The real reason trial experience is crucial, even if you don’t want your injury case to go to trial, lies in how insurance companies evaluate claims. These companies use sophisticated algorithms that analyze an attorney’s history to determine if they’ve taken cases to trial against insurance companies and, more importantly, what the outcomes were. If your attorney has never achieved a substantial verdict against them, the algorithm flags this and advises the adjuster to set lower reserves—or case value—because they perceive little risk of a high payout. On the other hand, an attorney with proven trial success forces the algorithm to account for the possibility of a significant verdict, which can lead to higher settlement offers. Trial experience directly impacts how seriously your case is valued from the outset.