A Week in the Life of a Settlement Negotiator, a.k.a. Case Manager

My friends always ask me what do I do for a living? For the most part, it is really hard to explain. The short answer is, I negotiate with insurance companies for compensation for injured clients for their pain and suffering. However, I have twenty other jobs or tasks, which are part of my overall job description or workflow as a case manager. We will go over each task and how I manage my workflow throughout the week, as well as how I perfected my time management skills to become not only more productive but to become more efficient.

Here is where I have to draw the line or compartmentalize or divide the priorities between the client, the staff, possible outcome of the case, and expenses of both the firm and the client. The major factor for deciding to compartmentalize my schedule this way is because I know how insurance companies operate. My schedule is specifically designed to flow with carriers’ workflow so that we are almost in sync. Most attorneys and other settlement negotiators don’t really have a set schedule. Aside from specific litigation and NF deadlines and taking all calls and tasks as they come in, which is a problem. They are not as prepared as they should be. I like to be prepared to know which call will come in. Here is a quick breakdown of what I mean by all of that so that you’re not confused:

Become more Productive vs. Become more efficient:

If I was more productive, that would mean I would complete more tasks and, in turn, settle more cases. The downside of it all is that I would be:

a.) Undervaluing each case just for the sake of getting rid of cases faster

b.) Would be forced to convince clients to accept the offer and essentially lie to them that it’s a good offer.

c.) The workload would be insane. I don’t like stressing myself out.

Becoming more efficient has more benefits. Each case would be more thoroughly worked on and given much more care. Even the worst cases would have a better outcome. Alternatively, if I was just trying to push out cases because I was trying to be more productive, I would be forced to drop cases, which would give little hope to produce any reasonable revenue for the client and the firm. When it comes to cases, whether they are weak or not, I generally don’t compromise. In fact, I find myself working on the worst cases the hardest because they are the hardest to settle usually because either the boss or the client is refusing to take the offer.

My Schedule Breakdown

Monday through Wednesday – Are always the busiest days of the week. These are the days when I get home and just sit on my couch and just stare at my wall for 30 minutes just to clear my head.

From 9: 00 to 9: 30/9: 45 am:

I generally like to make my daily quadruple shot espresso until I feel like I’m ready to climb on the ceiling, slowly drink it, and stare at my computer screen to emotionally, spiritually, and physically prepare for the work ahead.

From 9: 30/9: 45 am to 11 am:

I would call the examiners and leave them voicemails to give me a call back for possible settlement or to resolve various issues. For the most part, most of them do not pick up, but once in a while, some do pick up on the first try, and we would try to resolve the case right then and there. For the most part, I try to avoid clients at all costs during this time so that I could focus on settlements and making my daily calls. I generally ask the receptionist to tell the client to call me back after 4: 30 pm when it’s less busy for me.

From 11 am to 12 pm:

I take that hour to take a breather and try to line up some tasks that I would need to do for that day.

From 12 pm to 1 pm:

I leave this block open to take any random incoming calls I get. Some are actually important. I may even take clients’ calls.

From 1 pm to 2 pm:

Lunch! Even though it’s my lunch hour, I may still take some incoming calls, especially if it’s a settlement call or a pissed-off client.

From 2 pm to 5 pm:

This is the time when most examiners start calling me back for possible settlement or going over some issues about any particular case.

From 5 pm to 6 pm:

This time is specifically reserved for cleanup. Confirm I input all my notes, received documents are scanned in, and so forth.

Thursday and Friday:

Thursdays and Fridays are my open days. These are the days I generally reserve to complete any missed or fell through the crack tasks and take any calls from the clients, providers, and examiners. Most examiners don’t usually settle on Thursdays and Fridays either because they also reserve these days for similar tasks, but they do come in sporadically. Especially if the examiner didn’t call when they promised to call. In fact, most settlement calls come in on Wednesday.

If I have a really tough case, which even legal precedence can’t help me crack, I sometimes stare at a wall for a good hour to figure out a solution. I generally do this at least two or three times a week. Sometimes longer if need be if I have a complex case.