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                                                                    EXHIBIT 24.3
                               POWER OF ATTORNEY

         KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that the undersigned director or
officer, or both, of CRAWFORD & COMPANY, a Georgia corporation (the
"Corporation"), hereby constitutes and appoints JUDD F. OSTEN and DONALD R.
CHAPMAN, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and
agent to sign (1) the Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 1995; (2) the Registration Statement on Form S-8 covering
1,000,000 shares of the Class A Common Stock of the Corporation related to the
1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and any and all amendments to, and
supplements to any prospectus contained in, such Registration Statement and any
and all instruments and documents filed as a part of or in connection with such
amendments or supplements; and (3) any other reports or registration statements
to be filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission
and/or any national securities exchange under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, and any and all amendments thereto, and any and all
instruments and documents filed as part of or in connection with any such
reports or registration statements or reports or amendments thereto; and in
connection with the foregoing, to do any and all acts and things and execute
any and all instruments which such attorneys-in-fact and agents may deem
necessary or advisable to enable this Corporation to comply with the securities
laws of the United States and of any State or other political subdivision
thereof; hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any one of them, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has subscribed these presents this
30th day of January, 1996.

                                        /s/ Linda K. Crawford