Below are a few tips on how to help us to help you achieve the best outcome for your case.
Gather Documents and Information
A good attorney can influence the outcome of litigation by organizing and presenting the evidence to a judge or jury in the most convincing manner. In order to do this, however, he or she must have all of the information related to your matter. Furthermore, when it comes times for discovery, the opposing party is likely to ask for all of the documents and information related to your case. Therefore, you can best help us by starting gathering all of the relevant documents and information as early in the process as possible and providing it to our office.
Some of the information that would be relevant might include but is not limited to, photos, videos, emails, text messages, letters, contracts, inspection reports, invoices, estimates, and any other document related to your matter. Additionally, please advise us of any potential witnesses for the case or parties who may have information regarding the circumstances of the litigation.
Be Honest, Open and Transparent
The facts are the facts, whether positive or negative. Moreover, the extensive discovery procedures make it difficult for information to remain hidden during litigation. Therefore, we ask that you, please be honest, open and transparent when speaking with our firm. All of your communications with our office are protected by attorney-client privilege and will not be shared with others. When we discover negative facts late in the litigation process (or at trial), it is more difficult for us to diminish those negative facts and circumstances. Moreover, if the facts truly will make it difficult to prevail in your case, it is better for us to have that information early so we can advise you accordingly before you invest money into litigation.
Keep an Open Line of Communication
There will be times in the litigation process where we will need information from you directly. For example, when discovery requests are served, we will need your assistance to prepare and respond to these requests in a timely manner. As such, we ask that you please ensure that we have updated contact information at all times and that you try to respond to our requests for information in a reasonable time period (e.g., a few days).
Consider Settlement Options Carefully
Litigation is unpredictable, and there is no such thing as a “sure thing.” Judges are people, and they make mistakes. Moreover, in most circumstances, the facts are not completely black and white, or there is room for the judge to act “in equity” or do what is right as opposed to what is the strict adherence to the law. Therefore, we ask that our clients have an open mind to settlement possibilities and consider counter offers instead of simply rejecting offers received from opposing parties.
