If you caused a car accident and the person you hit sues you, your liability insurance company will hire a lawyer to defend you. However, the lawyer they get for you isn't really your lawyer and isn't looking out for your best interest. Part of the contract you have with your car insurance company is that if you cause an accident and get sued, they will defend you in that lawsuit and cover any judgment against you up to your policy limits. The lawyer your insurance company gets to defend you is supposed to be your lawyer and is supposed to look out for your best interest in the lawsuit.
However, based on how the lawyer gets paid, you can rest assured he or she is not looking out for your best interest. The insurance company will either hire an outside law firm and pay your lawyer by the hour to defend you or use one if its own in-house lawyers. You will not pay the lawyer a dime and the lawyer's fee is not dependent on the outcome of the case (meaning if you lose, the lawyer still gets paid). The more work the lawyer does on the case, the more he or she gets paid.
Because the insurance company picks the lawyer and because the lawyer gets paid by the hour no matter what the outcome, that lawyer's top two priorities will be to keep the insurance company happy so they get repeat business and to bill as much as he or she can get away with. Your best interest will not be the insurance defense lawyer's top priority and frankly, it might not at all matter to the lawyer. So, if you case an accident and get sued, it would be worth your money to consult with your own lawyer at your own expense to be sure that the lawyer the insurance company gets for you is looking out for your interest.
Contact the legal team at Meyerkord & Russell today to learn more.