Many Denver personal injury attorneys talk about their free consultations and how these are a big selling point to prospective clients. You see them in commercials, billboards, seemingly everywhere lawyers are desperate for you to take advantage of their free consultations. The question though often comes up, are the free consultations actually free?
What Happens In A Free Consultation With A Personal Injury Lawyer?
Let’s start off by exploring what a free consultation is supposed to be. For attorneys that work on contingency, like most personal injury attorneys in Denver do, a free consultation is a critically important time for them to understand the needs of your case and make sure that you’re both a good fit for one another. At the same time, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to make sure that the attorney is a good fit for you. Do they share your values and expected outcomes for your case? Do they empathize with you? Do you both get along well? Remember, some of these cases can last quite a while, so a good and respectful working relationship is very important. There are a lot of things that can potentially be accomplished during these free consultations times, and it’s why so many people push for them.
Returning to the original question, many people do wonder if it’s possible that free consultations actually free. In the vast majority of cases, yes they are. For the reasons highlighted above these meetings can be quite important for both you and the lawyer.
Questions To Ask In A Free Consultation With a Personal Injury Lawyer
Ask how many cases they currently have.
A good indicator of how much time you’ll be able to receive and the amount of attention that your case will get, is how busy your attorney currently is with other cases. If you’re the only case your attorney has that may be a potential warning sign, but many people also don’t want their attorney to have too many cases as well. Ultimately it comes down to what you’re personally comfortable with.
Ask if they have experience with your specific kind of case.
There are many kinds of personal injury attorneys, and many of them specialize in specific areas. During your free consultation you can ask if the attorney that you are meeting with has a specific specialization, and if that is a good fit for your case. Just like a doctor who specializes in specific parts of the body, your attorney should be well versed in your specific case.
Ask how many cases they’ve won.
Your case may or may not end up going to trial, however if it does you want someone with trial experience to handle your case. Getting to know them and asking about cases they have taken to court is a great way for you to know if this is the right personal injury lawyer for you.
At the end of the day, it’s important to take advantage of free consultations in order to better get to know your attorney before you start working on your case together. Remember, in most cases a free consultation is actually free so feel free to meet with several attorneys to find the right fit for you.