Your attorney is there to defend your interests, and his or her first obligation is to you.

It is important to understand throughout that your defense attorney will likely have limits. For example if liscensure, billing or other matters are not covered by your policy are involved. In addition, there is an implicit limit where your interests conflict with the insurance company's, and possibly with other defendants from the same insurer. In any of these situations you may well need a personal attorney, or other attorneys. A personal attorney can also give you a bearing on your attorney's suitabilty for your case.

You want your defense attorney to play a critical role in discovery, selection of an expert witness, inverveiws of other at

Before a trial, go over with your attorney exactly what is going to happen and when.
You may need to go over the issues question by question, and answer by answer, to be ready for what you are going to do.

Your goal is to be able to convey your thoughts on the management of the case.
Go over exactly how the presentation is going to be made.