A Law Career

3 Tips To Help You Strengthen Your Working Relationship With Your Attorney

by Ruby Mckinney

If you are in the process of going through a personal injury lawsuit, you'll want to make sure that you are able to create and maintain a strong relationship with your attorney. Here are three tips that will help you make your relationship more productive for your case.

#1 Always Tell The Truth

Your attorney is going to need to ask you a lot of questions and get a lot of information from you in order to proceed forward with your case. When your attorney asks you questions, it is important that you answer honestly and provide your attorney with an in-depth answer. Remember, when you talk with your attorney, the information that you share is protected by attorney-client privilege. It is not like testifying in court, when you want to keep your answers short and to the point.

It is best to give your attorney in-depth and truthful answers to that they are prepared for whatever you say when you are on the witness stand. They need to know everything that you know so if you give more information than necessary on the stand, they are prepared to deal with it. You also don't want the other attorney to surprise your attorney in court with information that you didn't share.

#2 Understand Their Job

Most attorneys are not working on just one case at a time. In order to maintain their practice, most attorneys work on multiple cases with numerous clients at the same time. That means they have to balance their schedule so that they are able to meet and keep all clients informed about what is happening with their case, attend all court dates, and research each case.

Your attorney, for each case that they have, has to reach out to numerous organizations and individuals to gather information for each case. They also have to meet with opposing counsel.

Being aware of all the time and relationships that your attorney is juggling will help you better respect their time and understand what they are dealing with. Try to make any appointments, whether in person or on the phone, that you set up with your attorney. They have a lot of people to juggle and it can be difficult to fit you in if you blow off a meeting.

#3 Understand How Your Case Works

Finally, make sure that you understand the steps of your case. This will help you communicate more effectively with your attorney. Most cases go through the following steps: attorney consultation, attorney investigation into your case, and settlement negotiations with the other party. Once your case is actually filled, it will go through the following steps: complaint and answer, discovery, motions, mediation, and trial. Each of these steps can take days or months to complete. Coordinate with your attorney so that you understand what step you are on and how much time that step may take. Understanding the flow of your case will improve your communication with your lawyer and will help you manage your expectations. 

Share