What should I be doing after I’ve hired an attorney to represent me in a case?

Advice from Personal Injury Attorney, Michael Thomas.

If you’ve been injured and believe that someone else should be responsible for your injuries, you may be wondering what you should be doing after you’ve hired an attorney to represent you in your claim against the party responsible for your injuries.

Unfortunately, resolving your claim might take some time, but there are still a number of important things for you to do while your attorney is handling your case.

If you’ve been injured, the first and most important step is for you to seek medical treatment right away, follow your medical provider’s instructions, and continue to see your medical provider as often as you are advised. I speak with people every day who put off treatment thinking they would get better on their own, only to still find themselves in pain weeks later.  If you delay your treatment, you will be giving the other side powerful ammunition to claim that you must not have been hurt, otherwise you would have sought treatment sooner. More importantly, your health should be your primary concern, and you should seek treatment immediately and follow your doctor’s orders to prevent your injury from getting worse.

At a certain point in your treatment, your doctor will be able to tell you when you have reached “maximum medical improvement.” This does not mean that you are completely healed, but rather that the doctor has done all that they can do to get your condition to improve. Once you have reached maximum medical improvement your doctor will be able to give your attorney a formal opinion about the extent of your injuries and their impact on your future. This, however, does not mean you should stop treating, as your doctor may want you to continue treatment in order to maintain your improvement.

While you are treating with your doctor, your attorney will be working to determine what type of claims and rights you may have, who the responsible parties should be, and whether there is any insurance coverage available for your claim. Once you’ve hired an attorney, its best to let your attorney deal with the insurance companies and responsible parties. Your focus should be on doing everything your doctor says for you to do to get better.

Additionally, there are a few other small steps you can take to help your claim:

• Save all evidence you have related to your injury, including any items that were damaged or medical equipment (such as a cast, crutches, or a cane) you needed to use while you were treating with you doctor
• Take pictures of your injuries throughout your treatment in order to better document your recovery
• Make a list of all the tasks and hobbies you can no longer do without pain due to your injury
• Avoid talking to anyone other than your doctors and attorney about your injuries.
• Avoid posting on social media entirely. Anything you put online can and will be used against you if your case goes into litigation.
• When in doubt about something, call your attorney and get advice.

Your attorney will work hard to settle your claim. If your attorney is unable to reach a settlement with the at fault parties, your attorney may recommend filing a lawsuit.