Sure. There are some sets of circumstances that wouldn’t necessarily require an attorney. Perhaps there wasn’t much damaged or you weren’t really injured. However, it is important to keep in mind that the insurance company wants you to think you don’t need a car accident attorney in any situation.

Today, I read an article that proved my point. An insurance site released some material addressing the common question, “Do I need an attorney?” The author assured readers that starting without a lawyer will make the insurance companies treat you better because they will “get better information to evaluate your claim, be able to settle the claim more quickly and save the company some money while paying you more.” The author was a senior claims adjuster for an insurance company. Go figure that every time I see an article like this it is written by an adjuster or someone else tied to the insurance industry.

It makes me sick to my stomach that people might believe this information. First of all, if there were no need for attorneys, there wouldn’t be any. Our country is capitalistic and built on supply and demand—where there is a need, there is a service. It is no different when it comes to car accidents.

Second, the insurance company has one goal and that is to minimize the amount of money they need to pay you. Of course, this only makes sense. Business is business. Unfortunately, the accident victims that don’t know this and simply accept whatever the insurance company offers are often the very same people who are stuck without help with medical bills, recovery of lost wages, or fair treatment.

Third, the insurance research council released statistics that show injury claimants who hire a lawyer received a car accident settlement that is three and a half times better than they would have received had they tried to handle their case on their own. This is even AFTER the attorneys fees are paid. Clearly, the idea that you’ll get more money if you don’t have an attorney is completely absurd.

Insurance companies want you to believe that you don’t need an attorney in order to make it easier for them to negotiate a lower car accident settlement. They know that the average person simply doesn’t have the same resources or intimate knowledge of the industry as they do—and they take advantage of this.