Three Topics To Be Sure To Discuss When Hiring A Personal Injury Attorney

Hiring a qualified and experienced personal injury attorney is arguably the most important thing you can do if you've been injured and are thinking about pursuing legal action. Having the right person on your side will ensure that your case is strong and that you'll have the best chance possible of receiving a favorable settlement or verdict. Before you get to this point, however, it's beneficial to take some time to find the right attorney. Recommendations from people you know and online testimonials can help, but you should also contact some local attorneys to discuss your case. Covering these three topics will help you decide which attorney to hire.

Legal Strategy

Even though you're not a legal expert, it's important to ask the attorney about his or her legal strategy so that you know the direction the case will be headed. Once you've talked to a few attorneys, you'll be able to evaluate these strategies to determine which seems the best. The attorney should talk about having you meet with health professionals and investigators right away to document the nature of your injury and learn more about the situation that led up to your accident. He or she should also identify potential shortcomings in your case but share methods of overcoming them.

Lead Attorney

Some attorneys you meet with are in the practice of handling clients' cases on their own, while others will assign much of the casework to a junior attorney or other type of assistant. Both strategies can be successful, but it's useful for you to know the route that the attorney will be taking if you hire him or her. This is because if you click on a personal level with the attorney, you might want him or her to be doing all the work for your case and updating you about the progress that is being made.

Settlement Versus Trial

Upon hearing the particulars of your case, each attorney should be able to provide you with an initial assessment about whether accepting a settlement would be advantageous over going to trial. The idea of a significant financial settlement is enticing to many personal injury victims, but you need to rely on your attorney to let you know if going to trial would be preferable in your case. Discussing the probable timeline of each scenario can also help you know what to expect as the case progresses. Contact a lawyer, such as Risley Law Firm, P.C., for more information.