Posted On: February 13, 2006, 1:05 pm CST

Posted By: Chris Russell

DD its not a joke that Santorum and Lott retained attorneys but it highlights the lengths you have to go to get some semblence of justice while making most insurance claims. It is hard for me to believe that you have many friends who are BI attorneys yet still hate Trial Attorneys. Your experience has jaded you and not for the better. If all you hear all day long for 15 years is attorneys are bad, it is hard to ignore that propaganda. It is the chicken and egg theory: If Insurance companies were fair to claimants and paid them fair value for their claims, I would be out of a job. It will never happen though because carriers, like Farmers who was fined a measly 1 million dollars for claims practices that most reasonable people would find abhorent, will never change their nickle and dime mentality, which causes even anti trial atty politicians such as Lott and Santorum to each retain a trial attorney. In most professions you will find 10% of its members "bad apples". Its no different with trial attorneys. However, to make a blanket statement that you hate all trial attorneys is not based on facts but emotions flamed by an Industry that does not like trial attys who hold their feet to the fire to pay claims in a reasonable and fair fashion. Can you imagine not having any checks and balances on the Insurance Industry? Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Ours would be a scary country without trial attorneys. Whether you would admit that or not depends on how jaded you have become. In regards to Farmers, I have handled claims with over 200 carriers here in California and it is clear that Farmers is in the top 3 of bad carriers regarding claims. Most good attorneys here in California would agree with that assessment.