Confused about hiring a lawyer

Florida .. injured cervical spine, employer and W/C helpful so far. Regular doc says surgery needed, seeing neurosurgeon tomorrow. I want to know if I should hire an attorney for future medical reasons, and if I should seek a settlement, as my injury will carry a disability.
Thanks!

I am an attorney practicing in the Greater Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

A settlement may be appropriate, but be careful. The w/c insurance carrier and your employer are only looking out for their best interests. Do not sign a settlement which will end you employer's obligation to provide for future medical treatment. While you may initially recover well from the surgery, complications may arise in the future. It is not at all unusual for the injured person to require several surgeries and/or expensive pain management treatment.

You should schedule a formal consultation with a lawyer. A good means of obtaining an attorney referral is by contacting your State's bar association or your local county bar association. They probably have a web site and charge a nominal fee for the referral. Most attorneys either provide a free initial consultation, or charge a nominal fee. I would be happy to meet with you. I do not charge for an initial consultation. I can be contacted by calling either 727/804-3609 or 813/758-1862.

Good Luck.

The above information is provided as a courtesy, without any consideration and without knowledge of the specific facts. Do not rely on this information. Seek a formal consultation with an attorney.

I would think long and hard about entering a settlement agreement without retaining a legal professional to protect your interests. This is especially true when serious injuries are involved. Generally, once you sign the settlement papers you are bound by the agreement.
JackRabbit was obviously burned by lawyers and other professionals in the past. Unfortunately, there are quite a few unscrupulous attorneys. However, there are ways you can protect yourself. Most State Bar Associations provide consumer phamplets on how to retain an attorney.
If you need to hire an attorney then I suggest contacting your state Bar Association. In addition to requesting the aforementioned consumer phamplet, ask if the attorney you are considering retaining has any complaints on file. Ask about the nature of the complaints and the given investigations conclusion. Keep in mind that some clients blame their attorneys for bad outcomes and file unfounded grievances with the bar. If the attorney has only grievances which might be plausibly explained away, then ask the attorney about them. As an aside, I have been practicing law since 1993 and I have never had a complaint/grievance filed against me.
If you retain an attorney who provides no legitimate service then you should file a complaint with the State Bar.
I agree somewhat with Jackrabbits' comments on the workers compensation system. It is definitely stacked against the workers. You have to realize that the system is created by politicians who are heavily lobbied by employers and workers compensation insurance carriers. That is another reason why you should retain an attorney to protect your interests.
Regarding JackRabbits assertion that "free" consultations are just a sham to get folks to retain attorneys, this is just a bad experience talking. Lets get real. The only reason attorneys offer "free" consultations is so they can get prospective clients to come to their office. That is why I offer "free" consultations. What is wrong with that? I do not put any pressure on prospective clients. During an initial consultation I never even give prospective clients a retainer agreement . If the case seems worth pursuing, I mail the prospective client a retainer agreement. I do not need to be retained on the spur of the moment. If during an initial consultation an attorney gives you a retainer agreement, then I suggest you refuse to sign it until you have considered it for at least a day or so. Most honest attorneys only consider representing a small portion (20%-35%) of the clients which they meet pursuant to a "free" consultation. The remainder get 30 minutes of the attorney's valuable time and expertise for free. Run fast and far from an attorney who takes on every potential case which enters his office door.

Good Luck