Often, physical injuries and health conditions are obvious – you cannot easily hide a broken leg or an extended stay in the hospital. When you are suffering from an injury or a worsened condition, your friends, relatives, and colleagues are going to ask you questions. Although you should not become a recluse in your recovery, you should maintain a healthy distance between your pending claim and your everyday conversations.

Why? There are a few reasons why it is best to keep discussions about your pending claim private. One of these is attorney-client privilege. This is the protection that surrounds all communication between a claimant and his or her attorney. The information you discuss is confidential and by discussing it outside your relationship with your attorney, you can undermine your claim’s chance of resulting in a favorable settlement. Another reason is your privacy. Once you disclose information to another individual, you cannot control how that information is used or who will receive it next. Maintaining your privacy surrounding your claim is another way to protect it from being undermined or compromised in any way.

Tell your Loved Ones How to Help you

When you are injured or suffering from a medical condition, the people closest to you will naturally want to help you recover by making your life easier. They might offer services like driving you to doctor appointments, cooking for you or cleaning your home, or watching your children so you have time to rest. Sometimes, well-meaning individuals’ offers of help actually cause more difficulty than they relieve. Communicate with your loved ones about what you need and a few specific ways they can help you while you recover.

Let your Lawyer Guide your Interactions

Your lawyer will negotiate with other parties, such as the hospital where your injury occurred, your doctor, and all insurance providers involved in your case on your behalf. It is your lawyer’s job to represent your case and seek compensation for your damages – follow his or her lead and do not make any statements or accept any settlement offers from another party without first consulting with your lawyer.

Keep Financial Discussions Between yourself and your Lawyer

Do not discuss the financial aspects of your case with anybody other than your lawyer and your spouse. Even if close friends and relatives ask about the details of your injury or the amount of compensation you are seeking, keep the technical details and number figures to yourself. When monetary figures enter a discussion, attitudes and expectations can change and you can find yourself being hounded for loans and monetary gifts later on.

It is also important that you keep your claim and any discussions of it off social media. Do not broadcast your claim’s progress to the world – this can invite unwanted attention, accusations, and even attempts to undermine your claim by taking photos and statements out of context.

Work with an Experienced Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer

When you are suffering from an injury or a worsened condition because of a healthcare provider’s negligence, consider working with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer to pursue monetary compensation for your damages. To learn more about this process, speak with one of the experienced medical malpractice lawyers on our team at Baizer Kolar, P.C. We are a small team of dedicated lawyers who can help you seek the compensation you deserve.