A personal injury can leave a person traumatized and reeling for years. They have to deal with the immediate pain of their injuries, the stress and discomfort of medical recovery, and the mental and emotional effects of being involved in such an incident. As a lawyer, it’s your responsibility to fight for your client and get them the compensation they deserve – but not to help resolve those issues.

That said, providing support to your personal injury clients beyond mere legal advice can be beneficial to both you and your client – and in multiple ways. So what steps can you take to give more support to victims of personal injury accidents who work with your firm?

Why Support Is So Important

First, let’s establish why that extra support is so important.

• Stress. It’s hard to overstate the impact that stress can have on a person’s health. When a person experiences chronic stress, they become more irritable, less capable of making rational decisions, and they can see a decline in physical health. If you can reduce your clients’ stress, even slightly, it can have a positive impact on them for years to come.
• Communication and your ongoing relationship. Assisting your clients with their processing and recovery can also lend itself to better communication – and therefore a better lawyer/client relationship moving forward. They might become more willing to open up to you, more honest and straightforward with you, and more trusting of your recommendations. All of that culminates in a better overall working relationship and possibly, better results.
• Reviews. When the settlement has arrived and the case is over, your client will have the opportunity to leave you a review. Providing extra support, beyond your core responsibilities as a lawyer, will increase your chances of getting good reviews, which can then support the development and growth of your business.
• Referrals. Similarly, giving support to your clients will increase your likelihood of getting referrals. When people receive exemplary service and they genuinely trust your work and your recommendations, they’ll be more than willing to recommend your business to others.

How to Provide More Support

These are the best ways you can provide additional support to personal injury victims who work with your practice:

• Listen. One of the best things you can do to provide more support is to listen to your clients actively. Too many lawyers spend their time talking to clients disproportionately; sometimes, it’s better to let your clients do the talking. Getting a chance to talk about their feelings and experiences can be cathartic, allowing them to destress and process those thoughts. It’s also a great chance to get to know your clients better – so you can provide better service to them.
• Set expectations upfront. If you can, try to set realistic expectations from the beginning. Tell your client what they can expect from you in terms of communication; how often should they hear from you? What time intervals will be considered appropriate? How long will it take for your client to receive their settlement and how big of a settlement should they expect? If you don’t have all the information, that’s okay. Provide the information that you do have and provide new information when you have it. Then, make sure you deliver what you’ve promised as best you can.
• Check up periodically. Go out of your way to check on your clients at least occasionally, even if you don’t have any information about the case itself. A simple “how are you doing?” message can make someone feel like you care about their health and wellbeing – and lend itself to a stronger working relationship.
• Recommend lawsuit loans. Next, consider recommending a lawsuit loan. In the aftermath of a personal injury accident, most people struggle to make ends meet. They have high healthcare costs, persistent bills, and potentially lost wages to deal with – and it can take weeks to months for a settlement to arrive. A lawsuit loan, as long as it comes with reasonable fees, terms, and conditions, can help your clients close the gap. Recommend a trustworthy provider and help them apply.
• Provide emotional support (when you can). You’re not a therapist and you’re not your client’s personal friend. That said, it’s still within your ability to provide some degree of emotional support. Provide insight and advice when appropriate, listen to your client’s feelings, and provide reassurance when you can. Even small steps can make a big difference.
• Treat this as a team effort. You’re bearing the legal and professional burden of managing the personal injury case, but if you want to provide better support, it’s important to treat this as a team effort. Take your client’s perspective into consideration and work together with them on solving tough problems associated with the case. The closer you work together, the better your clients are going to feel.
• Review and improve communications from other staff members. Your client’s relationship with the firm isn’t purely based on their communication with you. They’ll also be communicating with your paralegals, assistants, and other team members. Make sure you have good policies in place so that all client communication is a high priority – and that all your clients feel valued and respected at all times.
• Offer connections to other resources. You can also provide recommendations and connections to other sources of support. For example, you might be able to refer your client to a support group, a therapist, or an organization that specializes in helping people like them.

One of the best ways to provide more support to a victim of a personal injury accident is to recommend the right lawsuit loan provider. But how can you be sure this provider is operating ethically and is capable of giving your client everything they need? Contact Capital Now Funding to learn more about our process – and what we can do to make your clients’ lives easier after a major accident.