How to use this guide
Use the section links to find the records, deadlines, and questions most relevant to your situation.
Topic
How do I choose the right lawyer for a catastrophic injury?
Vetting Checklist
Start with
Questions About Relevant Experience and Resources
Use the section links to find the information most relevant to your situation.
Individual questions
Case-specific review
An attorney can address how the facts, evidence, deadlines, and governing law apply to a particular matter.
01
Questions About Relevant Experience and Resources
Catastrophic injury matters can require substantial medical, vocational, economic, and litigation work. Use this checklist to compare how each lawyer would evaluate and staff the matter.
02
Do you have the financial resources to fund this case?
Catastrophic cases can require substantial expert expenses for life-care planning, economics, medicine, and reconstruction. Ask how the firm evaluates and funds the case work the facts require.
03
When was the last time you took a case to verdict?
Trial history is one factor to consider when a serious matter may require contested litigation rather than an early negotiated resolution.
04
Do you handle these cases exclusively?
Ask whether the lawyer regularly handles catastrophic injury matters and has systems for medical proof, expert work, and trial preparation.
05
Why Financial Capacity Matters
In a catastrophic injury case involving TBI, spinal cord injury, amputation, or permanent impairment, life-care planners, economists, medical specialists, and reconstruction experts may be needed. The lawyer should explain how those costs are evaluated and advanced.
Review the Record Early
Evidence can change quickly. Attorney review can help identify records, deadlines, and preservation issues.