Lawyers and the Claim Process

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Will a Lawyer Help Me With My Claim?

Lawyers and the Claim Process

When the first claim report is a notice from an attorney, it will definitely impede the investigation of the claim. Immediate attorney representation after any accident type prolongs the investigative claim process. Accident causation, witnesses, incident reports, (if any) will have to be located, and the process may take months to complete, if your attorney cooperates with the investigation. The adjuster can only do so much with the cooperation from the insured. When you are the claimant, making a claim against the adjuster's insured, the adjuster has an obligation to believe his insured. However, he must now await the claimant to finish all medical treatment, obtain medical records to evaluate treatment, and possibly get to the point of deposing the claimant prior to trial, if they find no liability on their insured's part.

When there is no attorney involvement when the accident is first reported, the investigation of the accident and the personal injury is expedited, as a direct line of communication is open between adjuster and injured claimant. However, the minute the adjuster receives the attorney's notice of representation, the adjuster can no longer speak to the represented party directly in regard to property damage or bodily injury. An attorney's advertised claims of intimidated claim adjusters forking over more money due to his involvement are baseless. Read the fine print in the attorney's paperwork prior to hiring one. Speak to the adjuster if you are working with one if you have concerns. Then, you can make an informed decision as to whether you should get a lawyer. In different states, there are statutes of limitations in which to file claims, and to preserve these statutes, an attorney must file a complaint. Served a summons, the defendant, the adjuster's insured, will notify his insurance carrier, and the adjuster will have notice of your claim, if he does not already. Therefore, you may want to consult a lawyer if your claim has been with the adjuster for a while, or if it has been about a year since the injury happened, and the claim process has not been initiated.

   

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