What to have ready before you call about a case

2026-10-10

The five facts that let this desk decide who should call you back, without a long story.

Need a lawyer for a similar situation? The intake desk can review your message for a possible referral.

Most people call ready to tell the whole story from the beginning. The referral goes faster if the first minute covers where the case is, not how it felt.

Start with the place. City, county, and state decide which lawyer can actually appear. A Philadelphia criminal case and a New Jersey crash are not the same message, even if both feel urgent.

Then the date that is already on paper: the next court date, the deadline in a letter, or the day of the crash or arrest. If nothing is scheduled yet, say that. An open deadline and a date next Tuesday are different kinds of rush.

Name the other side in one line. A police department, an insurer, an employer, a hospital, a spouse. We are not asking for a theory of the case. We are asking who the file is against.

Say whether anyone is hurt, locked up, or about to lose a license, a job, or a house. Those facts change who we call for you.

Leave the documents where they are for the first call. A docket number, a citation number, or a claim number is enough. The lawyer who takes the referral will tell you what to send next.

Use the form on this site if it is after hours. The same five facts belong in the message. A submission asks us to review the matter. It does not hire anyone, and it does not stop a deadline that is already running.