I am a personal injury lawyer in Louisville, Kentucky. My office handles cases all over the Commonwealth, but mainly focuses on outlier counties like Oldham, Shelby, Franklin, Hardin, Breckenridge and Meade County. The majority of my day is car crash cases. This includes truck crash, motorcycle crash, and pedestrian injury cases. The remaining portion of my day I focus on dog bite, slip and fall, and other injury cases. People sometimes ask me what does that mean. This blog post explains what an personal injury lawyer does on a daily basis.
Customer Service and Arguing
I see my job as customer service mixed in with arguing. Arguing can take the form of negotiating with insurance companies or dealing with defense lawyers in litigation. The customer service portion of my job involves communicating with clients about their case and figuring the best way to get them money. This means doing things like responding to texts or drafting letters to clients. I also make sure to speak with every client my office signs so they know what to expect with their injury case.
Handling Problems That Arise
My job is to put out fires. This means figuring out property damage or getting in contact with a doctor that does not want to be part of the litigation process. The amount of medicine a personal injury lawyer deals with on a daily basis is underestimated. I read medical charts and review bills/records daily.
Getting Clients Compensated
I write demands to insurance companies and if the other side won’t pay a fair sum to resolve than a lawsuit is filed. My office works on pre-litigation and litigation matters. Sometimes I’m calling an insurance adjuster to discuss and other times I am negotiating with a defense lawyer. This can be over the phone or in a mediation. Picture below is from 2014! Long time ago.
Going To Court and Trial
It is rare for a case to go to trial. I say that having tried over 50 cases. Good cases for the plaintiff get settled and good cases for the defense get negotiated. Bad cases with conflicting liability or difficult circumstances are the ones that are most likely to go to trial. I’d say if 100 cases come into my office maybe 3 make their way to the jury. The number fluctuates based on the lawyer you hire. Some lawyers never go to court. Some go 2-4 times a year. If a lawyer tries one case a year they are legit in my eyes. I don’t care if they win or lose. They need to be going to trial to keep the other side honest. Some trials last a few weeks, but most car crash trials are a few days.
Closing Cases
The most fun part of my job is giving clients money. That is why they hire me. And drawing up closing documents / reviewing paperwork is another significant portion of my day.
