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Your first appointment with your Lawyer

The first conversation with your lawyer is an important moment during which the relation of trust is developed.

Perhaps you have never been in a lawyer’s office. The following few lines will help you to prepare the appointment.

Your case

The main purpose of your appointment with your lawyer is to explain your case to him and enable him to give you some useful advice as to drawing up a deed, or on the chances of success of a possible lawsuit.

The easiest way of optimizing the initial meeting is quite simply to prepare it:

• Sort out your pertinent papers and documents.

• Write down the details of the events in chronological order.

• Write down the names and contact details of all the people concerned by the case (witnesses, other parties, etc.).

• Reveal all the information at your disposal, whether it is negative or positive. Let the lawyer decide with you what he sees as being pertinent or not to defending your interests. Don’t keep anything back from him, his task is to defend you, and he has to know all the elements making up the case.

• Make a list of all the questions you can think of.

A relation of trust

Lastly, during the appointment, put the following advice into practice:

• Ask the lawyer to explain the various stages of the procedure to you and tell you about the possible extra costs that could arise.

• Make sure you have fully understood all your lawyer’s explanations: ask questions, and ask him to reformulate an explanation, or explain any words that you don’t understand.

• Ask your lawyer to keep you informed regularly and undertake to obtain your approval for any fresh actions that could lead to extra costs (such as expert examinations, bailiffs’ costs, etc.).

• Ask your lawyer to forward his bills regularly (and not just once the result is known), and set the billing dates with him.