Tips For Having A Great Initial Consultation

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The first time you meet with your lawyer can be a difficult, uncomfortable experience. After all, you're there to talk about something that's gone wrong with your life. Also, if you've never had any experience with the legal profession, you might not know what to expect.

While it's likely that your apprehensions will dissipate within moments of meeting with your attorney, having a plan for your consultation can help. This will help eliminate the symptoms of nervousness that can prevent you from enjoying a normal life both before and during your consultation.

Write Everything Down

For most people, anxiety about a consultation comes from the fear of representing yourself poorly or forgetting to say something. If you have a list of things that you'd like to communicate, you don't have to worry about forgetting any of it. However, to do this, you have to know what type of information you'll need to share.

Your attorney needs to have a complete picture of your incident and your current status. To do that, consider bringing along:

  • Your health records
  • A chronological sequence of events
  • An itemized list of the incident's impact on your life

They might not need every piece of information that you supply, but it's better to have too much information than too little. As you compile this data, your fears about performing poorly in the consultation will evaporate. That's because you'll be taking control of your situation.

Plan Your Clothing 

It might sound simple and silly, but planning your clothing choices in advance is another great way to take the nervousness out of the time leading up to your consultation. People tend to want to put their best foot forward and often stress out about their appearance. That said, there are a few ideas to keep in mind when choosing your attire:

  • Balance comfort with style--While you'll want to look your best, there's no reason to be overly formal. Make sure you choose comfortable clothes that allow you to function easily. 
  • Keep it simple--Your job isn't to impress anyone. Your attorney exists to fight for you, not to judge you. Don't waste your time and efforts on dressing up.
  • Lay clothes out the night before--The biggest impact of nervousness is a poor night's sleep. By preparing as much as you can before bed, you give yourself the best chance of resting well.

Forget About It

The most important thing you can do when preparing for your initial consultation is to forget about it as much as possible. Your personal stress level is already elevated from the circumstances that have required you to seek legal counsel. If you over-focus on your upcoming meeting, you'll only make matters worse.

To accomplish this, you'll need to come up with a plan. Building ways to distract yourself into your daily routine is a critical component of this plan. If you're injured, you'll need to find less active ways to make this happen. 

One great way is to spend time refreshing old relationships. If there's friends or relatives that you haven't reached out to lately, this is a perfect time to do so. You'll focus on things other than yourself, and you'll build a broader support network than you had before.

Another option is to stay active. Injuries might make this difficult--which makes finding manageable ways to keep moving critical. Try taking long, slow walks or exercising your arms with hand weights in your home. Exercise is a known stress reliever as well as an important aspect of your personal health.

Your initial consultation is nothing to worry about--your attorney, like one at Law Office Of Daniel E Goodman, is there to guide you through the process and to serve your needs. However, these strategies can help you deal with any of your personal anxiety if your situation has you out of sorts.


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