Litigation Buddy
A personal injury claim can be completely overwhelming. Not only are you recovering from a traumatic injury but there are doctor appointments, telephone calls, therapy, paperwork, and meetings with your lawyers and other professionals. Keeping track of everything happening can be difficult. Your team, at Wishart Brain and Spine Law, encourages you to have a litigation buddy and will often insist that you bring someone with you to all your appointments.
What a Litigation Buddy Does.
A litigation buddy is someone you ask to help you navigate your recovery and legal process. They act like a personal assistant and help you:
- schedule and keep track of all appointments
- accompany you to all appointments
- take detailed notes
- make sure that you understand what is going to happen next
- help you organize paperwork
- submit paperwork on your behalf
Preparing for Appointments
Before meetings, discuss with your litigation buddy any questions you want to ask concerning your case, health care, or submission deadlines. Ask your buddy to have the list ready and to make sure that each question has been asked, answered, and recorded for future reference.
The notes they take allow you to be completely engaged with whomever you are meeting. It will allow you the opportunity to look back if you are unclear about something discussed or what you need to follow up on.
If you are feeling overwhelmed in a meeting, you can ask them to take over for you. They will have the background and historical information necessary to make sure your questions, concerns, and needs are met.
You may want to appoint them as someone that your medical or legal team can contact if you are feeling confused or overwhelmed. This is a very stressful and emotional time, and it is ok to feel vulnerable and ask for help.
Choosing the Right Litigation Buddy
It is important to ask someone who has the time to attend the meetings and appointments with you. Other things to consider are, do they have:
- strong organizational skills
- knowledge of your situation
- strong administrative skills
- reliable
- honest and trustworthy
- someone who can help keep you calm
- patience
- confidentiality
Its is ok to ask someone else to take over the role if you are not comfortable with how you are supported.
Should I Pay Them for Their Help?
This is up to you. A few things you can consider when making this decision is the person:
- third party, friend, or family member
- is your case complex and require a lot of their time?
- will they incur expenses helping you?
- can you afford it?
If you are concerned ask your lawyer to draw up a contract of service with the expectations and the amount to be paid clearly outlined.
Wishart Brain and Spine Lawyer – Robyn Wishart wants you to feel supported, and confident that your best interests are being met. Recovering from a traumatic injury and going through a legal process is extremely stressful and not something you should be doing on your own.
Wishart Brain and Spine Law wants you to have the best recovery possible. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you find the right team to make this happen.
