Why It’s Relevant: AB 597 would force public adjusters to base compensation only on payouts received after the contract is signed, rather than including earlier insurer-advances. That may lead to higher contingency fees and discourage people from hiring adjusters. Many big industry stakeholders support this bill, which raises concern as public adjusters provide necessary advocacy when insurers drag their feet or underpay. For us, this underscores the importance of being transparent, ethical, and clear in our contracts and of advocating for laws that preserve, not restrict, policyholder access to expert claims help.