South Carolina personal injury lawyer Trey Mills posted a blog on his South Carolina Injury Law Journal about his take on Allstate’s car accident claims practices. Allstate has an undeserved reputation as being a “good” company to deal with if you are involved in an Illinois auto accident claim.The reality of dealing with Allstate is that they have a systematic practice of failing to pay reasonable settlements. Their claims practices have been the subject of a book called “Good Hands to Boxing Gloves” and a number of news pieces, some of which are linked in the “Resources” section at the bottom of the page on Automobile Accidents of my web site. You don’t have to take my word for it, CNN and Business Week are saying the same kinds of things.At least a couple of times a week I speak to someone who has been involved in a car accident with an Allstate insured, and they are reluctant to hire a lawyer because they are concerned about the lawyer fees (we work on a contingency fee basis) and they are dealing with a “good insurance company” in Allstate.My response to anyone who has been involved in an accident with an Allstate insured: look past the “good hands” advertising and take a good look at the information that is out there about how Allstate treats accident victims and decide for yourself whether you are likely to be treated fairly by Allstate. If the answer is no, then you are not doing yourself any favors by not hiring an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer sooner rather than later.