Will My Insurance Rate Increase If I Hire an Injury Attorney?

One concern we hear often is whether hiring a personal injury lawyer will cause your insurance premiums to jump. It’s a valid question, especially when you’re already facing bills, physical pain, and emotional stress. Let’s talk about that concern clearly, without making assumptions or repeating the same lines you’ve probably read a hundred times.

There’s a common misunderstanding that getting legal help means you’re somehow stirring the pot or worsening the situation. In reality, bringing an attorney into the picture is often the smartest move you can make to protect your rights, without causing any ripple effects that would lead to higher premiums.

Will My Insurance Rate Increase Just Because I Hired a Lawyer?

No, simply hiring a New Mexico personal injury attorney won’t trigger an increase in your insurance premiums. Your rate isn’t tied to whether you speak with or retain a lawyer. It’s based on specific risk factors set by the insurance company. These include your driving record, past claims, whether you were found at fault, your vehicle’s history, and sometimes even broader statistical data tied to where you live.

Insurers don’t automatically raise rates because you’re fighting for fair compensation. If the accident wasn’t your fault and the claim is being filed against someone else’s insurance, your carrier might not be involved at all. 

Even if your own insurance company pays initially through something like MedPay or uninsured motorist coverage, they usually seek reimbursement from the at-fault driver’s carrier later. This process – called subrogation – means your policy isn’t absorbing long-term costs, which is what insurance companies look at when adjusting rates.

Whether or not your rate will increase depends more on fault and claim history than on hiring a lawyer. That’s why it’s important to understand the real factors at play and not be influenced by myths that make people hesitate to get legal help when they need it most.

Why Insurers Care More About Fault Than Attorneys

Fault is the primary driver of rate changes. If you were found responsible for an accident, your premium could go up, even if you never filed a claim or hired legal help. But if you weren’t responsible, that’s a different story. Your insurer usually won’t penalize you for someone else’s mistake. 

Fadduol, Cluff, Hardy & Conaway, P.C. will carefully gather evidence, speak to your medical providers, and communicate directly with the insurance adjusters to clarify how the accident occurred. We’ll focus on making it clear you weren’t the cause, so there’s no question about responsibility when it comes time for insurance companies to assess risk.

We’ve also seen situations where a personal injury attorney helps prevent a claim from wrongly falling on the client’s record. Without that legal guidance, inaccurate or misleading statements in the initial claim could cast blame where it doesn’t belong. Once that happens, it’s much harder to undo the damage. Our role is to step in before that happens, not after.

Don’t Let the Wrong Assumptions Cost You More

Hesitating to get legal help because of fear around insurance rates can backfire. If you deal with the claim alone and agree to a settlement that doesn’t reflect your full losses, you’ll carry the burden of medical debt, missed work, and long-term recovery costs. That financial hit will last far longer than any theoretical bump in your premium.

We’ve seen many people in New Mexico who waited too long to ask for help because they worried about rocking the boat. But waiting only helps the insurance companies. They’re trained to minimize payouts, and they’ll start shaping the story before you even realize it. Once they’ve made up their mind about what your case is worth, it’s much harder to shift that view.

A personal injury lawyer will help you push back early, before your rights get buried beneath paperwork. You deserve compensation that actually covers what you’re dealing with, not just what’s convenient for the insurance company’s balance sheet.

Your Rights Are Worth Protecting – Without Penalty

So, if you’ve been asking yourself, “Will my insurance rate increase if I hire a lawyer?” the answer is straightforward. No, it won’t. What could cost you more – both financially and personally – is going it alone.

A New Mexico injury attorney with Fadduol, Cluff, Hardy & Conaway P.C. will be here to answer your questions, explain what happens next, and step in to handle the hard conversations so you don’t have to. Use our online contact form or call 800-433-2408 for an evaluation of your case. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Q: Will hiring a personal injury lawyer cause my insurance rates to go up?

A: No, hiring an attorney itself won’t raise your rates. Increases are usually tied to who was at fault in the accident, not legal representation.

Q: What factors affect insurance rate increases?

A: Insurance rates are primarily influenced by fault in an accident, driving record, past claims, vehicle history, and sometimes location-based data.

Q: How does an attorney help protect my insurance record?

A: A lawyer gathers evidence to clarify fault, communicates with insurers, and helps prevent incorrect blame from affecting your insurance record.