Yes. Insurance companies would like you to believe changing lawyers will slow everything down, reduce your payout, and make your Wilmington injury claim look weak. That story helps them.

From the insurer's perspective, a "friendly" adjuster call, a quick low settlement offer, or repeated requests for "just one more record" are tools to wear you down. If your case involves a school-zone crash near a Wilmington bus stop, they may press the idea that liability is "still under review" while they wait for you to get frustrated with your own lawyer. They know unhappy clients sometimes take less just to be done.

Reality is different. In North Carolina, you can usually change personal injury lawyers at almost any point before settlement or before a final judgment. Your new lawyer typically gets the file from the old one, including medical records, crash reports, and insurer correspondence. If suit has already been filed, the new lawyer can file a notice of appearance and move the case forward.

The big deadline does not reset. For most North Carolina injury claims, the statute of limitations is 3 years from the date of injury. If the wreck happened in Wilmington during back-to-school traffic and involved a city street, NCDOT road, or local police response, that deadline still controls no matter who your lawyer is.

What can change is the fee split between lawyers. Usually, that is handled between them through a lien or fee-sharing arrangement. It does not usually mean you pay two full contingency fees.

Switching can make sense if your current lawyer is:

• letting the insurer delay without explanation,
• pushing you to accept a clearly low offer,
• not returning calls,
• or failing to explain why liability, treatment, or damages are being disputed.

A new lawyer will want the retainer agreement, claim number, insurer letters, and any deadlines already set.