Why Your Compensation Lawyer Might Recommend Accepting a Settlement Instead of Going to Trial
If you have retained a compensation lawyer, you might have talked with them about whether or not you should accept a settlement offer from the insurance company if you are offered one. You might find that your lawyer will recommend that you accept a settlement, if possible, instead of taking your case to trial. This might be surprising to you since you might assume that one of the things that your lawyer might like to do is take cases to trial. Although the average compensation lawyer is usually more than willing to take a case to trial if necessary — such as if no settlement is offered, or if the settlement that is offered is truly unfair — they often recommend accepting a settlement for these reasons and more.
It Will Probably Take a Lot Longer
First of all, you should know that if you take your case to trial, it's probably going to take quite a bit longer. It might be months or even years before you ever see a courtroom, and then the trial might be a long and drawn-out proceeding. This isn't good for a busy lawyer who might have other cases, and it's not good for you, either. After all, the longer that it takes for your case to be resolved, the longer it will be before you'll be properly compensated. If you take a settlement, you can save yourself and your lawyer a lot of time, and you can get the money that you're entitled to a lot more quickly, too.
There's a Chance You Might Lose
If you are offered a settlement by the insurance company, then you're pretty much guaranteed to receive the money that they're offering if you do choose to accept the settlement. If you turn the settlement down, however, you might not be offered another settlement. If you aren't and if you choose to take your case to trial, there is a chance that you could lose your case and not get any money from the insurance company at all. Of course, this would not be a good situation for you or your lawyer. Your lawyer might recommend that there is less of a risk if you go ahead and take a settlement if it's offered, especially if it seems to be fair and reasonable based on the specifics of your case.
Your Legal Fees Might Go Up if You Go to Trial
You might be worried about how much your legal fees will cost, and you should know that they might increase if your lawyer has to go to trial. After all, this is a lot more work and time that the lawyer has to put in. If you want to keep your legal fees down, taking out a settlement might make the most sense.
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