What should I look for in a San Diego Cumis Counsel and how do I demand one from my insurance company? California’s cumis counsel law was established to protect the interests of Californians against insurance companies and the attorneys who represent them. California has taken a leadership role in protecting consumers against a known legal conflict of interest relating to insurance policies. When someone is being sued and they have purchased insurance to protect them from liability in the matter, the insurance company provides the legal team to manage the case. One would reasonably expect that as the party who purchased an insurance policy, the attorneys for the insurance company would protect the interests of them as the insured client. In actuality the lawyers for the insurance company owe their primary legal allegiance to the insurance policy itself, not to you, the policy holder. This creates a conflict of interest as you expect them to protect you, but they actually have a legal responsibility to forfeit your interests if it protects the interests of the insurance policy itself.
California provides policy holders in these situation with a tremendous opportunity: a cumis counsel. The cumis counsel is an independent attorney whose sole job is to protect you personally as the insured party, not the policy. What should you look for in a San Diego cumis counsel and how do you know if it’s a good fit? You are looking for trial experience, strong litigation expertise associated with business litigation, civil litigation and other legal matters including mediation and arbitration. It is also important to look for a law firm with expertise in insurance bad faith and the analysis of insurance coverage.
The experienced litigation and trial attorneys at the Watkins Firm have decades of experience and a strong track record of proven success in San Diego and Southern California courtrooms, as well as mediation and arbitration. When we represent you as your cumis counsel we work alongside the attorneys representing the insurance company to ensure they don’t throw you under the proverbial bus in order to settle the lawsuit against your policy. The best news of all for those who are insured: in most cases your insurance company must pay the cost for your cumis counsel.
If you have received notification from your insurance company regarding your potential exposure in a lawsuit, or if you have been served legal papers in a lawsuit based on insurance coverage you’ve purchased we invite you to contact us for a free consultation at 858-535-1511.
