When you're trying to collect compensation for an injury, the amount of your award and the speed of your settlement depends a great deal on the expertise and skill level of your personal injury attorney. Before hiring any law firm, meeting with several candidates and asking a variety of questions can ensure that you get the best legal representation available.

At your initial consultation, ask each personal injury attorney:

• What Would Be a Fair Settlement Amount? One of the most important services an injury lawyer provides is an accurate valuation of your damages based on their knowledge of the law. Ask for a detailed explanation of how they arrived at their estimate, and beware of astronomical figures.
• Will You Be the One Handling My Case? You always want to make sure the person you're meeting with will actually be the one handling your case, not a junior associate or affiliated lawyer at another firm.
• How Long Have You Been Practicing? Personal injury law is extremely complex, so a personal injury attorney with more experience will usually be able to deliver consistently superior results.
• What Percentage of Your Practice Is Injury Cases? In most legal situations, you'll want to find an attorney who focuses as closely as possible on cases like yours. Ask about recent similar cases and what the outcomes were.
• Do You Have Courtroom Experience? In all likelihood, your personal injury claim will probably be settled in negotiation, but you'll want a personal injury attorney who will be able to argue your claim in court, if necessary.

If you think you might be able to work with a personal injury attorney, you should do a little more digging. Try asking:

• Have You Been Censured or Suspended? If they have, don't automatically disqualify them, but you deserve to know in advance whether they've ever been accused of an ethics violation.
• Do You Have References? Most accomplished attorneys will gladly provide you with a list of previous clients willing to discuss their experience.
• How Many of Your Cases Go to Trial? This can be an indicator of a lawyer's willingness to fight for larger awards on behalf of their clients.
• How Quickly Do You Return Phone Calls? Some elements of your case may develop quickly, so you'll want an attorney who maintains open lines of communication and responds as soon as possible.
• Why Are You My Best Option? The outcome of your case is important, and choosing a lawyer is probably the most critical decision you'll make in the process. Your attorney should be able to articulate why they can help you achieve a better outcome than anyone else.

Marc D. Orloff, Attorney At Law is a law firm dedicated to helping accident victims throughout the Goshen area get the maximum award for their damages. Visit their website to learn more about how they can make the entire process easier on you, follow them on Facebook, or call (845) 294-8974 for a consultation with a personal injury attorney today.