In a perfect world, others would own up to their responsibility and pay the costs needed to right a wrong. They would pay for your medical treatment for an injury they caused or contributed to. Insurance companies would gladly pay all that they know you are owed for your injury.

The reality is, however, that victims are rarely paid the full amount of compensation they are owed unless they have an attorney advocating on their behalf. Insurance companies are likely to extend less than adequate settlement offers because they know they can lowball victims and policyholders and get away with it.

Studies find that victims who are represented by an attorney are likely to get significantly better settlement offers than those who try to pursue compensation on their own. Insurance companies know successful attorneys and do not want to risk the expense of going to court, so they will often make much larger settlement offers.