View source for Settlement Workers Guide to Making Effective Referrals

==Help a client prepare for the next step==

Clients will benefit from being well prepared before going to another agency, meeting with a community legal advocate or meeting with a lawyer. Free and low-cost legal advice and representation services have limited time available for each client. When the client comes prepared, the person they see has more time to provide legal advice.  

Clients who pay for their lawyer themselves will get the most value for their money if they are prepared. Preparation can include learning more about their legal issue, organizing information about their situation and understanding more about the services they will receive. Encourage your client to learn more about their legal issue. You have shown them where to find legal information and have perhaps provided some print information. Explain the benefits of using this information to better understand their legal issue. 

Clients can also prepare by following a few basic steps to organize information about their situation ahead of time. Encourage clients to:

* write down what happened, in the order it happened, with dates,
* write out their questions,
* bring all documents to the meeting, including their contact information, and  
* check before the meeting if an interpreter is provided, if necessary, and make arrangements to have someone there to help them if interpreters are not provided.

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{{REVIEWED | reviewer = [[Drew Jackson]], March 2014}}

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