Recently in Ottawa it has been more and more common for injury law firms to have competing clients. Some lawyers also work for insurance companies defending cases against injury victims. They work for large insurance companies, bill by the hour, and get paid regularly for their work in trying to reduce, minimize or ideally eliminate compensation for accident victims.
Then the next day they meet an injured new client and claim that they can help them sue insurance companies for proper compensation.
Always ask your personal injury lawyer if his/her firm also does work for insurance companies. If yes, consider if they are truly committed to fair compensation for all victims of medical malpractice and car accidents. Consider how easily it is to change hats and do the steady paid work of insurance defence.
While the Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers allows law firms to represent plaintiffs and insurers they cannot represent the same insurance company as the one being sued by the plaintiff. That means that if your law firm represents an insurance company that you need to sue for compensation, then they have to refer you to another lawyer. Also, if another insurance company comes on board that acts against a current plaintiff, a conflict of interest may arise.
Girones Lawyers ONLY acts for injured people and their families and never represents institutional clavinets like auto insurance companies or disability companies. We are committed to fighting all insurance companies, every day, until a fair and just resolution of our client’s cases.
