Mediations and settlement conferences are as varied as the cases you accept. Some are short, while others are lengthy. Some are productive, while others are a waste of everyone’s time. Some go as planned, while others as predictable as Spring in Wisconsin. But one thing can be said about these opportunities. The more you have under your belt, the more likely you will be successful as defined by your expectations. This experience cannot be overstated and is the reason why you are respected by your adversaries and mediators. The same can be said for the team you bring to those mediations/settlement conferences.
Having attended hundreds of mediations over the years, throughout the country, on cases big and small, with nearly every type of injury imaginable, an experienced structured settlement specialist can often provide valuable insight to the plaintiff attorney on past cases, defense insurer tendencies and practices, as well as providing an extra set of ears and eyes when plaintiff’s counsel may be occupied with other matters.
Most importantly, defense may choose to spring structured settlement proposals on plaintiff’s counsel during mediation. Some of these offers may be disguised in cost or annuity company. Having a plaintiff structured settlement specialist allows plaintiff counsel to independently verify annuity proposals, respond with counterproposals, and formulate end-game strategies.
With many mediations breaking down, having a structured settlement specialist on site allows the injury victim to use downtime to learn how structures work. Questions can be asked, what-if scenarios can be explored, and trust can be established for when the time comes to put the settlement plan in place.
