If you are involved in a lawsuit—and especially one that is more challenging and adversarial in nature—you may feel like the world is against you. No one wants to have to endure the stress of litigation, which can be long and drawn-out, expensive, and has the potential to offer little satisfaction in the end. Being forced to fight without someone on your side may seem like a completely losing proposition, and although your insurance company may be providing an attorney for legal defense, you may feel like the odd man out. Unfortunately, you probably are not imagining things either as the insurance company must follow through on their promises as outlined, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t keeping a shrewd eye on their money.
Whether you are in court due to a serious automobile lawsuit where you were suspected to be negligent and there were serious injuries or property damage, or perhaps a commercial liability incident where someone hurt themselves on your property, in most cases your established liability insurance kicks in and leaves the insurance company obligated for your defense under ‘duty to defend.’ You can be sure that in most cases too, the insurance company will hope to take the more affordable route after performing an investigation and settle with the other side instead of heading for the considerable time and expense expected in the courtroom. If that is not the case though and you are involved in litigation, and you feel like you are not getting a fair shake as there is a conflict of interest with the attorney the insurer has provided, you may have the right to also have accompanying independent counsel—to be paid for by the insurer.
This may be vital to your future when large sums of money are involved for damages, or perhaps a settlement in the end. With independent counsel, you can be assured that the attorneys provided by your insurer are monitored by another legal expert and you have more control over your case. In most cases, this is your right unless you have waived the privilege previously.
Attorneys from the Bolender Law Firm have acted as independent counsel in many cases, representing policyholders exclusively. We are experienced in representing clients in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate level. Call us at 310-320-0725 now or submit an easy consultation request online. We are here to help!