Every law firm is different, and may handle speaking with potential new clients differently than another. Some firms do a great deal of screening over the telephone before you are allowed to set up an appointment with an attorney, while others will allow you to set up an appointment and get most of their information from you in a face-to-face meeting. Sometimes you will speak to a legal assistant or a paralegal instead of an attorney. The legal assistant or a paralegal will then gather the information for an attorney to review your case before a decision is made to set up an appointment. In case the firm you contact does a thorough screening over the phone, you should be prepared before you start calling law firms to discuss representation. For more information on how to prepare, see question 3 below.