Do I need a lawyer to settle a small injury case?
It is true that you do not always require a lawyer for every injury claim involving a slip and fall or other type of injury case, where the injuries are very minor. However, there is always value in consulting a lawyer. In some cases, if the injury is small and damages are limited, it may be possible to settle an injury case without a lawyer.  We would, however, never recommend finalizing any settlement without at least consulting a lawyer. While a smaller personal injury case may generally not have significantly impacts on a person's quality of life, small injuries can sometimes develop into long term problems – only the appropriate health care professional can make the adequate assessment. A personal injury lawyer can investigate the issues relating to consequences of any injury, even smaller ones, with the assistance of medical experts.
If you have determined that you want to settle your small injury case yourself and do not want to consult a lawyer, these are things to keep in mind before making that decision on a final basis:
While an experienced injury lawyer may not take on a truly very small injury cases, you may be able, for a small fee, to have a lawyer review the terms of settlement to see if the settlement is at least fair.
Adjusters working for insurance companies are not there to increase your compensation, they work for insurers and their job is to limit the amount the insurer will pay to compensate victims of injuries.
There are some considerations you should be aware of before accepting an offer from an insurance company, such as the finality of the settlement, regardless of any changes in your medical condition in the future.
When reaching a settlement, if you require future care, you will not be able to make another claim since you will be asked by the insurance company to sign a full and final release.  Therefore, you need to know the full nature and extent of your injuries and whether any further medical treatment will be necessary before agreeing to a settlement.
The purpose of a full and final release is to forever bar any further payment, even should your medical condition become worse or be far more serious than originally believed.
Therefore, do not settle unless you are absolutely certain you will not require any further medical care and you have fully healed from your injuries.
You should consider whether the amount of money you agreed to settle your injury case is enough to properly compensate you for all your damages such as physical and emotional pain, suffering, scarring, disfigurement, emotional distress, loss of the enjoyment of life, loss of income and out of pocket expenses, etc..