Here are two questions you must ask a compensation lawyer during your first meeting with them.

If you win the case, how much compensation are you likely to receive?

After outlining the incident for which you to feel you might be owed compensation and presenting the lawyer with any documents or other evidence that is relevant to your case, you should ask them how much compensation you would probably receive if you were to win. An experienced compensation lawyer should be able to give you an approximate figure, based on the details you give them about the incident and based on their familiarity with past cases in which their clients have successfully claimed compensation for similar incidents.

Based on this approximate figure, you can then consider whether it would be worth pursuing the claim, given the potential stress and paperwork it might involve. If for example, the figure is fairly high and, even after deducting the lawyer's fees, would cover most or all of the expenses you have incurred since the incident, then you might feel that it would be worth the effort you'd have to put into proceeding with the claim.

Having a rough idea of what you can expect to receive in the event of a successful claim will also enable you to manage your expectations so that you know that, for example, the compensation will probably only cover your medical expenses and you might need to make other financial arrangements to pay for the other costs you've incurred following the incident.

How long is the case likely to take?

It's also important to ask the compensation lawyer if they know how long a case like yours will take. The reason for this is as follows; if for example, the lawyer is familiar with the company that you feel you're owed compensation from, and he or she knows that this company's owner is combative and will try to drag out the case for years, then they might only advise you to proceed if you're likely to be awarded a very high figure and if you have the mental stamina to cope with a lengthy legal battle.

Conversely, if they tell you they're quite confident the case will be done and dusted in just a couple of months, it might be worth pursuing it, even if you're quite fragile after the incident, as you may be able to cope with a case that only lasts a relatively short while. It's also worth noting that even if the incident left you traumatised and you are not confident that you have the mental fortitude for a long legal battle, your lawyer might still recommend seeking compensation, as aside from helping you to handle the financial damage the incident caused, obtaining justice in this way could serve as a form of closure that would help you to heal from it psychologically.

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