Thursday, September 23, 2010

When to Hire an Attorney


One of the most common questions I get as a car accident attorney is whether or not a certain case requires my services, or if it can be handled without a lawyer. This is an incredibly important question for anyone involved in an auto accident, as you don't want to spend money on representation if that won't lead to you getting more for your claim.

The fact of the matter is that not every injury or car accident case will require the services of an attorney. There are a lot of lawyers out there that don't want you to know that, because small claims are easy enough to be handled by anybody, and are quick money for a lawyer that takes them. When injuries and property damage are minor, it is possible that the cost of hiring a lawyer will lower the final amount that you actually receive.

With this in mind, though, if you are considering hiring an attorney, chances are that you will actually need one. In the majority of cases, it will serve in your best interest to be represented by someone who has a firm grasp on the law and has experience fighting cases against insurance companies.
There is overwhelming evidence that a lawyer's representation will likely bring you a lot more money. The Insurance Research Council has found that those who hire an attorney get an average of 3½ times more in their settlement. The reason for this is that Insurance Companies are in the business of lowering or denying claims.

They know exactly how to make this happen, and can easily take advantage of auto accident victims who do not have an attorney representing them. The playing field is leveled once you hire a personal injury attorney, because they have spent the vast majority of their career fighting insurance companies. Fighting a small claim is simple and straightforward enough for most people, however, when the claim is bigger; there are a lot more variables to deal with. Fighting this on your own can be a very difficult and time consuming process that is virtually impossible without a legal education. Some cases may not be able to be resolved in arbitration or mediation, in which case it is imperative that you have an attorney to fight your case.



The biggest concern in most people's mind is the common practice where personal injury attorneys take 1/3 of the final settlement as the attorney's fee. Despite this, though, the overwhelming majority of cases show that you by hiring a lawyer, you will in turn get so much more money out of your case that it will easily make up for it. If you are unsure about whether or not the process is worth it for you, call up an experienced personal injury lawyer and ask for a free consultation. Because personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, it is in their best interest to only take cases that will pay out, so a trustworthy attorney will lead you in the right direction.

How To Create High Quality Auto Insurance Comparisons


There are many different insurance products consumers can choose from today. If you are having a hard time finding the right policy for your family, you may need to develop an insurance comparison. By comparing the policies of multiple companies, you can quickly find the best deals available to you at any given time. The following tips will help you create auto insurance comparisons quickly and easily.

Tip 1- The first portion of an auto insurance company you should review are their financial strengths. If the company is financially strong, they can easily make payments on the claims of their clients. If they have trouble satisfying the claims of their clients, though, they are not financially strong. You should stay away from companies that are financially weak, because they might not be able to reimburse you if you ever have an accident in the future.

Tip 2- Look into customer satisfaction levels. The customer satisfaction levels of an insurance company's customers can be very important. If they maintain great customer satisfaction levels, their clients are very happy with the way their services have turned out. Customers are generally happy with insurance policies when they provide plenty of coverage, they provide great customer service, and they are sold for great prices.

Tip 3- The product selection a company offers is very important too. If you need to fine tune the details that apply to your policy, you can easily do so if you are insured by the right company. Some of the best companies can help insurers of all kinds find policies that perfectly suit their unique needs. Once you have found a company that can insure all types of policies, you can buy a policy that gives you just the right amount of coverage to stay safe while on the road.

Tip 4- See what other people are saying about the company you are interested in. Customer satisfaction surveys can be a great source of information, but they do not always tell the whole story. By seeing what real customers are saying about a company, you can see the benefits and drawbacks of using a single company. Once you know what real customers are saying, you will know exactly which policies are right for you.

Tip 5- Review the prices of each company's products. If you are creating auto insurance comparisons involving multiple companies, you can easily end your search by comparing the prices of each company's products. If one company is charging considerably less for the exact same type of service and insurance products, you should use that company over any other to save money.