A well-known local attorney-advertiser heard round-the-clock, tells listeners that if you give him your case, he promises to start work within 24 hours. It’s a very clever ad, using the 24-hour hook to highlight the reality that insurance companies love delay. Why wouldn’t they? In the cases that I handle, typically involving death or serious injury, the end result may involve millions of dollars. Even in these difficult times, money invested can earn interest. Four percent of two million dollars, for example, is $80,000 per year in earnings for the insurer. Now, multiply that number by the many cases handled by the insurance company, and it is not difficult to figure out that the longer they delay, the more money they keep in the long run. The principle works as well, with thousands of smaller cases. Meanwhile, the injured plaintiff may be struggling with medical bills, inability to work, and suffering caused by the car crash, medical negligence, or dangerously maintained property. The job of every good plaintiff’s attorney is to move his client’s case through the system as quickly as the system – and high quality preparation – will allow.