Great news! If you feel that there is a conflict of interest with your insurance company, you can hire an independent attorney to represent you and ask them to pay for it. There are certain factors that must be present in order to qualify for this, but if you feel that your insurance company is not treating you fairly or if you think something feels strange or off with your legal representation, you should consult with an independent lawyer and discuss your case.
Who Qualifies for an Independent Attorney?
There must be a conflict of interest with the current attorney representing both you and the insurance company. This is where it can get confusing. Essentially, a conflict could arise if the attorney’s representation of the insurance company meant that they were more focused on attending to or promoting their needs over yours. In this way, if an attorney representing the insurance company meant that you could be harmed by receiving less than adequate representation, you could hire your own instead. A real life example would be if your insurance company decides that it wants to deny you coverage for some reason. They could claim late payment, etc., but if they move to deny coverage, you are entitled to your own attorney because their attorney could not sufficiently represent you when your interest and the insurance company’s interest are opposed.
How Will I Know If There Is a Conflict?
Your insurance company will send you communication that lets you know they are investigating your claim to see whether you qualify for coverage. If you receive this type of letter, you should seek out your own attorney. You may also want to do so if the insurance company lets you know that they are investigating whether or not you were at fault for the accident. Any communication that indicates they are looking into your actions or determining whether or not you have coverage should prompt you to hire an independent attorney because this is a clear sign of conflicting priorities.
Do you know someone who was denied insurance coverage? If you do, share this blog post with them. Most people have no idea that they have the right to hire an independent attorney. People in this situation often feel as though they have no options. The truth is very different. Not only can you hire an attorney, but the insurance company might be obligated to pay for it.
