‘It is in everyone's interests to have a low cost system,’ a director of the Association of British Insurers told the annual conference of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Gazette news, 29 April, 4). Like most people, I do want to believe what I am told by people who speak on behalf of powerful institutions. But words and actions frequently conflict.

My firm was recently instructed to deal with a serious road traffic accident for a teenage girl. She was a passenger in a car which was driven into a tree. The girl suffered a fractured spine along with complicated internal injuries.

The insurance company's rep contacted the girl's mother by mobile telephone, met her in a local cafe, and sent her text messages. He offered to settle the girl's claim for £8,000. He said it would be good to get it all wrapped up early. He made no mention of how he had come to this figure, nor whether legal advice might be appropriate.

Another tactic was to try to induce settlement by dangling the expenses carrot – immediate payment, including her loss of earnings, if they could agree settlement of the whole claim. The mother was in dire straights having not worked for a month (or so) because of the need to look after her daughter.

No mention was made of the need for court approval.

The girl's mother did not accept the offer. While we don’t know the value of the claim yet, it looks likely to be in six figures.

The commercial interests of financial institutions and the values of private individuals do conflict. Large companies are bound to consider the interests of their shareholders ahead of the interests of others.

Maybe independent lawyers do have a role, which is to represent private individuals against the misleading statements, and the prejudicial actions, of large companies and large institutions.

John Holtom, managing partner, Legal Solutions Partnership, Luton