Personal Injury Disputes

Insurance claims regarding personal injury are often laden with systematic practice and bureaucratic red tape, with complex decision appeal processes that would make anyone who isn’t a lawyer shudder.

Under these circumstances, disputes are not uncommon and if you have come to an impasse with your insurance company, you will be looking at a short list of available options. If negotiations have ceased and hiring a lawyer or going to small claims court is too expensive, perhaps mediation will serve as your best recourse.

How Does It Work?       

A mediator is often a lawyer or in some cases a retired judge and will remain neutral in discussions. The process is optional and thus requires the consent of both parties and resolution is only achieved through a mutual agreement of terms.

The informal process functions much like any other discussion free from legal procedures and as nothing said during mediation can be used in later stages of the dispute, each party can speak without fear of “saying the wrong thing.”

When Is It Worth It?

If traditional channels of appeal have been exhausted, the process can also help to put a human face on the state of affairs.

For most, it comes down to expenses. Most mediators charge substantial rates anywhere between $100 and $300 per hour. It is not uncommon for solutions to be reached within a single half-day session, the cost of which is generally split between parties.

Largely, it will be up to you to decide whether or not it will be worth investigating the mediation process.