I laugh at people when they tell me that. attys will not get you more money, they take 1/3 of it! and we would rather deal with an atty than you anyway, no emotions involved. an insurance goal is to settle as quickly as possible, period. so an atty just slows that process down, thats why ins comps don't like to deal with them.
Kevin, there could be many things going that you aren't aware of. like, the other driver may have a different story than you. his ins comp would have to investigate liability at that point. maybe his ins comp hasn't spoke with the other driver yet? you wouldn't want your ins to pay out on a claim when they haven't verified everything with you first. trust me they want this taken care quickly as do you.
as far as the value goes. I don't see anymore deductions from 150k miles to 204k. as long as the body and interior is in good condition you will get around the $4k. thats from the nada.