Will I be working with an attorney or a paralegal?

Paralegals, legal assistants, and other office staff have different duties at Anderson Law and are more than likely working with and assisting your attorney on your claim or matter. On numerous occasions, I’ve heard directly from our clients, questions such as, why am I talking to a legal assistant instead of my attorney? I am here to provide you with some information that I truly hope will enlighten your perception to any legal staff members working alongside an attorney.

Why I Didn’t Send a Postcard

Sirens. Ambulance. Hospital. Postcard advertising injury-related services. One of these is not like the other. In the past couple of weeks, I have followed a debate among personal injury attorneys throughout Washington who would like to address what the majority, including Anderson Law, considers to be inappropriate marketing: direct solicitation Read more…

Negotiating Can Be Tricky

Have you ever regretted saying something, even though you didn’t intend to offend? In personal injury claims, it seems that barbs are traded on an all-too-regular basis. Even though it’s usually by the insurance defense, since adjusters and attorneys for insurance company don’t seem to have much to lose, unlike my clients who have often had their lives turned upside down, I have to admit I’ve occasionally fallen into the fray. This is my account of one of those (very tame) times.

Minimum Insurance Coverage

One of the most tragic issues we face at Anderson Law is seeking recovery for serious injury or death of an individual who was either uninsured or didn’t have enough insurance coverage. Often, this is the case with people who don’t drive. Sometimes these people are injured as passengers in a relative’s car. In other recent cases in Kennewick, they have been injured as pedestrians.

New Study Shows Higher Attorney Involvement to Receive Insurance Benefits

A new study from the Insurance Research Council shows more people are hiring attorneys to receive first party insurance benefits (in Washington State, this primarily includes Personal Injury Protection and Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage). The conclusion of the study, funded by the insurance industry, is that attorneys are delaying claims settlement and that the insured is ending up with less money than if they hadn’t hired an attorney.

Nonsense. Crazy. Ridiculousness.

The Good and Bad of Mandatory Arbitration

If you have been injured in a car accident and the insurance company is not giving you a reasonable settlement offer, you may be able to make a claim in mandatory arbitration instead of in a jury trial. Arbitration is mandatory for monetary claims less than $50,000 in most of Washington State, including Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland (Benton and Franklin counties). Compared to trial by jury, arbitration has several benefits: the cost is lower (around $1,000 instead of $10,000 or more); the hearing is sooner (3-6 months instead of a year or more); and the hearing is shorter (several hours instead of several days).