Why Ambitious Lawyers Often Get into the Personal Injury Law Niche
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Lawyers practice many different law varieties. You can pass the bar and work for a single company as their in-house counsel. You might work for a firm that does legal work benefiting society.
Personal injury law attracts many lawyers. You might see local TV commercials advertising them. They may solicit phone calls if a drunk driver hits you or you have some other personal injury case.
Common Reasons to Choose the Niche
Why does personal injury law attract bright and ambitious lawyers? We’ll talk about that right now.
It’s Easy Money
3 out of 100 injury cases get jury verdicts. That’s 3%, meaning in 97 out of 100 personal injury cases, the defendant offers the plaintiff a cash settlement, and the plaintiff accepts it. Some plaintiffs also drop cases if they don’t have enough evidence to pursue them further.
A personal injury lawyer won’t take on your case if they feel you don’t have enough evidence proving what happened. They might sympathize with you, but if you can’t produce physical evidence establishing some person or entity caused you harm, they won’t take you on as a client.
If they take you on as a client, they’ll probably offer you a contingency payment plan. That means you
pay them nothing if they don’t get any money for you.
When your lawyer meets with the opposing counsel, they must show them the evidence they collected during the discovery process. You might have tons of physical evidence, eyewitness testimonies, expert witnesses lined up, and so forth.
If so, the defendant’s attorney might tell their client to offer you a settlement. If you accept it, your lawyer gets 30-40%. Your lawyer might get that money without appearing in a courtroom or working very hard. They must produce the physical evidence that gets you the settlement offer, but that’s about it.
You can see why this legal niche appeals to some lawyers. They collect money in many personal injury cases without arguing before a jury or doing any challenging legal work.
The Lawyer Can Argue in a Courtroom Setting
You should also think about the 3 out of 100 times a personal injury lawyer argues in front of a judge and jury in a courtroom setting. They gathered the evidence, and now they have a defendant who refuses to signal their concession by offering the plaintiff money.
It might seem odd, but some personal injury lawyers like these situations even more. Now they can shine. They can get up in front of an audience and perform. Some attorneys like this performative job aspect. They love arguing on your behalf, proving their points, and winning you money.
Big Fishes in Small Ponds
Earlier, we mentioned how you might know a certain personal injury lawyer if you watch local TV channels. Many times, these lawyers have catchy jingles in their commercials. Their firm makes dozens of ads with the lawyers in different scenarios. They usually feature hammy acting.
You might also see that same lawyer’s face on billboards around town. You probably know their phone number by heart, even if you never call them.
These lawyers enjoy local celebrity status. They know that when they walk down the street in their city, people recognize them.
They become big fishes in small ponds and many of them relish that. Like local TV meteorologists or news anchors, they become fixtures in towns or cities, even if no one outside the area knows about them.
It’s Steady Work
Personal injury lawyers often get into this legal niche because they like the steady work. People frequently hurt themselves and must file lawsuits for negligence. Doctors commit malpractice, and products harm people.
Personal injury law yields new cases seemingly on a daily basis. Any lawyer who wants steady work for their entire career can get into this niche, and they will have clients every day till they approach retirement age.
Some Like Helping People
Some lawyers also like personal injury law because they enjoy helping people. They know and understand when someone hurts themselves, if they can hold someone else responsible, they want to, but they might not know how. They need a lawyer on their side who can fight for their rights in a courtroom.
Some people go after big companies for harming them. Product-related lawsuits mean going after corporations with talented legal teams and deep pockets. It’s like the movie Erin Brockovich. Lawyers often like these high-profile cases. They can defend their clients against overwhelming odds and sometimes come away victorious.
When that happens, the attorney gets a big payday, but they also enjoy fame and notoriety. They might become famous on a national or international level and not just a local one. They help their client, but they also appear on national TV doing interviews. These huge cases often mean higher-profile cases going forward.
Personal Injury Law Attracts All Types
Some lawyers get into personal injury law for steady work, fame, money, or because helping people appeals. Whatever the reason, many bright legal minds enjoy this work, and they get into it once they pass the bar.
Some start their own firms, while others join one. In either case, you can usually find enthusiastic personal injury lawyers. They might seem friendly when you have them on your side, but their combative nature comes out when they defend you in court.
When you hire one, make sure their personality works for you. You might find a lawyer with an excellent reputation, but your temperament clashes with theirs. You will spend some time with this person during the lawsuit process, so you must get along okay with them. You might not become best friends, but you must at least tolerate one another.
The right personal injury lawyer should get you the settlement you want, or they can fight in court before a jury if it comes to that. Ideally, you will find a lawyer you like who will make this challenging experience as painless as possible.
