What To Expect At A First Meeting With Your Lawyer

What types of cases can you help me with?

Our law firm assists the people of Ontario with disability, personal injury and employment claims.

Why should I hire a lawyer?

You’re injured as a result of a car accident or slip and fall or you have a denied disability claim. You have serious injuries or have a serious illness and are unable to work. Or maybe you have been wrongfully dismissed or experienced harassment at work. You are contemplating contacting a law firm, but you are worried about legal fees, costs associated with a law suit and if your case would ever settle.

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This blog will address some of these issues as well as:

• What to expect at an initial consultation with a lawyer
• How lawyers get paid
• What to look for when looking for a lawyer
• How a lawyer can help

What to expect at an initial consultation with a lawyer

​You may be wondering what to expect at the first meeting with a lawyer. Do you have to bring certain documents and remember certain dates and details?

Free Consultation

The first thing you should know is that when you consult one of our lawyers, it won’t cost you anything. The first consultation is always free. There are no hidden fees; we don’t charge an hourly rate.

Bring ID

For any type of claim, it is important that you bring your government issued photo ID such as a driver's license (or another form of picture ID) with you so that your identity can be confirmed, and because it is required that your lawyer have a copy of your ID for their records once you become a client. You should also bring your Health Card and social insurance card (or know your SIN) as this information will be required once you are a client so your lawyer can request the appropriate records.

Details About Yourself

During the meeting, you will be asked questions about your education, employment, medical history so your lawyer can get a sense of your background and experience. It helps if you can provide the names of any medications you are taking, and the names of all the doctors/specialists you are seeing and any treatment facilities you are attending.

Medical Records

If you are wondering about bringing in medical records, your lawyer will be requesting relevant medical records after you sign what are called authorizations (a document that allows your doctors to release records to them) in order to have medical evidence to support your case. If you have doctor’s notes/reports that you have submitted to your insurer during the course of your claim for long-term disability benefits (if you tried to appeal on your own for example), you should bring them to the initial meeting, so your lawyer can have a sense of your condition.

Disability Claims

One of the most important pieces of information your lawyer is looking for when it comes to disability claims is the denial letter from the insurance company. If you have a copy of this letter, you should provide it to your lawyer, and provide your lawyer with copies of all correspondence from the insurance company. If you do not have a copy, you need to provide your lawyer with as many details as possible about the denial of your claim.

Your lawyer needs to know information such as:

• Your date of disability
• How long you were paid benefits for (if you were paid benefits at all)
• When the benefits were terminated or denied, and
• If you appealed, when the appeals were denied.

If you have a copy of your benefits booklet/policy, it is recommended you bring those as well.

Employment Claims

When it comes to employment matters, a detailed description of the events that occurred at work is important. If you have time to prepare an outline of what happened before the meeting or shortly after, it will help your lawyer understand what transpired.

Any letters received from your employer such as termination letters/severance offers are important or copies of correspondence relating to such matters. If you have a copy of your employment contract, that is also helpful for a lawyer to review.

Personal Injury Claims

For personal injury matters such as slip and fall/trip and fall claims, documents such as incident reports, witness information, pictures, or anything recording the details of what happened is helpful for your case.

For a motor vehicle accident claim, you will want to bring your insurance information and a copy of the motor vehicle accident report/collision report and any documentation received from your insurance company.

As with a disability claim, your lawyer will need to know the names of your doctors, clinics, medications etc. as it is important to show how your life has changed since the incident. The same applies for a not-at fault car accident.

How do I know if a lawyer is right for me?

You want a lawyer that treats you with respect and listens to you without making you feel rushed and answers all of your questions.

You want a lawyer that will:

• Explain how their retainer agreement works so you understand how the legal fees work
• Be accessible if you need to speak to them (i.e. easy to book an appointment with)
• Explain things to you in a way you understand (i.e. legal terminology)
• Advise you of all your legal rights and the legal remedies available to you
• Be honest about any concerns there may be regarding your case

How do lawyers get paid?

Many personal injury lawyers and disability lawyers use contingency fee agreements. Many people are concerned about the costs of hiring a lawyer and about ongoing legal fees. Affordability should not be a concern for people seeking legal help.

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A contingency fee arrangement means we take on your case and agree to be paid only if we are successful in achieving a settlement or obtaining a Judgement at trial. This means we do not get “paid” unless and until your case settles. This means there are no upfront or ongoing legal fees that you have to worry about.

​How does a lawyer help?

To help interpret your insurance policy

​The language of your insurance policy is complex and the terms can seem as though they are in a different language. You may not understand what these terms mean or how they apply to your particular situation. A lawyer can interpret them for you.

To help you to understand the denial letter

​Letters from the insurance company may contain terms that are ambiguous or unclear. Receiving a letter with terms you do not understand can be very frustrating and distressing.

Communicating with the insurance company

​You will not have to communicate with the insurance company any more. Once you hire a lawyer, your lawyer will communicate with the insurance company and/or their legal counsel, once a lawyer is retained. This will take some stress off of you as you do not have to worry about phone calls from your insurance company and all communications go through your lawyer.

To help you to understand correspondence from your employer

If you are pursuing an employment matter or have employment concerns, a lawyer can review the correspondence you have received and explain what options you have and what possible legal remedies there are.

Start a court action

​A lawyer can commence a court action against your insurance company or against the party (ies) responsible for your car accident or personal injury. Once you hire a lawyer and instruct your lawyer to start a court action (commence the lawsuit) against your insurer/the responsible parties, your case is in the court system as soon as possible.

Protect your interests

​A lawyer will protect your best interests. When you hire an experienced lawyer, your lawyer will keep your best interests in mind when negotiating a settlement on your behalf.

Know your rights

It is always important to know your rights and any obligations you may have as an insured person, as an employee or as the victim of a car accident/personal injury and a lawyer can help you do so.