General preparation · Source checked 2026-11-09 · AI-assisted editorial

Prepare an Agenda for a First Workers’ Compensation Attorney Meeting

A useful first attorney meeting begins with the decision you need help making, followed by a short account of what has happened. You can prepare an agenda before you have a complete claim file. This page offers a meeting method; Pennsylvania rules mentioned here are background, not rules for every state.

In this article

Put the main question first

Choose one sentence that tells the attorney why you arranged the discussion. For example: “I received a document about my claim and need to understand what it asks me to do.” Name the document and its date rather than trying to explain every possible legal issue.

If you have several concerns, put the one connected to a dated notice or scheduled event at the top. Bring the actual notice if available. Do not decide for yourself that a date is unimportant because the meeting is still being arranged.

Then list two or three other questions. A short agenda might cover the status of a disputed bill, the meaning of correspondence, and what representation would include. It need not contain a prediction of settlement value or a legal theory.

Give enough context to orient the discussion

Prepare a few factual lines: the employer, the work involved, when the event or concern arose, how it was reported, and what written response you have. Label an approximate date as approximate. If you do not know whether a claim was accepted, say which documents you have instead of guessing its status.

Keep the initial packet narrow: the notice that prompted the meeting, any current representation agreement, and the record needed to explain your main question. Ask the office what it wants before transmitting additional sensitive material. A missing document can be an agenda item: “Which record would help answer this?”

Ask about the proposed work

Reserve part of the meeting for scope. Ask which issue the attorney would handle, what remains outside that work, and what the next step would be if you proceed. In Pennsylvania, Rule 1.2(c) permits a reasonable limitation on representation with informed client consent. That makes a clear scope discussion useful; it does not tell you whether a particular arrangement is adequate.

Ask how fees and expenses would be explained and documented. Pennsylvania Rule 1.5 addresses written communication of the fee basis and written contingent-fee agreements. This page does not supply a price or a universal percentage.

Leave with an action note

Before ending, summarize what you understood: the unresolved question, the additional record requested, who will act, and how you will learn whether the attorney has undertaken the work. Ask for clarification if the discussion covered only an initial assessment.

Write your own meeting note afterward and separate the attorney’s stated advice from your questions. Mark any point you still need confirmed. The goal is a usable next step, not a polished account that conceals gaps.

For a printable companion, use the representation questions worksheet. These preparation suggestions do not decide your claim or replace advice about a notice or deadline.

Sources and scope

Checked 2026-11-09. These sources explain the Pennsylvania background identified below. The organizing methods and suggested questions on this page are editorial guidance, not filing requirements.

204 Pa. Code Rule 1.2: Scope of Representation — Rule 1.2(c).
204 Pa. Code Rule 1.5: Fees — Rule 1.5(b)-(c). Source amendment note: November 25, 2020.