By pauline 
Lawyers in personal injury cases know their clients suffer a great deal before their case is ever settled. On one hand, you have to worry about the injury itself, which may be debilitating, and can often cost you time at work. Not only that, depending on the circumstances surrounding your case, certain decisions will make it difficult for your attorney to succeed on your behalf. If that’s the case, here are five things you don’t want to do before hiring a personal injury attorney to represent you.
Retaliate against the person responsible for your injury
Research shows acts of retaliation will make you feel worse in the long run. Physically or verbally attacking the person responsible for your injury will result in criminal or civil penalties. Finding clever ways to ruin the defendant’s life will only add to the resentment and contribute to a potentially dangerous situation. In addition, retaliation shows a court that you don’t appreciate how the justice system is intended to work. Ultimately, the distraction from your case will do more harm to you and your attorney than good.
Lie to or mislead your attorney
Certain incidents might make it seem like it’s a good idea to mislead your attorney. Doing so is your prerogative, but lying to your attorney will only cause confusion and resentment that could cripple the attorney-client relationship. Trust that your personal injury attorney will have your best legal wishes in mind. That includes doing what’s necessary to get you compensation or reimbursement. The goals that an attorney will have for you are similar to those you yourself will have. Therefore, you should think twice about the long-term consequences of lying to your attorney so you can take advantage of their services for the time being.
Consult multiple attorneys at once
It would be a mistake to consult multiple attorneys at once, especially at the beginning stages of your case. At the beginning, the lawyers who are working with you from the start will have all the information, facts, and details needed to represent you in your case. Consulting another attorney at the last minute will lead to confusion regarding legal strategy, and in many cases, might not even be permissible in court. Once you find an attorney, do your best to stick with that attorney unless you are dissatisfied with your representation. Better to end an attorney-client relationship on the same page than risk details getting hard to remember as more attorneys handle your case.
Accept bribes from the defendant
The defendant you’re suing might have a clear idea that they’re facing a world of punishment. Not only from a legal perspective, but in many cases, being held accountable in court is particularly frightening for someone responsible for a personal injury. That said, it’s not helpful for your case if you’re later discovered to have accepted a bribe from the defendant. Doing so might influence the court’s decision against you and ultimately ruin the image you wanted to establish while standing up for yourself. After the injury, be sure to maintain a safe distance between you and the defendant. It’s simply not worth adding to the complexity of the case by consorting with the defendant in the case.
Expect your attorney to do all the work
Your attorney will be responsible for handling much of the legalities of your case. However, there will be opportunities where you’re expected to speak for yourself, tell your side of the story, and elaborate on details already provided. Standing up for yourself at court is an excellent way to make yourself feel stronger and empowered. In the end, you’ll feel even better if you’ve won the case because you’ll have taken the actual steps to hold the defendant accountable. Instead of letting your attorney do all the work, look for the chance to seize the initiative. You’ll find that going forward, the opportunities for you to stand up for yourself are more obvious when you’re putting in the effort on your part.
Most attorneys, especially those at Hassett and George, will have a clear understanding of the complexities surrounding a case. Personal injury cases can be long, time-consuming, challenging cases to win. But with the effort on your part and the ability to work side-by-side with your attorney, you’ll prevail. Once the case is set in motion, focus on doing the right things to improve the attorney-client privilege and eliminate those that don’t matter. Your attorney will appreciate the effort on your part, allowing you to reap the rewards in the future.