If you have a personal injury claim, whether or not you have an attorney representing you in the claim, there is going to be an insurance adjuster ultimately deciding whether or not, and to what extent, you will be compensated for your injuries.

Today I was negotiating with an adjuster over an automobile accident that two of my clients had been involved in. I could tell the adjuster clearly did not want me to file suit; she wanted to settle the case. Given that fact, I needed to, and did, impress upon her that I was ready to file suit. Given that “leverage,” the adjuster eventually increased her offer and we were able to settle the two cases. If my clients did not have an attorney representing them in this claim, there is no way the adjuster would have offered any where near what she ended up offering to settle the two claims.

Unfortunately, if you do not have an attorney representing you in your personal injury claim, you will have very little leverage. The adjuster knows that you have no legal training and that you do not know how to properly file, and pursue, a lawsuit. Having an attorney represent you tells the adjuster that they are going to have to pay more because they know your attorney is capable of filing suit, which exposes the insurance company to an adverse jury verdict.

Please contact me with any Massachusetts personal injury and insurance questions you may have.