Interview two or three - it costs nothing but time

There is no official formula. Negotiators commonly use a multiplier method (economic damages times 1.5 to 5, by severity) or a per-diem method (roughly $100-$500 per day of documented recovery) - both are conventions, not law. What moves the number is documentation: consistent treatment records beat adjectives every time.

Assume it is a test. Industry-attributed research has put first offers near half of what claims ultimately resolve for - the adjuster's job is to close your claim cheaply and quickly, and early offers arrive before your medical picture is even complete. Counter in writing, or at minimum wait for maximum medical improvement before valuing anything.

Your state's rule decides everything. Most states reduce your recovery by your fault percentage, and about half cut you off entirely at 50-51%. Five jurisdictions - Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and DC - still bar recovery at even 1% of fault. This single rule changes negotiating leverage more than almost anything else, which is why insurers raise your fault early and often.

Typically nothing up front: contingency fees run about 33% if the case settles before a lawsuit and around 40% after filing, paid only out of a recovery. No win, no fee - though ask who covers case costs (filing, experts) if you lose. More than 95% of injury plaintiffs use this arrangement, and the free initial consultation is the industry norm.

A short screening - by phone or form - where the facts of your accident are checked against basic qualification: injury requiring medical attention, someone else at fault, within the filing window, not already represented. It costs nothing and does not commit you to hiring anyone. It is also, honestly, how this site earns referral fees - the evaluation itself remains free either way, and that disclosure is on every page.