We get asked all the time – why do I need a lawyer? My contractor says he can handle it. A public adjuster says he can handle it. It seems like homeowners are getting advice from lots of different people about how they should handle their insurance claim.
Lawyers can recover damages that your public adjuster or contractor cannot. We know the law. We know its deadlines. We know when it has been violated and penalties and other damages, including attorney’s fees are owed.
Contractors and Public Adjusters negotiate from a position of weakness – they cannot do anything if the insurance company doesn’t agree with them. They ultimate bargain with the position: “Give me what I want or I will take whatever you offer.” We don’t do that. We negotiate from a position of power. We can hold the insurance company accountable, in court, for their delays in payments or underpayment or wrongful denial of your claim. They know it. We know it. And, because of that threat, our negotiations and demands have greater force. We have the ultimately leverage – if we do not accept their offer, we take the case to a jury. And so far, we have never lost.
We don’t negotiate like adjusters and contractors. We do rely on experts – that we hire – for you – at our expense – to put together your claim from a forensic level. We use building consultants, engineers, estimators, independent adjusters, moisture detectives, etc., to make sure we know every part of covered damage. We use that to driver the negotiations but what also drives the negotiations is the threat that we will get a verdict in a bigger amount.
Our verdicts in cases like these dwarf the amount of actual covered damages – because by the time of trial, the insurance company has to pay for the attorney’s fees, penalty interest for late payment, as well as punitive damages if applicable.
The bottom line is this – negotiating with an insurance company is no easy task. You need someone on your side who negotiates from a position of strength, not weakness. That is us. Call us and let our experience work for you.
