Have you ever made a big mistake because you didn’t know that your client did time at Sing-Sing for armed robbery (I have) or you didn’t know about the racy photos on her Facebook profile? Checklists can make your life a whole lot easier by making big screw-ups less likely.
Begin by creating a checklist for every new personal injury case. Your checklist for a new personal injury lawsuit should include:
- All medical records (pre and post incident),
- Employment records for the last five years,
- Tax returns and W-2 statements for the last five years,
- Criminal background search,
- Social media search (i.e., Facebook, Instagram) for damaging content;
- Photographs and video of injured person or decedent; and
- Names and addresses of lay witnesses re: liability and damages.
Your paralegal or secretary must check every box on your checklist, sign it and submit it for your review and signature before every new lawsuit is filed. Now, you don’t have to wonder if your client’s racy photos on Facebook will bite you in the ass.
BTW: If you want a copy of our checklist for settlements, send an email to my paralegal extraordinaire, Corina Skidmore, at cskidmore@fishermalpracticelaw.com with the subject line, “Send me the Settlement Checklist”, and she’ll be happy to email it to you.
