Controlling Legal Fees in Workers Comp Lawsuits

Barb Galluppi continues with her series on controlling litigation costs in workers comp suits…

Barb advises to beware of the “billable hours” concept.

1. 1. Monitoring legal fees is the adjuster’s responsibility.
   2. Ask the adjuster if they reviewed the bill for the following: duplicate charges, charges for counsel to re-review the case each time it is picked up, or fees charged for new attorneys to review (this is called churning) the file, etc.
   3. Was the arithmatic checked?

1. Does the time spent talking to counsel match what is on the bill? When you talk to defense counsel, record the time spent, so you have a good idea of how much time you spend talking to defense counsel.
2. Ask to see the bills if they appear too high.

Tomorrow Barb will discuss several ways to participate in the defense.

Barbara Galluppi, CPCU, Area Senior Vice President Claims, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services is an expert is workers’ comp cost containment and many other areas of risk management. Questions may be submitted in the comments box. For more information about Barb’s services, click here: http://www.ajg.com/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=462&PageID=53927&cached=true&mode=2&userID=21938