Choosing the Right Lawyer is No ACCIDENT- A Personal Injury Guide - By Jeff Adelman (2025 Edition)
If you are reading this, you likely have been injured as a result of a car accident or slipping or tripping on someone’s premises as a result of negligence. In the pages that follow, I will provide insight as to what you should expect from a lawyer (attorney) fighting on your behalf for personal injuries. This book is intended as a general guide if you are unfortunate to have had this happen to you. It has been with the least amount of “legalese” as possible, so you do not have to be a lawyer to understand it.
If you are reading this, you likely have been injured as a result of a car accident or slipping or tripping on someone’s premises as a result of negligence. In the pages that follow, I will provide insight as to what you should expect from a lawyer (attorney) fighting on your behalf for personal injuries. This book is intended as a general guide if you are unfortunate to have had this happen to you. It has been with the least amount of “legalese” as possible, so you do not have to be a lawyer to understand it.
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Choosing the Right Lawyer is No Accident
DISCOVERY (WRITTEN)
Discovery is the fact finding and investigation portion of your lawsuit.
Both sides learn what facts will and will not be heard by a jury.
Just because something is discoverable does not mean it is admissible
(meaning that a jury will see it) at trial. Even though things can be
learned in the discovery process that will not be heard by a jury, they
may lead to evidence that will be heard. However, discovery requests
must have some relevance. The attorney making the request must
reasonably believe that it will lead to potentially admissible evidence.
Written discovery includes interrogatories, requests for production and
requests for admissions.
Interrogatories are questions answered under oath. They’re questions
that you receive from the attorney representing the opposite party on
your case. You will prepare your answers with your attorney and will
have to sign them in the presence of a notary. It is important to tell the
truth to the best of your ability when answering these as leaving out
information can potentially lead to you being impeached, meaning that
you are an unreliable historian or being dishonest.
Common questions asked in interrogatories are your full name, if you’ve
been known by any other names in your life, your birthday, your work
history, your criminal history, where you’ve lived the past 10 years, any
injuries that you’ve had in the past 10 years, any doctors you’ve seen in
the past 10 years or even in your entire life. They are the basis for the
deposition that you will have to give as a Plaintiff in a personal injury
case, at a later time. We will discuss depositions in the “Oral Discovery”
section following this one.
Requests For Production are written requests for documents in your
possession that are necessary for the proof of the claim, or the defense of
the claim by the opposing party. They could include photographs/videos
of or around the time of the incident, medical records from the incident
Jeff Adelman, B.C.S., Esq.
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