Ready Yourself For Court With Online Mediation Training

By Joanna Walsh


With the increase of lawsuits being filed, there has occurred a sort of marriage between the fields of law and insurance. Both lawyers and adjusters are expected to stay current on any applicable case law, with adjusters being required to show that they have a working knowledge of their jobs by renewing a professional license each year. Another excellent way for them to stay on the ball is to seek online mediation training.

Mediations are meetings of all parties of interest in a lawsuit. These parties must each have what is known as a vested interest, meaning they all have a financial stake in the outcome of the case. They come together behind closed doors, in the presence of a sworn-in judge, to negotiate a settlement rather than take the matter to trial.

In claims such as those filed against members of the Lloyds Underwriting Syndicate, the adjuster is merely attempting to get the case concluded for the least amount possible. This may sound crass, but those policy limits are often paid out. This is due to the fact that Lloyds handles risks which would be regarded as uninsurable by other companies.

When the adjuster or litigation specialist is handling litigated insurance claims out of known liberal venues, they are most often the parties who negotiate the settlement as quickly as possible. The West Coast is just one of these venues, and the large companies rarely win a case when it appears that a small voice has filed the complaint. In the more conservative venues; however, such as the Southeastern United States, the lawyers and adjusters have a greater chance of aggressively pushing a settlement on the Plaintiff.

Most all lawsuits have a rule that the Plaintiff cannot be contacted directly, and all parties must go through Plaintiff counsel. However, in cases of insurance claims, when the adjuster represents a company outside of the Insurer, this adjuster may speak to all parties openly. These are known as Third Party Administrators, and they pose no conflict of interest when speaking to a Plaintiff.

During mediations the adjuster may very well have the most control of the room, outside the Judge. They are assigned the task of settling the claim fairly and equitably, that day whenever possible. This adjuster can negotiate, communicate with all parties involved, direct counsel on how to proceed, and sign the settlement themselves.

Additional coursework and instruction is a great idea for both the insurance adjuster and the attorney. For the adjusters who are required to maintain a license while attorneys are not, a forty-hour course and passage of an examination is all that is required to land such a job. Seeking some additional instruction from professionals online can help prepare anyone who is new to the process.

For lawyers who wander into this field of expertise, it is recommended that they pursue this additional instruction as well. This is especially true for anyone who has not worked as, or with, insurance adjusters previously. Practicing law is very different from practicing insurance, and attorneys who represent the Insurer often do not have a clear understanding of how to practice insurance.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment