If you are heading off to your initial appointment with a Devon solicitor, it may not be under the most pleasant circumstances that you have to meet – after all, most people get quite stressed when they have to deal with legal problems.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what to expect when you meet your Devon solicitor for the first time. We’ll also give you some tips which will help you to have a perfect and stress free meeting.

How To Have A Perfect Meeting With Your Devon Solicitor

Try to do a little advance preparation before your visit, as this will help you to stay emotionally detached from the situation and be better able to absorb what you are about to discuss with your Devon solicitor.

For many people, it’s hard to go into the first meeting without knowing what to expect. The first thing you need to understand is that your Devon solicitor has probably met with hundreds (if not thousands!) of clients in the past and knows that you may be going through a difficult time. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed if you get emotional or say the wrong things during your first appointment, since it is somewhat expected.

Meeting With Your Devon Solicitor For The First Time

Apart from a free initial consultation, every meeting you have with your Devon solicitor is going to cost you money so it’s best to stay as calm as possible and have a very productive meeting.

You should ideally prepare a list of all the questions you want to ask before your meeting, and take this list along with you to the appointment. You may also find it helpful to refer back to these questions during the meeting, as it will help you to stay focused and keep your meeting on the right track.

Always make sure that you don’t leave the meeting until all of your questions have been answered – if you telephone your Devon solicitor later to ask questions that you forgot to ask during your meeting, you will be charged for the extra phone call!

If possible, try to take your own notes during the meeting. You’ll probably have a lot to absorb, and you may not be able to remember everything that was said during the discussion later. Not only will these notes serve as a “memory jogger”, but they will also give you a record of what was discussed during your meeting.

Do you have a friend or family member that you trust? If you do, then it can be a very good idea to take them along with you to your first meeting. Not only will they be there to give you moral support if needed, but they may come up with questions that you hadn’t thought of asking.

Make Sure Your Devon Solicitor Speaks In Simple English!

If there are any legal terms mentioned by your Devon solicitor during the meeting that you don’t fully understand, you should ask your Devon solicitor to explain them to you in simple English. By doing this, you will actually make your solicitor’s job a lot easier – after all, your solicitor wants you to really understand what they are trying to say and will appreciate any questions you have.

Do you have any contracts, agreements, receipts, or other written documents which relate to your legal case? If you have, you should always take these along to your initial meeting as they may be really important. By showing your Devon solicitor the documents relating to your case, this will make their job much easier as they will be able to give you far more accurate advice. In addition, they will also be able to immediately get started on your case right away if necessary. Solicitors always like to see things in writing, especially if they are important documents which directly relate to your case.

Be Honest With Your Devon Solicitor

Always be totally upfront with your Devon solicitor when you meet. Even if you have done a few things wrong, it is better that your solicitor knows about them ahead of time so they are better able to deal with them for you. Your solicitor doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but they will expect you to be honest with them at all times.

The better prepared you are for your meeting with your Devon solicitor, the faster your solicitor can start working on your case. Solicitors deal with details and facts, and the best way to present these is with an honest approach, an emotional detachment from the situation and written documents to back your case up.

If you haven’t yet found a suitable Devon solicitor to help you, you’ll find a list of all the solicitors in Devon in our database – conveniently arranged into local areas.

We’ve also prepared a short guide which contains some useful tips to help you find the right Devon solicitor.

In Summary

As you can see, meeting your solicitor for the first time is nothing to be afraid of. By taking some time to do a little prior preparation, you’ll have a lot less stress and get a lot more out of the meeting with your Devon solicitor.