A Typical Day in the Life of a Personal Injury Lawyer
If you get into the legal profession, you should understand that you can enter several niches. Maybe you will get into business law, environmental law, or something else that interests you. However, you should know that many lawyers get into personal injury.
Navigating lawsuits with an injury attorney’s help doesn’t much appeal in most instances, yet some people have to do it. If they feel that an individual or entity harmed them, then they may have little choice in the matter.
You might see things from the side of the plaintiff if you sue someone and hire a lawyer. What about the attorney’s side of things, though?
Let’s take a moment to talk about what the average day in a personal injury lawyer’s life resembles. If you are thinking about getting into profession, you should know what lies in store.
You Might Meet with New Potential Clients
First, we should mention that no two days will probably look exactly the same for anyone in the legal niche, including personal injury law. The routine will vary. However, it’s also true that you might do certain things more days than not, so we’ll focus on those.
First, you might have some office hours. That means you will arrive, perhaps have a cup of coffee, and then meet with some new potential clients.
When you meet with a possible client, you will probably see this person at their lowest ebb. If they’re thinking about suing someone, then maybe a doctor harmed them, and they feel it’s medical malpractice. Maybe they come in wearing a neck brace because they slipped and fell while in an establishment. You might have someone come in with a huge bandage because a dog bit them.
The best personal injury lawyers should seem sympathetic. Hopefully, you can demonstrate to this potential client that you have a heart and that you can see things from their perspective. They need a support network right now, and you might serve that function for them.
You May Meet with Current Clients Next
After you meet with some potential new clients, you might next meet with existing ones. They may come in so you can discuss their case.
Presumably, you can update them on what’s happening. If you feel like you can talk to them on the phone or have a Zoom call with them instead of having them come into your office in person, then you might do that.
No matter whether you see these individuals in person or not, you need to let them know where the case lies and what comes next. Maybe you will tell them the defendant has a settlement offer for them. Perhaps you will tell them that you’re moving on to the next stage of the litigation process if the defendant won’t settle.
You Might Have to Spend Time Meeting with Your Investigators
Next, you might spend some time meeting with your investigator or investigators. You will have an ongoing relationship with this individual, or multiple people, if you have a whole investigative team working for you.
You must have an investigator on your payroll, or more than one, because you will need them to find out information about any client’s case you agreed to take on. Once you agree that someone will become your client, you need to uncover as much evidence about their case as possible. Your investigator or investigators will do that for you.
They might spend their time trying to get police documents that prove a client’s story. They may try to uncover medical documents as well. They might look for eyewitnesses, if any exist. They may try to uncover photographic or video evidence that proves your client’s case.
You will get an update from each of your investigators. You will pass what the investigator says along to your client the next time you see them or talk to them.
Next, You Might Spend Time with Opposing Counsel
You might have to spend time with opposing counsel next. That often involves meeting at a restaurant, coffee shop, or somewhere similar. In some instances, you might go see the opposing counsel in their office or they might come to yours. However, many lawyers like meeting on neutral ground.
In these meetings, you will let the opposing counsel know your client’s frame of mind, and they will do the same for the defendant they represent. If the defendant told their lawyer they could extend a settlement offer, then you can hear it and then report it back to your client.
In some cases, you might go with your client to meet with the defendant and their lawyer. However, many times, these negotiations don’t take place with both your client and the defendant present. That might heighten the tension needlessly.
You Might Conclude the Day by Spending Some Time in Court
You may sometimes have to appear in court as well. The overwhelming majority of the time, personal injury cases never get to the trial phase. Usually, the defendant will extend a settlement offer. The defendant and plaintiff might go back and forth till they reach an agreement. You and their other lawyer might carry those messages back and forth.
However, you might also sometimes have a situation where the defendant does not want to settle. If they don’t, then that probably means they’re either stubborn or they don’t think you and your client have enough evidence to get a jury’s verdict in your favor.
If that’s what’s happening, then you’ll go to trial. Some personal injury lawyers relish these moments. They get to dress in their best outfit, get up in front of a judge and jury, and try to convince everyone that the defendant did something wrong and that they should pay a civil penalty for it.
This might resemble your day-to-day if you get into personal injury law representing plaintiffs. Of course, if you represent defendants, things will look a little different.