[email protected] | October 26, 2020 | Personal Injury

Maybe you aren’t sure your car accident claim is worth a lawyer’s time, or your family is weighing a call to a wrongful death lawyer. A free injury lawyer consultation is a no-obligation meeting where you describe what happened and a lawyer explains your options.

Missing paperwork isn’t a reason to put the call off. Call (410) 837-2144 for a free case review.

What Do You Need to Know About a Free Personal Injury Consultation?

If you’ve never met with a personal injury lawyer, you probably don’t know what to expect. Below are nine things to know before you sit down with an accident attorney.

1. The Attorney Asks Lots of Questions

Expect a lot of questions. The consultation is how the attorney learns what happened to you, how you were hurt, and how serious the injuries are.

If you’re unsure about an answer, say so. If you’re guessing, say that too. A guess that gets written down as a fact causes trouble later.

2. You Need to Ask Lots of Questions

You should ask questions during the free consultation too.

Write them down before you go. It’s easy to forget what you wanted to know once you’re sitting there talking about the worst day of your year. Questions worth putting on the list:

  • How many cases like mine do you handle?
  • Who will actually work on my file, and can I call you directly?
  • How long does a case like mine take to resolve?
  • What happens if the insurance company won’t pay a fair amount?
  • How are my medical bills handled while the case is open?
  • Is there anything I should avoid doing while my case is active?
  • How often will I get an update?

Don’t forget that you’re the one doing the hiring. Interviewing the lawyer is fair game.

3. Experienced Lawyers Do Not Offer Guarantees

Some of those questions can’t be answered in a first meeting, and a careful attorney will tell you so. Until someone has investigated the claim, valuing it would be guesswork.

What you can get is a reasoned opinion: how claims like yours have been resolved, and what would have to happen for yours to go well.

4. The Lawyer Might Not Take Your Case

An attorney can decline for reasons that have nothing to do with you. One reason is a conflict of interest, which comes up when the firm already represents someone else connected to your case.

Other reasons a firm might pass:

  • The filing deadline has already run
  • The damages are too small to justify the cost of pursuing the claim
  • The case type is outside the firm’s practice
  • There isn’t enough evidence to prove fault
  • You may share part of the blame. Maryland follows pure contributory negligence.1

If an attorney turns your case down, ask why. You’re free to get a second opinion.

5. Discuss Attorneys’ Fees and Costs

Ask the fee question straight out, and expect a number back. The fee is 33.3% of the gross settlement before a lawsuit is filed. The fee increases to 40% once a lawsuit is filed, whether or not the case goes to trial.

Maryland doesn’t leave that conversation to memory. A contingent fee agreement must be in writing, signed by the client, and state the percentages that apply at settlement, at trial, and on appeal; the expenses deducted from the recovery; and whether those expenses come out before or after the fee is calculated.2 When there is a recovery, the case costs we advanced are reimbursed to us out of the gross settlement. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and no costs.

The same rule requires notice of any expenses you owe, whether or not you win, and a written closing statement when the matter ends.2 So read the agreement before you sign it, and ask about any line you don’t follow.

We explain what a personal injury lawyer costs and how contingency fees work elsewhere on our site.

6. Bring Documents with You

Bring what you already have. Don’t wait on what you don’t.

What you probably already have. Photos from the scene and of your injuries. Names and phone numbers of anyone who saw it happen. Any letter, form, or recorded-statement request the insurance company has already sent you. Discharge paperwork or appointment cards from treatment so far. Your own notes. Your auto insurance declarations page.

A declarations page is the document your insurance company gives you when you buy, renew, or change a policy, and it identifies the kinds and amounts of coverage you have and how much it costs you.3 One page answers things you’d otherwise be guessing at in the meeting: the policy period, the limits, the deductible and the optional coverages.

Whether you carry personal injury protection is one of those questions. PIP isn’t mandatory in Maryland. A first named insured who doesn’t want it has to make an affirmative written waiver, and without that waiver the insurance company has to provide the coverage.4 Your paperwork answers it, so you don’t have to.

What you don’t have yet, and where it comes from. The crash report may not be one of them yet. The Maryland State Police tell people seeking accident reports to wait at least 10 days after the accident to allow time for processing, and the motor vehicle report form carries a $4.00 non-refundable document search fee.5

In the first 10 days, there may be nothing to collect, and that’s processing time, not a problem with your case. Crashes in Baltimore City go through the Baltimore Police Department Central Records Division instead.5

You can ask for your own medical records and bills. A health care provider has to comply within a reasonable time after a person in interest requests a copy of a medical record in writing.6

There’s also a reporting deadline that’s easy to miss. A driver in a crash that caused injury or death must provide the MVA with a written report within 15 days. That duty drops away when a police officer investigated the accident and filed a report with the Department of State Police.7 If a police officer investigated and filed a report, you don’t owe a separate filing, but it’s worth asking.

Some of the most useful material isn’t paper at all. The cross streets, the officer’s name, which nearby businesses might have camera footage, where the vehicles came to rest, and dash-cam footage in your vehicle or from the other driver’s vehicle. Say what you remember out loud in the meeting even if you can’t document it, because footage gets overwritten and witnesses move.

Missing paperwork is not a reason to wait. You can chase every item above after the first conversation, and that’s part of the injury lawyer’s work. Call (410) 837-2144 and bring whatever you’ve got.

7. You Are Not Required to Hire the Lawyer

The free consultation is a no-obligation meeting. You are not required to hire that lawyer, or any lawyer, afterward.

Don’t let anyone push you into deciding on the spot. Taking the information home and thinking about it is normal.

What you tell a lawyer during a free consultation is generally confidential, even if you don’t hire that lawyer. Maryland’s professional conduct rules (Md. Rule 19-301.18) bar a lawyer from using or revealing information learned from a prospective client.

8. You Can Meet With Other Personal Injury Attorneys

You’re free to meet with other personal injury lawyers before you pick one. You don’t have to tell anybody you’re doing it. That’s your business.

9. Your Time to File a Personal Injury Claim Is Limited

Don’t sit on this one.

You must file a civil action within 3 years from the date it accrues, unless another provision of the Code sets a different period.8 Our page on the Maryland statute of limitations covers how that clock runs.

Two situations cut it much shorter. A claim against a Maryland local government entity requires written notice within 1 year after the injury, and a claim against the State requires a written claim to the Treasurer or a designee within the same period.9 Waiting the full 3 years on a government-defendant claim can bar recovery outright.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I bring to a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer?

Bring your auto insurance declarations page, any medical paperwork you already have, photos of the scene and your injuries, and the names and numbers of witnesses. Bring any letter or form the insurance company has sent you. If you have almost none of that, come anyway. Nothing on the list has to be collected before the first conversation.

Should I talk to the insurance company before the consultation?

Get advice first. A few words about who turned left or who merged can end up in a recorded statement, and they’re hard to take back later. Talking to your own insurance company about vehicle repair is a separate matter.

Is the filing deadline different if my child was hurt?

It can be. A claim that accrues in favor of a minor must be filed within the lesser of 3 years or the applicable limitations period after the date the disability is removed. That tolling doesn’t apply if more than 3 years remain when the disability lifts.10 The same section says imprisonment, absence from the State, and marriage are not disabilities that extend a deadline.10 Ask about your child’s specific dates.

Contact the Baltimore Personal Injury Attorneys of WGK Personal Injury Lawyers Today For Help

For more information, contact the Baltimore personal injury law firm of WGK Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation.

Come with what you have and the questions you wrote down. The first conversation is free; you aren’t committing to anything by having it, and you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Our guide to hiring a personal injury lawyer walks through what comes after. Call (410) 837-2144 to start a free case review.

This content is marketing material and is not legal advice. Every case is unique and laws change frequently. Please contact our office to speak with an attorney about your specific situation before making any legal decisions.

Sources

  1. Maryland’s pure contributory negligence rule, under which a plaintiff found even minimally at fault is generally barred from recovering. Controlling authority: Coleman v. Soccer Association of Columbia (2013). https://www.mdcourts.gov/data/opinions/coa/2013/9a12.pdf
  2. Maryland Rules of Procedure, Title 19 (Attorneys), Rule 19-301.5(c) (Fees) [MARPC 1.5], Maryland Judiciary, retrieved 2026-09-18. The requirement that a contingent fee agreement be in writing signed by the client, stating the percentages accruing at settlement, trial, or appeal, the litigation and other expenses deducted from the recovery; and whether those expenses are deducted before or after the fee is calculated; plus the notice of expenses owed win or lose, and the written statement at the conclusion of the matter. Scope: Maryland attorneys. https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/rules/supporting/178title19chapters100x300.pdf
  3. Maryland Insurance Administration, Understanding the Declarations Page, retrieved 2026-09-12. The description of the Declarations Page as the document the insurer gives you on purchase, renewal or change of a policy, identifying the kinds and amounts of coverage and the cost, and the six listed components (policy period, policy limits, deductible, optional coverage, policy premium, discounts). The page carries no publication date. https://insurance.maryland.gov/Consumer/Pages/Auto-Understanding-Declarations.aspx
  4. Md. Code, Insurance § 19-506(a), Maryland General Assembly 2026 Regular Session statute text, retrieved 2026-09-12. The requirement that a first named insured who does not want the § 19-505 benefits make an affirmative written waiver, and the insurer’s duty to provide the coverage absent that waiver. The section also binds each named insured, listed driver and household family member at least 16 years old to a waiver, subject to the paragraph (3) carve-out. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026rs/Statute_Web/gin/19-506.pdf
  5. Maryland Department of State Police, Request Police Reports, retrieved 2026-09-12. The instruction to wait at least 10 days after the accident before requesting a report, the $4.00 non-refundable document search fee on the motor vehicle report form, payable by check or money order, and the referral of Baltimore City crash requests to the Baltimore Police Department Central Records Division. Scope: crashes investigated by the Maryland State Police; other agencies set their own process. The page carries no publication or revision date. https://mdsp.maryland.gov/community-services/request-police-reports
  6. Md. Code, Health – General § 4-304(a)(1) and § 4-304(c)(1)(i), Maryland General Assembly 2026 Regular Session statute text, retrieved 2026-09-12. The duty of a health care provider to comply within a reasonable time with a written request by a person in interest to receive a copy of, or to see and copy, a medical record. The section carries a psychiatric and psychological carve-out at subsection (a)(2) and a copying-fee schedule that is not quoted here. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026rs/Statute_Web/ghg/4-304.pdf
  7. Md. Code, Transportation § 20-107(a) and § 20-107(f), Maryland General Assembly 2026 Regular Session statute text, retrieved 2026-09-12. The 15-day written report to the Administration by the driver of each vehicle in an accident resulting in bodily injury or death, and the subsection (f) exceptions: no written report is required if a police officer investigated the accident and filed a report with the Department of State Police, or from a person while physically incapable of making the report. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026rs/Statute_Web/gtr/20-107.pdf
  8. Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-101, Maryland General Assembly 2026 Regular Session statute text, retrieved 2026-09-12. The three-year general limitations period for a civil action at law, running from the date the action accrues, subject to any different period another provision of the Code provides. Known exceptions: other Code provisions set different periods, and § 5-201 tolls for minors and mental incompetents. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026rs/Statute_Web/gcj/5-101.pdf
  9. Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-304(b) (written notice of a claim against a Maryland local government entity within 1 year after the injury), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026rs/Statute_Web/gcj/5-304.pdf, and Md. Code, State Gov’t § 12-106(b) (written claim to the State Treasurer or a designee within 1 year after the injury), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026rs/Statute_Web/gsg/12-106.pdf; Maryland General Assembly 2026 Regular Session statute text, both retrieved 2026-09-18.
  10. Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-201, Maryland General Assembly 2026 Regular Session statute text, retrieved 2026-09-12. Subsection (a), requiring a minor or mental incompetent to file within the lesser of three years or the applicable limitations period after the disability is removed; subsection (b), excluding cases where the limitations period has more than three years to run when the disability is removed; and subsection (c), excluding imprisonment, absence from the State and marriage as disabilities that extend limitations. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026rs/Statute_Web/gcj/5-201.pdf