April 26, 2025 | Uncategorized
If you are injured in an accident, you may have the right to seek compensation for your damages by asserting a legal claim (or claims) under Oklahoma law. In such matters, often called “personal injury cases,” complicated legal rules, statutes, and caselaw may apply, and you will often face off with insurance-defense lawyers provided by well-resourced, out-of-state companies.
In order to prevail then, you will likely need experienced trial attorneys on your side—attorneys who know these claims, have brought these claims, and have succeeded in recovering from a jury.When it comes to personal injury matters, McGuire Law Firm is proud to offer free, no obligation consultations for the purpose of preliminarily evaluating potential legal claims. And if you have any doubt as to whether you have sustained an actionable personal injury, call anyway.
A“Personal injury,” broadly defined, runs a gamut of injuries arising from accidents of all stripes—from injuries sustained in an automotive or trucking accident, to injuries sustained at a public place and from an unknown safety hazard (black ice, poorly maintained pathways, etc.), to those suffered from aggressive or dangerous dogs kept by private homeowners.
To get the most out of your consultation, it is crucial that you are fully prepared. Depending on the nature of your injuries, McGuire Law Firm’s Website may provide further guidance as to what items may be relevant to your particular matter and as to what other steps you should take in advance of any consultation.
How to Prepare for Your Free Consultation With Our Oklahoma City Personal Injury Lawyer
1. Gather All of the Relevant Documents, Communications, and Other Items Tending to Prove (or Disprove) Your Allegations
The foundation of every lawsuit is evidence. Evidence, however, is a “term of art,” which means it has a particular definition and formalized meaning under Oklahoma law. Often—and this is the case with the term “evidence,” as with many others—the meaning of a term of art may not coincide with the “common sense” understanding of a word, or in many instances, may entail a unique legal test to determine whether one thing or the other is encompassed by such term.
Evidence, in truth, is really more than a term of art—it is a complicated area of state law that many practicing attorneys struggle with even decades into their practice. Lawyers (and courts), in any lawsuit, are tasked with determining what evidence is, e.g., relevant, prejudicial, discoverable, and admissible, amongst other adjectives.
For this reason, it is critical that you obtain—prior to any consultation—any items which may qualify as evidence under Oklahoma law. This means gathering all documents (medical records, contracts, etc.), communications (e.g.,texts, emails, social media messages), photographs and videos, or any other items that may qualify as “evidence” as such term is broadly defined under the law. The more documentation you have, the easier it will be for any lawyer to understand your claim and the anticipated work needed to get your claim(s) to trial.
Please keep in mind—evidence does not just include items that are “favorable” to your allegations or potential claims. Evidence includes even those documents, communications, or other items which you may believe are bad for your case. In order for a lawyer to properly evaluate your claim(s), he or she must have all potentially relevant evidence—not just the evidence favorable to one side or the other. All consultations are confidential and, as a potential client, please remember that information or documents shared in an initial consultation are generally protected by attorney-client privilege.
2. Write a Letter to the Lawyer(s) Reviewing Your Claim(s)
Prior to meeting with any lawyer on a personal injury case, you should draft a detailed letter to the specific lawyer (or lawyers) you are asking to review your claim. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to draft such a letter, but generally speaking, a good letter may include a detailed recollection of the facts and circumstances giving rise to your potential claim(s) (date and time, location, weather conditions, etc.), a timeline of events, the names and contact information of individuals or entities involved, and/or questions or concerns relating to your injury and rights—essentially, all information you believe should be raised in considering your injuries.
Drafting a “communication” to your potential lawyers, like a letter, email, or text, serves several purposes. First, it enables you to fully recollect and memorialize the facts and circumstances giving rise to your injuries and permits the potential lawyers to consider everything relevant to the consideration of your claim(s).
Second, it gives you a future reference point as to those facts, making it possible to refresh your memory as it fades away over time.
Third—and perhaps most importantly—drafting a communication to your potential lawyer(s) triggers the protection of the attorney-client privilege, and any such communication, as a result, will likely not be discoverable by the other side in litigation.
This gives you an element of safety in communicating with your potential counsel—that is, without fear that whatever you say in your communications may be later twisted and/or used against you in court.
3. Ask Questions!
A free, no-obligation initial consultation with an skilled personal injury lawyer is an excellent opportunity to raise questions and/or concerns you may have about your case. In fact, prior to any initial consultation, it may be wise to write down a list of questions, as the reviewing lawyer(s) will have no problem addressing the same. Moreover, it is easy to forget important questions when you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, especially if you are discussing the facts of life-changing injuries or the effects thereof. As the saying goes, “there are no stupid questions,” and you should absolutely consider raising questions both specific to your case and which are moregeneral in nature (e.g., about attorneys’ fees, the process of discovery, etc.). Your personal injury consultation with McGuire Law Firm is a chance to get clarity—embrace that opportunity and ask away!
3. Be Ready to Discuss Your Accident and Injuries
It goes without saying, in seeking a lawyer to recover for personal injuries, you must be ready, willing, able, and prepared to talk openly about your injuries, how they have affected your life, and the medical treatment you have received (if any). This may mean also discussing deeply personal topics relating to your injuries, such as how the same may have affected close personal relationships with family and friends, your mental health, and/or your current and future recovery process. If you have missed work, you are still in pain, and/or you still expect ongoing care, you should be ready to explain that as well. Again, the more the lawyers reviewing your claims—or eventually, the lawyers representing you—know about your case, the better positioned they will be to offer guidance and help.
Contact Our Oklahoma City Personal Injury Attorney Today
At McGuire Law Firm, our skilled team of lawyers are experienced, aggressive advocates for justice, and we know the ins-and-outs of personal injury claims. If you or your loved one was hurt in a serious accident, we are here to help. Contact us right away for a free, no-obligation case evaluation and consultation. With offices in both Lawton and Edmond, and lawyers ready, willing, and able to travel when necessary, our firm represents injured persons across Oklahoma.