One of the best reasons is that less than 1% of dog bite victims get compensated. Dogs bite at least 4.7 million Americans per year, but insurance companies pay only 15,000 to 16,000 victims. An insurance adjuster will offer a victim 10% to 20% of what he would offer if the victim had an attorney. The insurer itself will end up keeping the other 80% to 90%. Since a lawyer works on a contingency basis and takes only 33%, a victim who has an attorney therefore will receive 66% — far more than the 10% to 20% that he could get for himself. A person who attempts to pursue a dog bite claim places himself or herself in the position of the prosecutor. That arouses resentment unnecessarily. This is exacerbated by the fact that the victim himself doesn’t know the right things to say in order to get the claim settled efficiently. All too often, a victim will make accusations that are unnecessary under the law. With an attorney, however, a victim always can comment, “it was the attorney who said that, not me.” Criticism can be deflected easily. Having a lawyer handle this legal matter is therefore more efficient and less stressful, in addition to posing no financial risk.