The short answer is yes, hiring a personal injury lawyer typically results in a significantly larger settlement, even after accounting for attorney fees.
When you’ve been injured in an accident, you’re probably dealing with medical bills, missed work, and an insurance company that seems more interested in closing your claim than helping you recover. A personal injury lawyer can handle the paperwork, negotiate with the insurance company, and make sure you receive the compensation you need for your recovery.
If you still have questions or want to learn how much your case is worth, Munley Law is here to help. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
What the Research Shows on Personal Injury Settlements
According to a study conducted by the Insurance Research Council on attorney involvement in auto injury claims, claimants with attorneys received settlements 3.5 times higher on average than those without representation. The actual numbers: claimants with attorneys received an average bodily injury payment of $16,658, compared to just $4,699 for unrepresented claimants.
The IRC also found that 85 percent of all settlements paid out by insurance companies for bodily injury claims went to injured victims who had hired an attorney. This pattern has held consistent across multiple IRC studies spanning decades—from 1977 through their most recent research based on over 80,000 claims.
Even after paying attorney fees (typically 33% on a contingency basis), represented claimants still come out significantly ahead. If your settlement is 3.5 times larger with an attorney, you’re still taking home roughly 2.3 times what you would have received on your own.
A note on these statistics: Individuals with more severe injuries are more likely to hire lawyers, which partly explains the observed gap. However, the difference remains substantial, even when accounting for this, and the IRC’s research methodology, based on actual claims data from insurers representing over half the U.S. market, is far more rigorous than typical surveys.
“At Munley Law, our mission is simple: to provide all injury victims equal access to justice, even against the most powerful entities. For more than 65 years, we have been the voice for the injured, the forgotten, and those who need someone to stand beside them in their darkest hour.”
Marion Munley
Call us at (844) 686-5397 Why Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer Improves Your Settlement
Insurance companies aren’t in the business of paying you what your claim is worth. They’re in the business of paying as little as possible. When you’re unrepresented, adjusters know they can often settle for less, and they take advantage of that knowledge.
Attorneys Know What Your Claim Is Actually Worth
Most people undervalue their own claims because they are unsure of what to include in them. You might be focused on your current medical bills and a few weeks of lost wages. An experienced attorney also calculates future medical costs, ongoing treatment, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Attorneys use verdict research databases and settlement histories to determine the value of similar cases. This isn’t guesswork—it’s a data-driven valuation that insurance companies take seriously.
They Know the Insurance Company’s Playbook
Insurance adjusters handle hundreds of claims per year. They’re trained negotiators with a clear goal: minimize payouts. Their tactics include offering quick, low settlements before you understand the full extent of your injuries; requesting recorded statements that can later be used against you; delaying investigations to pressure you into accepting less; and disputing whether your treatment was medically necessary.
Attorneys recognize these tactics and counter them. They control communications, time settlement negotiations strategically (often waiting until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement), and document everything before making demands.
Lawyers Build Cases That Win
A successful claim requires more than just your medical records. It requires documentation that tells a complete story: medical records with clear causation statements linking your injuries to the accident, expert opinions on your prognosis and future care needs, witness statements, employment and tax records proving wage loss, accident reconstruction (in disputed cases), and—for catastrophic injuries—detailed life care plans.
Personal injury attorneys have professional relationships with medical experts, vocational specialists, and accident reconstructionists who can provide credible testimony. Building this kind of case takes expertise and connections that most individuals simply don’t have.
Pennsylvania Laws That Could Affect Your Personal Injury Lawsuit
Pennsylvania has specific rules that can significantly affect your case. Understanding them—or having an attorney who does—can mean the difference between full compensation and getting nothing.
Pennsylvania law requires personal injury lawsuits to be filed within two years of the accident or discovery of the negligence (42 Pa. C.S. § 5524). Miss this deadline, and your case is dismissed regardless of how strong it is. There are limited exceptions for minors and certain other circumstances, but don’t count on them.
Pennsylvania uses a “modified comparative negligence” system (42 Pa. C.S. § 7102). If you’re found to be 51% or more at fault for your accident, you recover nothing. If you’re 50% or less at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance companies routinely argue that injured people bear more fault than they actually do because pushing you past that 51% threshold eliminates their liability. An injury attorney gathers evidence to minimize your assigned fault.
When Hiring a Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorney Matters Most
While representation benefits most injury claims, certain cases particularly require legal expertise.
- Serious injuries. Cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, amputations, severe burns, or permanent disfigurement require life care plans, vocational assessments, and expert testimony about future needs and lost earning capacity. The stakes are too high to navigate alone.
- Disputed liability. When fault is contested—or when multiple parties might share responsibility—you need a thorough investigation to identify everyone liable and every insurance policy that might apply.
- Insurance company bad faith. If an insurer is denying your claim without proper investigation, making lowball offers without basis, or simply refusing to communicate, Pennsylvania law provides remedies (42 Pa. C.S. § 8371). You need an attorney to pursue them.
- Pre-existing conditions. When an accident aggravates an existing injury, insurers often try to blame everything on your prior condition. These cases require careful medical documentation, distinguishing what the accident caused from what existed before.
How Personal Injury Attorney Fees Work
Personal injury attorneys in Pennsylvania, including Munley Law, work on a contingency basis. That means you pay nothing up front and owe no attorney fees unless you win. If your case is successful, the attorney’s fee (typically 33–40%) is deducted from the settlement.
Here’s a concrete example: On a $90,000 settlement with a 33% contingency fee, the attorney receives $29,700, and you take home $60,300. Compare that to the $17,600 average for unrepresented claimants, and you’re still far ahead—by about $42,000.
Contingency arrangements also align your attorney’s interests with yours: they only get paid if you do, and they get paid more if your settlement is larger.
Our Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorneys Are Here to Help
If you’ve been injured, here’s what matters most in the short term:
- Get medical attention immediately—this creates the documented record that links your injuries to the accident
- Document everything you can at the scene (photos, videos, witness contact information)
- Keep all records: medical bills, correspondence with insurers, and employment records showing missed work.
- Don’t give recorded statements to insurance adjusters before talking to a lawyer.
Most personal injury attorneys offer free consultations. These conversations help you understand what your claim might be worth, what your options are, and whether hiring representation makes sense for your specific situation.
Contact Munley Law for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll review your case, answer your questions, and help you understand your options. You pay nothing unless we win.
