What Your Lawyer Wants You to Know

Navigating the legal world for the first time can feel unfamiliar. What can you do to support your case and work effectively with your lawyer? Partner Matt Sutton shares his insight.

The first and by far the most important aspect of assisting yourself as a client with your lawyer, is to trust them. It’s incredibly stressful when you’re asked on a regular basis to make very serious decisions that are going to impact your life. And if you don’t trust your lawyer, if you’re constantly questioning their judgment or their advice, then it’s just not the right fit for you. I always recommend to my new clients, go see a couple of people first and make sure that you feel comfortable with them.

The next thing is communication. It goes both ways. If you haven’t heard from your lawyer, it’s not a good thing. But fix it by calling them back instead of just waiting. Maybe they’re on a trial or they’re busy, they don’t know that you’re having some anxiety about the situation. But if you contact them, they should be in a position to be more than happy to help out.

Always be accessible. Genuine, honesty is an absolute must. You should never hide anything from us. If we asked for something, we will be the gatekeepers in terms of what’s legally required and what isn’t, and it’s better for us to know the full story.

A lot of times you may be made to feel the victim, you’re bringing a case that’s your burden of proof to show that you have these losses and throughout the process, you’re going to feel like you’re the one that’s done something wrong, which is awful, but it’s the reality of the system. So to help yourself better is to acknowledge that, to accept that as a reality, and then to listen to the ways of communication that your lawyer provides you so that you can get your story across.

Matthew Sutton is a Personal Injury Lawyer and Partner at Thomson Rogers LLP. Matthew can be reached at 416-868-3187 or by email.