Subrogation is a word that I really didn't hear until well into college when I started working for an insurance company's law firm. There was one attorney who sat in an office and reviewed each and every settlement for half the week and every insurance policy for the other half of the week. The job seemed so boring and unimportant. I could not have ever imagined doing that.

After working at the firm for a few weeks, this lawyer invited me to lunch because she heard I was interested in going to law school. I accepted, not only because I was a broke college student and lunch was free, but also because I really wanted to know what she did and if it could be in any way satisfying.

About halfway through lunch, after some discussion about grades and majors, we got to the really interesting part; I asked her what in the world she actually did for the firm. She said she was a Subrogation Specialist. She explained that she was like the security guard for the company. She made sure that premiums stayed low by making sure the insurance company got what it was entitled to and that people were not double paid. After this lunch I gained a respect for what she did as an attorney and a better understanding of the personal injury process.

I left my job at that insurance company understanding that in order to keep insurance rates affordable, someone has to be willing to check for double payments and work to limit company losses. I reasoned that subrogation was like catching shoplifters to keep grocery costs down. That stuck with me as I went to law school and ultimately began to practice personal injury law.

The other valuable lesson I learned is that there are ways to limit the amount any one client pays in subrogation. I know that as a Maryland personal injury lawyer, I may be able to negotiate a lower amount due in subrogation by working with the insurer.

If you have been injured and you are looking to settle your claim, take the time to make sure you do not open yourself up to liability in the process. Consult with a Maryland injury attorney.

This blog post was written by attorney Rabihah Scott, who is part of the Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Practice Group at Price Benowitz LLP. The law firm has offices in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and New York. The attorneys at Price Benowitz handle criminal, DUI, personal injury, and immigration cases. To learn more about attorney Rabihah Scott please visit her Google+ profile.