A client came to my office this week to explore her legal options after a vehicle turned left right in front of her. The accident was moderate in nature...certainly not a minor fender bender. She was walking with a stiff gait and was obviously in pain.

While we were evaluating her legal options, I also told her about the possibility of proceeding without an attorney. After all, you don't HAVE to hire a lawyer to assist you with your case. There is no law mandating that you do so.

However, when I explained to her that I would be the one to deal with the insurance adjuster, and I would be the one to act as her liaison, she was very glad to hear it. She said, "I just want to go to my doctor and get better....I don't want to talk to these insurance people any more. They keep calling my house, leaving messages, asking for statements and information...."

In her opinion, having a lawyer handle the case and talk to the insurance adjusters was very reassuring. She wanted to focus on her injuries...and not hassling with insurance adjusters. She hired me to handle the case, and she got an immediate return on her decision - peace of mind!

In some cases, having an attorney handle your case can allow you to breathe easier, knowing that you have delegated the job to someone with experience. That way, you can focus on what's important - getting better!

If you have a serious accident in the Santa Clarita area (including Valencia, Saugus, Canyon Country, Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, and surrounding areas) and you'd like to discuss your legal options, call Santa Clarita personal injury attorney Robert Mansour at (661) 414-7100 for a free candid and honest evaluation of your legal options.

Hi. I’m Robert Mansour. Sometimes my clients don’t know what to bring to the first consultation with the attorney. Here are some things to keep in mind. Bring any and all photographs that you have, including photographs of your vehicle, the other vehicles involved etc. All insurance information of all the vehicles involved, any and all doctor reports and billing, doctors’ names and addresses, witness information, police reports, everything related to the accident…bring it to your first meeting. It is better to be over-inclusive than to be under-inclusive. Your attorney can then give you advice from that point forward. If you’d like to discuss your personal injury case please give me a call. Thank you very much. 

Don’t hide things from your attorney.  For some reason, there are some clients out there who want to hide facts from their lawyer.  One client wanted to hide from me the fact that she was smoking pot at the accident scene.  Well, the insurance company found out because it was in her medical records from the hospital!  If she had told me about this information, there may have been ways to deal with it.

Another time, a client came by for an initial consultation.  I asked her about her work duties.  She said, "Why do you need to know that?" Then I asked her about her past accidents.  She replied, "Well, how is that important?"  I knew from the get-go that this client was not the right fit for me.  She was very reluctant to answer my questions.  She viewed me as the enemy and wasn't forthcoming with information.  I don't ask these questions because I'm nosy!  I ask these questions because the information gathered helps me evaluate the case.

Some clients hide previous accidents from their attorneys.  In many cases, the clients make the sole determination the accident must be irrelevant and therefore they either fail to mention it or the deliberately hide it.  Again, this is not going to help your lawyer prepare for your case.  If you’re hiding things from your attorney, you have bigger problems.  The information is going to come to light at some point.  If you tell your attorney about the matter, your attorney will be better equipped to handle it.  Once litigation begins, they will indeed have the right to that information and they will find out.  

If you go to the doctor's office for an exam, you have to tell your doctor what's going on.  This isn't the time to play games.  Therefore, the lesson to be learned is to not hide anything from your attorney because it simply doesn’t help anyone.  The other lesson here is that sometimes, your lawyer may not be right for you.  However, there are times when the client may not be a good fit for the lawyer.  It's a two way street.

If you’ve been involved in a significant car accident, don’t delay in seeking attorney’s advice.  Many people are reluctant to involve a lawyer because they believe the lawyer will take a portion of their settlement.  However, studies have shown that people who hire lawyers generally fare better than those who don’t hire a lawyer.  Some studies indicate that recovery can be three times as much when a client engages an attorney’s assistance versus doing it on their own.  The studies were funded by the insurance companies themselves.  

Another reason people delay is they figure they will get better over time.  However they find that they aren’t getting any better and they’re feeling worse. In the meantime they have not engaged a doctor or other healthcare professional. Insurance companies routinely use gaps in treatment as well as delays in the commencement of treatment as reasons to deny your claim or minimize payment to you after an auto accident.  Therefore, since most personal injury attorneys allow for a free consultation, it is in your best interest to seek the advice of an experienced personal injury lawyer so that you know what your options are.  Remember, don’t delay.  Get a lawyer’s advice right away.

Many prospective clients who call my office have no idea what to provide to their lawyer when involved in a car accident.  I try to explain to clients that I need all the “pieces of the puzzle” because I’m not a psychic.  I’m not going to magically get copies of your hospital bill, and I’m not going to magically have photos of the damage to your vehicle or your injuries, etc.  I need the client’s help in obtaining these materials.

Here is a list of what I encourage my clients to bring to the first meeting. 

Dear Client:

Here is a list of everything I need to help you with your case:

ALL Photographs depicting damage to your vehicle.  If you don’t have any photos, please try your best to take some.  Photos should capture the damage from several angles.  Digital pictures are best and can be delivered to us by email and/or disc.  If your insurance company took photos, please ask them to get you those pictures as well.  If you are already our client, you can have your insurance company send the photos directly to our office.  It’s your file, so you are entitled to the photos.

ALL photographs depicting damage to any other vehicles involved in the accident.

Your auto insurance information (name, address, policy numbers and claim numbers if available).  If you have the “Declarations Page” showing evidence of insurance covering the date of the accident, that is best.  This page outlines the important information including policy number, amount of coverage, etc.  If you don’t have it, please call your insurance company and ask them to fax it to us.

Insurance information of all other parties.  Including insurance name, policy numbers if known, claim number if known, adjuster, address, etc.

Property damage estimates (if available).  Even if your car was a “total loss,” it is often helpful to obtain a good property damage estimate that outlines all the parts of your car that were damaged.  Frame damage and other significant entries on your property damage estimate can affect your case.  

Any and ALL doctors and facilities with whom you have treated.  Please provide all contact information (names, phone numbers, addresses, etc).  Make sure that whenever you initially go to a doctor for treatment related to this accident, you MUST tell the doctor’s office you are there because of the accident.  If you don’t mention the accident, some insurance adjusters will doubt whether the treatment was accident-related.

Please let us know if you have ever been a Medicare recipient.  Also, please provide us with your health insurance information.

Police report (if available). If you have the police report number, we can order the police report for you.  If you already have the police report, please provide a copy.  If there was no police report prepared, please let us know that as well.

Were there any witnesses?  If yes, we will need their contact information.

Once you provide your lawyer with this information, he/she will be better able to represent you.  They need all the pieces of the puzzle if they are going to paint a picture for an insurance adjuster.