The other day, my wife was reviewing a file that transferred in from another lawyer two (2) years after the accident. I know the other lawyer because he was the bank’s lawyer on a real estate deal that I did. My wife could not remember him, although she met him too. When I explained about the real estate closing, she interrupted saying, “so he does not really do car accidents”. In fact I was rather surprised to see that he was taking these cases. She said “That explains things. This file is two (2) years old and nothing has been done. “
I explained to her that, he is one of those people who believes that with car accidents, the client walks into the office and six (6) months later you call the insurance company and they mail you a check. Although it was never quite that easy, there was a time when that was not so far removed from the truth. However, nowadays there is a lot of work for a lawyer to do in order to get a decent settlement for a client. Much of it is not that interesting, but it needs to be done. A lawyer who is simply “dabbling”, or taking the cases simply because he or she thinks that it is “easy money” is, along with the client, in for a rude awakening. It can be good money for the lawyer, if done right. It is not easy money. What is more, if a lawyer is not on top of the file, then it is not quick money either. It is still possible to call an insurance company six (6) months after an accident and negotiate a good settlement for a client, but it does not just happen. It takes a lot of work by the attorney. That is something that this real estate lawyer, and I think a number of lawyers who do not really do car accidents, do not understand.