Ask The Lawyer – Settlements-R-Us

When I was a child we raised our own food. We ate what came out of the garden. Chickens ran amuck in the back yard.  On Sundays I knew a young rooster would die. Early in the morning my grandma would pick one out. She would grab it with her hand throw the body around in the air while hanging on to the poor birds head. In moments the body of the bird would be flopping around. The head would be held firmly in her fist.  I would have a drumstick for dinner.

I can remember when doctors made some house calls. It was not that many years ago that babies were born at home. Like the family doctor there was also a family lawyer.

Times have changed. Some believe for the best others long for the olden days. Now chickens are killed in factories. Veggies come already canned or frozen. Doctors deliver babies in hospitals on a schedule convenient to the doctor’s work week.

Now days we also have what I term “settlement factories”. These are groups of lawyers who band together just to settle personal injury claims. They seldom if ever take a case to trial. They do not usually file a case in court. they settle with the insurance company. The dollar amount of the settlements are somewhat small. However, the check from the insurance company is fast.  They have huge advertisement cost. You see them on TV. Hear them on the radio. And see the billboards everywhere.  These lawyers makes piles of money.

Let me explain that they are not being dishonest. They are just turning around cases in the quickest time possible. They do not make much money on a single case.  It is kind of like Walmart or K-mart. They make money because they settle tons of cases.

If a person is injured in an accident they have choices to make. The person can decide to do nothing. The person can haggle with the insurance company on their own. If they need some money fast they can call settlements-R-us.  Settlement factories have only one thing to do and that is to settle the claim as quick as possible. The other option is to contact your local attorney. Your local attorney is not spending all of his time on TV or with the insurance company. The local attorney should be listening to you, evaluating your case, and seriously preparing for trial.

I like Walmart, K-mart, and fast food. There is a time and place for quick and easy. There is a time and place for settlement lawyers too.