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Should I hire an attorney, or should I negotiate with the insurance company on my own?

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Should I hire an attorney, or should I negotiate with the insurance company on my own?

At The A.W. Smith Law Firm, this is a question we routinely receive from prospective clients. In answering this question, many factors come into play, such as:

  • The severity of your injuries (if any);
  • Lost wages, lost earning capacity, and past/future medical costs;
  • Liability of the at-fault party and/or your own liability;
  • Whether the claim involves injury to a minor;
  • Whether the claim involves the death of a family member;
  • The amount of compensation you are seeking; and
  • The complexity of your specific claim.

In attempting to negotiate with the insurance company on your own, you run the risk of falling into one of many legal pitfalls that may detrimentally affect your claim. For example, you may disclose the wrong/too much information to the insurance company, you may wait too long and be barred by the statute of limitations in bringing your claim, or you may settle your claim for less than it is worth. As the majority of individuals have never had to negotiate an injury claim before, it can be difficult to know what is recoverable within the injury claim and what the value of those recoverable items should be.

As every claim is unique and is comprised of myriad factors, the attorneys at The A.W. Smith Law Firm review every claim free of charge and will provide you with an honest and straightforward evaluation of your claim. If your claim is one that our attorneys believe can be resolved without the need of an attorney, we will let you know that quickly and at no cost to you. If the factors involved with your claim require the need of an experienced attorney, The A.W. Smith Law Firm will offer you that service. Notably, our firm routinely reduces and/or eliminates our attorney’s fees to ensure you are left in a better position than you would have been without retaining an attorney.

In short, the decision on whether to hire an attorney or negotiate with the insurance company on your own is complex, and it should not be made without at least first speaking with an attorney. If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, please reach out to The A.W. Smith Law Firm for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.