Personal Injury Hotline.com | Personal Injury Lawyers | 24/7

free legal consultation

Get Free Legal Consultation
24/7, Evenings & Weekends
CALL NOW: 1-800-234-5529
TEXT US AT: 516-268-3959
  • Home
  • About Us
  • The PIH Difference
  • Types of Cases
  • FAQ’s
  • Blog
  • Contact
You are here: Home / News / Old Abe Had It Right … “He Who Represents Himself Has A Fool For A Client”

Old Abe Had It Right … “He Who Represents Himself Has A Fool For A Client”

October 23, 2014 by Personal Injury Hotline 1 Comment

LincolnYou’ve been injured in a car accident. The other driver is clearly at fault. You are contacted by the negligent driver’s insurance company. They are prepared to settle your claim; no need to hire a lawyer, you are told. What should you do?

Abraham Lincoln was one of our greatest presidents. He was also a lawyer. Two of his most famous law quotes are: “a lawyer’s stock in trade is his advice”; and “he who represents himself has a fool for a client.”

If you find yourself in the situation mentioned above, take Old Abe’s advice and hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you. The truth is even lawyers hire other lawyers to represent them!

Hiring a lawyer to handle your claim has so many obvious advantages. He or she will be doing all the work! Your lawyer will investigate your claim, get the necessary reports and medical records, secure witness statements where warranted and, most important, negotiate with the insurance adjustor. All this without you having to pay the lawyer any money up front!

As you probably know, almost all personal injury lawyers work on a “contingency fee” basis. That means they only get paid if and when you get paid. That’s what “no recovery – no fee” means.

Studies have shown that accident victims represented by counsel receive more in settlement money than those representing themselves… even after the lawyer’s fee is taken into account! Not only will the lawyer be able to better negotiate on your behalf, but the insurance company knows if they are not reasonable in their settlement discussions, a jury trial may be just around the corner. This is a threat you, the claimant representing himself, cannot present.

The reason Abe’s saying rings so true is that it is very difficult representing yourself. You will be going up against an experienced insurance adjustor whose goal is to settle your case for the least amount of money. You do not have various negotiating tactics open to an intermediary. Plus emotions tend to get in the way when you are both the advocate and the client.

My favorite negotiating tactic is what’s called the “good cop- bad cop.” The lawyer is the “good cop” and the client is the “bad cop.” I often find myself saying something like this, “I appreciate your offer. It is reasonable. But I have a very difficult client who I know won’t take it. You will need to do a little better.” When you have the adjustor asking, “do you think your client will take x-amount,” you know you are in the driver’s seat!

While representing yourself in an injury claim is never a good idea, there is one situation where you should do so. That is when your case is so small or weak that no lawyer will take it. You are better off making a claim on your own than to do nothing at all. Many insurance companies will offer “nuisance value” just to close your file.

Related

Filed Under: News

Personal Injury Hotline

About Personal Injury Hotline

Comments

  1. AvatarDelores Lyon says

    June 1, 2015 at 3:40 pm

    Thanks for sharing this advice on hiring a lawyer for your personal injury case. I never knew that lawyers work on a contingency fee in personal injury cases. That definitely makes payment a lot easier for someone who doesn’t have a lot of money. In fact, that fact alone makes personal injury attorneys a better options than self-representation.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

step1
Speak with a lawyer… CALL 1-800-234-5LAW
step1
Email us your question… CLICK HERE
step1
Get more information… CLICK HERE

Related

Recent Posts

  • Playground and School Accidents
  • How Does Having a Dog Affect Your Homeowners Insurance Rates
  • Will my insurance rates go up after an accident?
  • Should I go to the hospital / doctor after an accident?
  • Proving Negligence in your Personal Injury Case

Categories

  • Featured
  • News
  • Sliders

Welcome to Personal Injury Hotline.com

We are personal injury lawyers ready to answer your most basic legal question … “Do I have a case?”

Every minute of every day, someone is injured in an accident. And every minute of every day accident victims can find out their rights, and how to protect them, by calling, or emailing, Personal Injury Hotline.com.

No matter which method of communication you choose, the consultation is always fast, easy and FREE.

Personal Injury Hotline.com… where getting answers to your legal questions is as easy as 1-2-3.

Related

step1
Speak with a lawyer… CALL 1-800-234-5LAW
step1
Email us your question… CLICK HERE
step1
Get more information… CLICK HERE

Related

About Us

Personal Injury HotlinePersonal Injury Hotline was established in 1987 as a toll-free number 1-800-234-5LAW for accident victims in the New York/Metro area who wanted immediate answers to legal questions
Read More…

Recent Articles

  • Playground and School Accidents
  • How Does Having a Dog Affect Your Homeowners Insurance Rates

For Personal Injury Lawyers

If you are an established personal injury lawyer or law firm that:
(1) understands the Internet;
(2) have your own website and
(3) would like to learn more about how to increase your practice by becoming part of our group, please drop us an email.

Contact Us

Email us today for a Free Legal Consultation

Toll Free Number::
1-800-234-5LAW
Copyright © 2021 PersonalInjuryHotline.com · disclaimer · privacy policy
Personal Injury Hotline.com is a service of the law firm of Jeffrey S. Kimmel.
The Personal Injury Hotlinesm and PersonalInjuryHotline.comsm are servicemarks of Jeffrey S. Kimmel.