You feel your bank account quickly crumbling away. Your insurance company has refused to cover your claim, and now the massive fees are threatening your daily life.
It’s easy to panic. It’s even easier however, to search LawPath’s lawyer directory for insurance lawyers. And with this guide for five questions to ask, you’ll get to your perfect insurance lawyer in no time.
1. What areas of insurance do you have expertise in?
There are almost endless amounts of insurance. Insurance lawyers vary dramatically depending on what area they cover. Some examples include:
- Public liability;
- Indemnity;
- Health;
- Travel;
- Life;
- Home; and
- Car.
The first step is to ensure that the lawyer you are speaking to is suitable for your issue. There’s little use in speaking to someone who has experience in travel insurance if your issue is a public liability claim.
2. How do you want to settle this issue?
You always want to be on the same page with your lawyer, and understand how they prefer to handle their cases. Some prefer to settle the matter with the insurance company, while others prefer to go all out, taking the matter to court. Options and chances of success regarding settlements, conciliation meetings and hearings should be discussed. You should understand the positives and negatives of proceeding with your claim, and be comfortable with what the lawyer is planning.
You may want a lawyer better at settling if you have no interest in going further, while a lawyer with more experience at hearings could be preferable if you want your full claim value.
3. What are the legal costs?
Insurance claims can be financially draining, and the last thing you want is also to be drowned in a wave of legal fees. However, you also want to balance costs with getting the right lawyer that can provide you the relief you need.
Insurance lawyers are generally paid in three different ways.
Billable hours
Billable hours are when the lawyer charges for every hour spent on your issue. You should try and get an idea of how many hours the lawyer expects to take. Keep in mind that even a short five minute conversation can add much more than that into your final charge.
Flat fee
A flat fee provides a clearer picture of what you pay. The flat fee, however, may not cover all legal costs such as filing documents in court.
No win, no fee
No win, no fee is more popular in countries such as the United States, but they are also used for insurance claims in Australia by certain lawyers. This means that all professional fees of engaging lawyers are only paid with a win, but this may not include other fees such as documents and other expenses paid.
You can connect with an insurance lawyer using LawPath’s lawyer directory. You can also learn more about how lawyers charge clients by reading our legal guide on how much you should pay a lawyer.
4. Can you help work with me to get a better insurance policy?
Chances are, if your claim was refused, you’ll want to get a better insurance policy for next time. A good insurance lawyer will be able to get you a better insurance policy that may cover this, and any other, issues.
Lawyers aren’t just there to provide legal advice in times of needed. They’re also valuable to protect you from future legal issues. Try and get a lawyer who will solve your insurance issues now, as well as preventing them in the future.
5. Do you have a conflict of interest with the other party?
This is a key question to ask insurance lawyers. Many insurance lawyers deal with both people who are insured, and the insurance companies themselves. You may not want to find yourself in a position where your lawyer has done a lot of work with the company you are fighting against.
Conclusion
Choosing an insurance lawyer is critical to protect yourself from unprepared losses and damage. These questions will narrow down your search for insurance lawyers and ensure that you are in excellent hands, both in the present and for the future. You can begin searching for insurance lawyers on LawPath’s lawyer directory.
Need an insurance lawyer? Use LawPath’s lawyer marketplace to compare and choose from Australia’s leading insurance lawyers and get answers to your legal questions.
