5 Things to Do to Prepare for Your Free Consultation
Written by Maria Zalessky
Before calling for your free consultation, there are a few things to do to make sure you are prepared. Speaking to a lawyer can be overwhelming and as much as we try to be friendly and put potential clients at ease, any number of things could be going on that make cognition difficult (check out this article on the effects grief has on your brain!).
Many people find that keeping lists helps them stay organized while working through the grief of losing a loved one, their marriage, or functionality as a result of injuries from a car crash. Here is a short, hopefully helpful list of things to think about and jot down before your free consultation with an attorney at ZLG, LLC.
(1) Statement of players–before a lawyer can talk to you at length about your matter, we have to run a conflict check to make sure we can talk to you about this matter. Conflict checks are there to ensure we don’t accidentally speak to two different sides of the same case so no side has an unfair advantage in litigation. It is extremely important and helpful to have a complete list of the players/parties involved before scheduling a consultation with a lawyer. Who the players are depends on the type of case you have.
For a Probate case, you’ll need:
Your full name
The full name of the person who passed
Surviving spouse of the person who passed
Surviving descendants of the person who passed
Surviving parents of the person who passed
Any other interested party
For a Family Law case, you’ll need:
Your full name
Your spouse’s full name
For a Personal Injury case, you’ll need:
Your full name
The full name of the person who injured you
(2) Statement of facts–lawyers excel at getting information from people but sometimes we walk around blindly until the case presents itself. Having a short synopsis of what happened and why you think you need a lawyer saves valuable time in the consultation and helps focus the conversation on what you need to address. This synopsis can and should include dates like date of death, date of separation, and/or date of incident.
(3) Statement of deadlines, if there are any–sometimes people find they are unhappy with their current representation and want a different lawyer’s position on their case. Sometimes, people try to handle cases on their own until it’s clear to them they need a lawyer. Knowing where a case is in terms of timelines and deadlines helps narrow down the reasonable strategies that are possible to put in place going forward.
(4) Statement of concerns–you wouldn’t call a lawyer unless you were concerned or worried about something that is going on. In the case of a divorce, for example, some people care most about how a criminal act in the past will affect child custody. In probate cases, often people worry about specific heirlooms. In car accidents, sometimes people worry about their pre-existing injuries possibly affecting their case. It’s important for your lawyer to know the big reason why you’re calling so we can address it during the consultation.
(5) Statement of desired outcome–our top priority when we do a free consultation is to make sure you have the information you need to make a big decision–whether you need legal representation and if you feel confident that we can represent you. Lawyers can do a lot of things but we can’t know what your desired outcome is unless you tell us. Trust us–if the thing you want is impossible, we will tell you. If what you want comes through a difficult path, we want to be up front with you about it. And if you’re nervous to ask for what you want, we can never get it for you.
We know trusting someone to help you through a difficult situation is a big decision. We want to make sure you find the right person to help you. Your trust is one of the highest honors you can bestow on a person. We hope this short list will help guide you through the attorney interview process. When you trust someone, you want to make sure to trust the right person. At ZLG, we have decades of combined experience in the legal field and we won’t promise to help you if we can’t.
Please contact us at (303) 970-9717 for a free consultation.