If you are involved in a personal injury lawsuit, you may be wondering how to tell a good First Coast personal injury attorney from a bad one. A good, experienced attorney knows that his role is to try to “sell” the package of medical bills and lost wages as effectively as possible to get the claims adjuster to agree to it.

There are several things that a good attorney does to facilitate this. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the better your attorney is able to work with the claims representative, the more the representative will be inclined to see your side and agree to a settlement. Your attorney should clearly communicate to the insurance company his theory of liability and provide full documentation of any allegations of monetary damages. Giving a “current” evaluation of your injury claim and providing the basis for that opinion might help.

Your attorney might also try alternative means of resolving disputes before the case proceeds to costly litigation in front of a jury. Professional mediators and arbitrators are readily available and may be preferable to going to trial.

Most importantly, a good personal injury attorney will establish a professional relationship with the claims representative by being willing to meet with the representative at his department, the attorney’s office, or another meeting place. Insurance companies do not encourage adjusters to leave the office for meeting attorneys and claimants, as it takes a lot of time out of their day; however, your case may be helped by meeting with the adjuster face to face.

If you have further questions about how to deal with your claims representative, contact experienced First Coast personal injury attorney John Fagan for a free initial consultation.