Reader question:
Why should I get a lawyer to help me with my claim?
Annie
There are lots of reasons to have an attorney assist you with your car insurance claim.
One of the main reasons is that they know the ins and outs of the system. Any average person could easily get lost in the paperwork, negotiation, and simple struggle that all comes with filing a car insurance claim. Not to mention that you have a lot at stake when you’re filing a claim, so you want to make sure that it is properly handled.
First of all, you might want to get a car insurance lawyer to help you out when negotiating with your adjuster. You might have a good, solid idea of the amount you want your settlement to be, but having little experience in similar situations you might not know the right things to say in order to achieve the end you want to achieve. A lawyer can help you with this. They’ve spoken to a lot of adjusters, and they know what to say and what evidence to provide to convince the adjuster or their supervisor that a higher amount is needed than the one offered. They can also help you draft a demand letter if you want to jump start the negotiations process and aren’t confident in your ability to do so alone. And then, if even the negotiations don’t turn out a way that pleases you and you have reason to require more than you are being offered, a lawyer who specializes in car insurance claims can help you take your demand to court to get what you deserve.
If you’re just looking for a small claim or your adjuster offers you a price you like right off the bat, or if you’ve been through the whole process before, you might not need to worry about getting a lawyer. However, it is good to recommend one to those who are experiencing a claim situation for the very first time, and who aren’t sure how to handle things. You can research and research what to do in that situation, but if you can’t negotiate, you just can’t negotiate. For this reason it’s great that there are lawyers out there who can help you in any claims situation that you find yourself in, because it’s important that you get the settlement you deserve.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.