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Ask an attorney about the importance of recordkeeping and evidence, and you will likely hear the phrase, “The person with the best records wins.” While this is not a hard-and-fast rule (similar to the Jedi, attorneys do not deal in absolutes), the importance of good recordkeeping and documentary evidence cannot be understated.
Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you preserve your evidence before even seeing an attorney:
- Confirm in-person meetings and phone calls in writing: This can be done via email, letter, or text message. While not irrefutable, these confirmations can be used as proof that a conversation occurred, that a topic was discussed. A helpful phrase to add to your confirming correspondence is, “If anything contained herein is incorrect, please state such in response to this correspondence.”
- Save text messages, emails, and receipts: Far too many people delete texts and emails without thought. Many even set their text messages to automatically delete within a certain period of time. Retaining these texts or emails will help demonstrate conversations and their content.
- Take photographs: This is especially important for automobile accidents, physical injuries, or other events where evidence only exists for a limited amount of time. Having photographs of any damage done to you or the property can show the extent of that damage, as well as have a major impact on judges and jury members.
- Keep a log, diary, or journal: It is helpful to keep a personal log, diary, or journal to make notes of dates, times, and specific statements as they occur. Most importantly, this will aid your memory of events as they happened. Many persons coming to an attorney have suffered some form of harm or trauma, which can make it difficult to remember statements that were made or exactly when issues occurred. This is especially true for cases that may take years to go to trial.
It is important to note that people should not take the property of others in gathering evidence or preserving a claim. Taking documents from an employer or another person could expose a person to civil or even criminal liability.
If you have suffered harm, an injury, or suspect your rights are being violated, it is highly recommended that you follow these tips and tricks. Further, we urge you to contact an attorney to protect yourself.
At Grewal Law PLLC, our Michigan attorneys are happy to discuss potential claims, how to protect your rights, and what options you may have after being wronged. Call our full-service firm today at (888) 211-5798 for a free initial consultation.
