Your first meeting with a lawyer can be an exciting step: now you can begin to take your situation forward and get answers; but your lawyer will also have many questions for you. How can you prepare to get the most out of your free consultation? To ensure an easier process and to help your file move along efficiently, our lawyers in Kamloops have created a checklist for you.
EVERYONE
- Government ID: The lawyer will need to confirm your identity, a valid piece of ID, such as a passport, driver’s license or care card is required.
- Paper and pen to take notes. A lawyer can provide these if needed, but some clients like to come prepared and ready to hit the ground running in the meeting.
LITIGATION – PERSONAL INJURY, EMPLOYMENT, COMMERCIAL
- A chronology of events
Preparing a timeline for your situation allows the lawyer to ask more in-depth questions, beyond what and where. Going through this process ahead of time also jogs your memory and helps you recall details that could be significant and worth sharing early on.
- Any and all related information
Instead of trying to anticipate what the lawyer may find useful, bring everything that’s relevant to your case. It’s always better to have more information to draw from regarding what happened.
For example, in the case of a personal injury and ICBC claim, bring details about the weather, the mechanical condition of the car, prescriptions, etc. In the case of an employment law file, bring in copies of contracts, communication about the issue, and information about your previous employer as well the current one your case involves.
- Photos
Pictures will go a long way for lawyers in Kamloops to tease out conditions, such as daylight, that may have contributed to the accident. For this meeting, the photos don’t have to be printed, but it may help to have them on a USB stick that you can leave with the lawyer or email them later so the lawyer has a copy.
BUSINESS OR REAL ESTATE LAW
- A chronology of events
If you’re thinking of buying a business, it’s helpful to the lawyer to get a sense of how you, and possibly the seller, got to this stage. It’s not necessary to bring a chronology, but it helps, and jotting down a timeline often triggers the mind to recall key details.
- Copies of contracts and email exchanges regarding the business deal. If you can, bring hard copies to leave with your lawyer of any buyer-seller discussions up to that point.
- Copies of business or land listings
Hard or electronic copies of any advertisements of the land or business sale may help the lawyer uncover areas that could affect the sale, such as the site having heritage significance for First Nations, environmental concerns, etc.
For more helpful tips and insight, read our post Thinking of Buying or Selling a Business? What to Consider from Our Business Lawyers.
Are you ready to take your situation forward and get answers about your case? Our lawyers in Kamloops offer a complimentary consultation so we can learn more about your unique situation and share how we can put our expertise to work for you. Get in touch today!
