Critical Information To Divulge to a Personal Injury Lawyer
Posted on: 17 November 2021
The success of any personal injury case hinges on the relationship that a client establishes with their lawyer. However, it also depends on your honesty with a personal injury lawyer. Notably, a personal injury lawyer puts in time and effort in a case and does not appreciate it if a client keeps critical information from them. Therefore, if you have just hired a personal injury lawyer to represent you, divulge the following information during the first consultative meeting.
Prior Injuries
When you get injured at a workplace, a commercial facility, or in an auto accident, you should understand that the defendant (usually the insurance company) will carry out a background check on you. The checks look for a correlation between your claims and any previous injuries. Therefore, you must inform your injury lawyer about any injuries you sustained prior to the incident in question. Unfortunately, most people think that divulging the information can be detrimental to their case and opt to keep a personal injury lawyer in the dark. However, being untruthful with your lawyer only hurts your case. Notably, the defence will use every bit of information they can find regarding prior injuries to discredit your claims, blindsiding your lawyer.
Financial Situation
Why does your injury lawyer need to know about your financial situation? As an injured party, you might not see the correlation between the two because you do not understand how bankruptcy affects claims payouts. Notably, filing for bankruptcy automatically makes your settlement part of the estate. Consequently, creditors are paid first once your payout is approved, not you. Therefore, you risk losing all your settlement money if you do not disclose your financial position to a lawyer. However, if you inform a personal injury lawyer about your financial situation, they can work with a bankruptcy attorney and reach an amicable settlement agreement. Thus, you get part of the claim rather than losing everything.
Prior Legal Problems
While there is usually no relationship between past crimes and a personal injury case, an experienced personal injury lawyer understands the perception this kind of history creates. Notably, the type of crime you committed in the past might have a bearing on the outcome of an injury case. For instance, if you were convicted of a DUI five years ago, the chances are high that the conviction might not negatively affect a personal injury case. However, if your criminal record shows that you were convicted of fraud, it might harm your claims. Therefore, you should disclose any prior legal issues so that your personal injury lawyer can solidify your credibility.
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