Sometimes an experienced lawyer has a good idea what the case is worth right away. It is worth every penny to get an experienced attorney to help you get what you deserve.
I sometimes get a call from an injured person who is dealing with the insurance company on their own and simply wants to know if the offer made to them is fair. That is the golden question and is not easy to answer without considering all the factors in the Arizona personal injury law. The answer depends on the individual facts of each case. On the other hand, sometimes an experienced lawyer has a good idea what the case is worth right away. That experience involves about 20 years in school to eventually earn a Juris Doctorate, suffering through the bar examination, and then years helping injured clients. Determining what a claim is worth is a valuable part of what an attorney offers.
This issue brings to mind the story of the man who had a clogged sink and unsuccessfully tried to fix it. Finally he called a plumber. The plumber examined the pipe under the sink for 5 minutes and then applied three quick taps with his wrench. The sink miraculously unclogged! The plumber handed the man a bill for $100. Puzzled, the man asked how the plumber could charge $100 for about 5 minutes of work. The plumber simply asked the man to read what was written on the bill: “Tapping on pipe–$5.00. Knowing where to tap–$95.00.” The man smiled and paid the $100.00. The insurance company will tell you the claim is worth what they are offering. Your uncle Willie, who had his own accident 5 years ago, may tell you something entirely different. How do you know who or what is right? You may need to either guess or call an attorney.
