AboutDoctor Settlement Expertise 27 years of front line plaintiff`s trial lawyer experience in PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIMS. Along with other attorneys and insurance adjusters, we have created a website to help injured people settle their own personal injury claims. With the help from feedback from hundreds of satisfied members, www.settlementcentral.com has become THE AUTHORITY for Internet personal injury insurance claim settlements. I am humbled and honored if people can benefit from my experience and current volunteer work in helping injured people. I hope I can explain things in a manner that is useful for the questioner. If not, do not hesitate to e-mail me and I will take a second shot at it! Best Wishes for your physical and financial recovery.
Experience
Life Experience: 27 years of front line plaintiff's trial lawyer experience
Organizations: American Trial Lawyers Association (AAJ)
Washington State Trial Lawyers Association
Awards and Honors:
I am humbled and honored everytime I am selected to help injured people. And when people give feedback that they have benefited from my experience and current volunteer efforts, then that is a double honor and award for me.
Question i was involved in an auto accident dec of 2007.
my lawyer is only getting me $8000.00
what if i fire him and deal directly with the insurance company myself
Answer Hi Trish,
Do it yourself insurance settlements Dr. Settlement teaches at www.SettlementCentral.Com But in this case, I am NOT recommending that you try to do this yourself. Why?
First off, your contract with the attorney will take precedence in your relationship with the insurance company. She can AND WILL file a lien for her fees earned. If she has garnered an offer of $8K, then she has earned fees on that. So, no matter what you do, you are going to be stuck with paying your attorney. That is what you agreed to when you signed up with that attorney.
Secondly, the way in which you asked the question, and the few facts you gave to me reveals that you have very little understanding of how the process works. And instead of starting at the beginning, where you have time to learn from our website, you would be forced to jump in at the end, where there is no time to learn, and so it would be difficult to bring more to the table than your attorney did.
You seriously think that the adjuster is going to increase your offer once you fire your attorney? Why would she do that? What is it that you intend to do that would convince that adjuster that you alone present a bigger threat or risk to her?
While I do understand that you are not happy with this result, what makes you think that it is an inadequate result? This is part of what I meant by not having the foresight to furnish sufficient information for me to know how to answer you. For example, what is the liability, what are your medical expenses, what are your injuries, what is your wage loss, what are your residual injuries.
SOLUTION: Here is what I would suggest, Trish.
#1. See how another attorney would evaluate your claim. If the claim is worth $20K, that other attorney will tell you and you will be free to hire him. You will only pay one attorney fee since the two attorneys will split the fee in accordance with the work and success each had.
#2. If that does not pan out, then work with your attorney to make whatever increase you can. If you think you can do better than the attorney, then tell her what it is that you would do to increase the value.
#3. Write a letter—not via phone—to the attorney telling her that you are dissatisfied and that you would like to seek a second opinion since you do not think that you should pay the full fee for what she has done. Make her an offer to stay with her if she will reduce the fee down to 20%, or whatever percentage you think is right.
That would mean an increase in your pocket of $80 for each percentage point you can shave off of her fees. So if you got her down from a fee of one-third to a fee of 25%, then that is a reduction of eight and one-third percent, or a savings in your pocket of $664.
Does that make sense? I trust that my time here has produced some information that has been of value to you, and thus I would respectfully request that you take the time to locate the FEEDBACK FORM on this site and leave some feedback for me.
