Can a lawyer make you accept a personal injury settlement if you don't want to settle? No. A settlement is only binding in Louisiana if you accept the settlement in writing. Without that written consent, usually evidenced by a "release," the settlement is not binding.

A few years ago, I represented a woman whose lawyer accepted a settlement without her knowledge, endorsed her name to the settlement check and stole her money. Needless to say, that lawyer was permanently disbarred and went to jail, but the insurance company refused to pay the settlement again, claiming that it wasn't their fault that her lawyer stole the money. That may be true, but we were successful in convincing the Court to order the insurance company to pay the client the money again, because without her written consent, there could be no settlement.

The moral of this story is to choose a lawyer with integrity that you can trust.