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INSURANCE DEFENSE

by R. Matthew Cairns

If you have automobile, property or other liability insurance, one thing you are paying for is a lawyer in the event you are sued for an accident.

Insurance companies maintain lists of attorneys who they feel are best suited to defend their insured individuals and businesses. If someone makes a claim against you for an accident that is covered by your insurance policy, you must contact your insurance company immediately. The insurance company will open a file, assign an adjuster or claims handler to the file, and begin to protect your interests. If or when the claim is filed in court, the insurance company will also appoint a lawyer to represent you in that lawsuit. The insurance company, NOT YOU, will pay the lawyer to handle the case.

Even though the insurance company is paying the lawyer, YOU ARE THE LAWYER’S CLIENT! It is the lawyer’s job to zealously defend your interests in the lawsuit. Of course, your interests are usually the same as the insurance company’s – resolve the case in the shortest period of time and on the best terms so that you (and the insurance company) can put the matter behind you.

A good insurance defense attorney will look at you and the insurance company as partners. He will treat both of you with respect and honesty, and work hard to reach an outcome that is in his "partners’" best interests.