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Things You Must Disclose To Your Personal Injury Lawyer

If your personal injury lawyer is experienced in handling a case such as yours, they may ask some questions about your life. You may end up losing your case and wasting your time and money if you try to hide any information about your life from your attorney. Sometimes, the information you give your personal injury lawyer may help them strategize the best approach in overseeing your case. Here are things you should tell your personal injury lawyer during your case.

Tell Your Lawyer About Your Pre-Existing Injury

Disclose to your personal injury lawyer if you have a pre-existing injury. A defense attorney will do their best to reduce how much compensation you receive for a personal injury claim. They achieve this by trying to blame your past injuries on your current condition. If you do not disclose your pre-existing injuries to your attorney, you make it challenging for them to defend you from attempts to use past injuries as an excuse.

Tell Your Lawyer About Your Criminal History

If you have any criminal sentences, either felonies or misdemeanors, including those from juvenile records, disclose them to your attorney. While these criminal convictions may not be relevant to your case, defense attorneys commonly run background checks looking for ways to discredit you and hurt your chances of receiving compensation. Tell your lawyer about these convictions so that they can be well prepared to counter any attempts to discredit you.

Tell Your Lawyer About Your Plan To File For Divorce.

If you plan to file a divorce while involved in a personal injury lawsuit, you need to tell your attorney. Your soon-to-be-ex could make a bad declaration that could go against your case, especially if you’re not on good terms. Besides, your compensation could be subject to asset distribution in the divorce, leaving you with a small settlement for your injuries. Therefore you need to discuss this with your lawyer to ensure that soon-to-be-ex can decide with this information in mind.

Tell Your Attorney How You Were Involved In The Accident

If you are partially at fault in a personal injury accident, you can still get compensation. You can get a settlement for the damages you sustain as long as you are not 50% at fault for the accident. But when you don’t disclose to your attorney that you might have contributed, you give the defense lawyer a chance to turn the table around that you were entirely at fault.

Tell Your Lawyer About Your Prior Claims

You need to tell your attorney if you’ve made prior claims, particularly from an injury. Defense attorneys have access to online records that shows a person’s claim history. Being truthful when dealing with a personal injury claim can help you get a favorable outcome for your case. Failing to tell your attorney about your prior claims can lead to your attorney returning your file or losing the case.

Tell Your Lawyer About Any New Injuries

Pre-Existing Injury

You must tell your personal injury lawyer if you have suffered any fatal injuries since the accident. Defense lawyers will try to claim you are securing a settlement for new injuries. When you tell your attorney, they will be well prepared to argue against these claims.

Tell Your Lawyer Details About How The Accident Happened

Your lawyer may need you to give full details about how and when your accident happened. Telling your attorney about what you remember before, during, and after the accident can help you get a favorable outcome.

Tell Your Lawyer If You Are Working

You need to tell your lawyer if you are still earning a little extra but claiming you lost wages dues to your inability to work. While you might be doing some work from home, a defense attorney will use that work to prove that your claim does not apply. Therefore, you need to tell your lawyer anything you are doing for money.

Tell Your Lawyer If Medicaid Or Medicare Has Paid Your Injury Costs

You must inform your attorney if Medicaid or Medicare pays for the medical bills associated with your injury while waiting for your settlement. If you don’t, it will take longer to resolve your case. Your lawyer needs to report the Medicaid or Medicare settlement to the government and do so within the right time to get information on the lien.

When Do I Need To Tell My Personal Injury Lawyer All This?

Your lawyer’s job is to get the best possible information to win your claim. If the lawyer does not have all the facts needed, then the odds of winning your claim are low. We advise you to tell your personal injury lawyer all this during your first consultation.