office of a personal injury lawyer is if you’ve sustained an injury, and usually they are pretty serious.  However, with that being said, you don’t want to show up at your lawyers office completely in the dark if you do have to go see one. Here are some important questions that you should plan out and remember ask to make the whole process roll along smoothly.

Do I Have a Case?

This may be the most relevant question for anyone who has been injured and is thinking about pursuing the matter legally. It is sometimes hard to tell if your case is worth fighting for, or if you even have a shot at winning. Since any self-respecting personal injury lawyer won’t even take any money unless you win a settlement, this is the best place to start.

By inquiring as if you if you have a case or not, you can quickly determine whether any more steps must be taken or if you can just pack it up and go home.  You will have to answer a lot of questions and probably provide a medical report and some evidence of what happened, but once it is all out in the open your lawyer will answer the question and you can proceed.

What Are My Chances?

If you indeed have a case and the personal injury lawyer is willing to take it on, you will then want to know what he thinks your chances are.  A lawyer of any kind can be quite expensive, so you want to ensure that fighting for your case will be worth it not only for you, but your lawyer as well. This question will have him draw on his previous experiences with similar cases, and some of the time they can answer you with a pretty good degree of accuracy.

What Do You Charge?

Just because you don’t have to pay anything unless the lawyer wins doesn’t mean you won’t be curious about how much that is. Lawyers can cost a lot of money, and usually the more experience your lawyer has, the more they will be asking for in terms of settlement. The thoughts of giving up a huge chunk of your settlement may be dancing through your mind.  If you ask your personal injury lawyer ahead of time, you will not be blind-sided once the case is closed.

What Happens Next?

If there is a case and he wants to proceed and you’re okay with the fee, you will want to know what happens next.  Do you have to gather any information or documents?  Will he approach the other party to try and settle before trying to get it into court?  Stay in close contact with your lawyer throughout the process, so you know what you should be doing at all times.  You don’t want to walk into court unprepared, or without documentation that would have helped your case. By keeping close communication with your lawyer, you can be the best prepared for your court date. If it all works out, you will have a cash settlement for your injury before too long.