The Minnesota courts have been seeing the raise and all of the issues that come with people representing themselves. When asked, the usual answer has been the cost in hiring a lawyer is beyond what people can afford.
Injuryboard member David Mittleman has addressed the advantages that hiring a personal injury attorney on a contingent fee involves with : Comfort In Contingency. He also added:
Many people would be completely left out of our justice system if they were forced to pay for their expenses upfront. By ensuring access to our court system, the contingent fee arrangement helps victims seek justice without hassles. The increase in Pro Se claimants may be good news for some people (the insurance industry for sure), but unless the individual is fully appraised of their rights it may not be in their best interest to pursue a claim without representation.
Basically, we only get paid if we are successful.
But further research has indicated that in the age of Deny, Delay and Defend, the insurance companies are in most cases better off if you go it alone in dealing with your personal injury claim. A couple of them have been found to go out of their way to convince people to try to go it alone. They pay less in benefits and they minimize claims overall.
It’s free to talk to a personal injury attorney. Make sure you know your coverages and all of the parts of your claim before you sign anything if you are unrepresented. Unlike many of the other pro se cases, the insurance companies are always going to have their own well paid lawyers to oppose you
