How to Evaluate Cases without a Crystal Ball

I cannot begin to count the number of times when a prospective client recounts some basic facts to me by phone and asks “Do I have a case?  And what percentages will I receive?”  Honestly, when I graduated law school 26 years ago, they gave me a piece of paper not a crystal ball.  There is no lawyer on the planet who can evaluate a military disability case without reviewing your entire medical record, personnel record and IDES or legacy case file of any procedural actions completed to date.  Anyone who ventures an opinion without reviewing these items and then actually talking with you for an hour or two is merely shooting from the hip.  Is that really what you want?   The decisions that you make in this process will be some of the most important ones that you make in your entire life and should be based upon the best possible information, not simply upon a whim.  That is why I insist on reviewing these documents before making a decision as to whether to take on a case.  And you should too.