Public Adjuster vs Lawyer vs DIY

When an insurer underpays or denies your claim, you have three traditional options — plus a newer one. Here's how they compare so you can pick the right level of help for your claim size.

Not sure which you need? Run a free 90-second analysis to see how big your gap is first — that number decides everything.

Option 1: Public adjuster

A licensed professional who documents and negotiates property claims on your behalf.

• Cost: typically 10–20% of the settlement (regulated by state; some cap it).
• Best for: large, complex property losses (major fire, total roof, significant water damage) where the recovery is big enough that their fee is worth it.
• Watch-outs: the percentage comes out of your recovery. On a small claim, the fee can eat most of the upside. They handle valuation disputes, not legal/coverage disputes.

Option 2: Insurance attorney

A lawyer who can pursue coverage disputes and bad-faith claims.

• Cost: often contingency (33–40%) for litigation, or hourly. Many do free consultations.
• Best for: outright denials, coverage disputes, bad-faith conduct, or when the insurer won't budge and litigation is on the table.
• Watch-outs: highest cost. Overkill for a straightforward valuation gap that appraisal could solve.

Option 3: Do it yourself

You document, counter, and negotiate directly.

• Cost: your time.
• Best for: smaller claims, clear valuation disputes, and anyone willing to do the legwork.
• Watch-outs: the insurer does this every day and you don't. Without a side-by-side estimate comparison and the right policy language, it's easy to leave money on the table — or miss a deadline.

Quick decision guide

Your situation	Best fit
Outright denial / coverage dispute / bad faith	Attorney
Large property loss, big dollar amount	Public adjuster
Valuation gap, smaller-to-mid claim	DIY (with the right tools)
Not sure how big the gap even is	Analyze first, then decide

The newer option: AI-assisted DIY

The reason DIY fails isn't effort — it's that comparing a policy to an adjuster's estimate and writing a persuasive, itemized rebuttal is genuinely hard. That's the gap Shielded fills: it reads your policy and the adjuster's estimate, finds where you're being underpaid, drafts the rebuttal letter, benchmarks against comparable settlements, and tracks deadlines — for a flat $150/month, not a percentage of your recovery.

For many mid-sized claims, that's the sweet spot: most of the value of a public adjuster, at a fraction of the cost, with you in control.

See your gap free, then decide →

General information, not legal advice. Shielded is a self-help analysis and document tool — not a law firm or a licensed public adjuster, and it does not represent you in negotiations.