One of the most important skills an attorney brings to the table when working on your case is the ability to communicate. This helps you understand the process and the value of your claim. It also helps communicate the details of your case to the court or the insurance adjuster during settlement negotiations. In addition to communication skills, your attorney can provide: The ability to properly value your claim gives you enough money to cover injury expenses now and in the future. The value also includes the psychological impacts of your injury and a percentage for your attorney’s services through the client-friendly contingent-fee billing method. There should be enough wiggle room in the overall value that your attorney can negotiate a settlement for less. You will still have enough compensation to cover your expenses and impacts. The experience to help you determine when to file a lawsuit. Personal injury settlement negotiations generally begin before filing a lawsuit, but they do not have to stop once you file. Settlement negotiations can continue until the court renders a decision. When negotiations stall, you often file a lawsuit, and filing can make those conversations start again. While insurance companies do not like to pay out on settlement agreements, they like a trial's expense and uncertain outcome even less. Guidance as to what constitutes a fair settlement in your claim. The decision to accept a settlement offer is yours alone to make. However, your attorney has a wealth of information to consider, so you may feel confident in your decision. One common insurance company tactic is to string victims along in personal injury cases by promising to work with them and then continuously delaying their handling of the case. This can become a major problem for people who invest hope in the insurer and do not realize until it is ultimately too late that they need legal representation. Multiple studies prove that victims get more compensation if they have lawyers in personal injury cases, but their settlements will be much higher than handling cases alone. Most personal injury attorneys refuse to accept the first offer and spend time negotiating and pushing for the maximum amount possible. One study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) found settlements were 40 percent higher on average for people represented by attorneys compared to those who did not have legal representation. A separate study found that settlement payouts were about 3.5 times higher with legal representation than without it. When you are seeking a settlement, you should enter negotiations with a specific settlement amount in mind that will be satisfactory. Do not disclose your intended settlement amount to the party you negotiate with. You should also know the minimum settlement amount you will accept. Consider this a worst-case scenario if negotiations are proving to be unproductive. When an insurance company makes an offer you believe is too low, you may ask why. The insurance adjuster can offer specific reasons why the company is lowballing you, and you can write down every reason and then respond to them in a letter to the insurer in which you possibly decrease your demands or justify them. Consider the most emotional points of your injury, such as an inability to properly care for your child. Such non-economic damage factors do not have inherent financial value but still help make a compelling case for why settlements need to compensate people for these dramatic changes to their lives.