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ABOUT PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS
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— MEMBER SPOTLIGHT —
By Garry R . Salomon , Esq . Attorney At Law Davis , Saperstein & Salomon , PC
ABOUT PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS
A lot of people like to make jokes about personal injury lawyers . Perhaps some of that is brought about by tasteless attorney advertising or questionable tactics employed by some injury attorneys to find new clients . When I explain to some people what I do , they feel it necessary to respond , “ So , you mean you ’ re an ambulance chaser .” I smile and laugh at their joke because I realize they mean no harm . The jokes may seem to be funny , but to someone who ’ s injured , it ’ s no laughing matter .
Similarly , law professors who educate future lawyers with the aspiration that their students may , upon graduation , land a job with “ Big Law ” seem to frown upon recommending their students to consider a career dedicated to being a personal injury “ trial attorney .” Instead , they prefer their students to engage in corporate legal work . Somehow , to them , a career of contract reviews , foreclosure law , and perhaps real estate transactions is more noble . As a result , few law students are encouraged to enter a career specializing in “ tort law ,” commonly known as Personal Injury Law . Fortunately for me , I know otherwise .
As a law student with an undergraduate degree in accounting , my intention was to become a tax attorney . However that changed as soon as I studied tort law which is about compensating people injured by another ’ s negligence . Having started my legal career as a general practitioner , I found it most satisfying to devote my career to being an “ injury lawyer .”
I found that by being an injury lawyer , I became not only a member of the “ Plaintiff ’ s bar ,” but more like being part of a fraternal organization . Even though plaintiff trial lawyers may compete with one another for clients , they were open and collaborative about sharing trial skills to be effective advocates for their injured clients . More importantly they are active in lobbying , passing , and advocating for pro-consumer laws that hold negligent corporations and institutions accountable for their negligence . It was then that I understood that each case I brought helped make the world a bit safer .
You see , in our society , law enforcement protects against crime , but who protects the people against neglect , malfeasance , and carelessness ? I then truly understood the trial lawyer ’ s contribution to society . Because if it weren ’ t for the work of trial attorneys , cars would not be as safe , food would not be as wholesome , prescription drugs would not be as safe , and police brutality would go unchecked . There would be no seat belts , functional airbags , flame proof baby clothing , mall security , back up alarms , product warnings , etc . Corporations have no hearts , souls , or consciousness . They exist to make money and it ’ s the fear of being sued that causes them to institute safety protocols .
There was a time when during snowstorms , storekeepers would stock rock salt for sale , yet not apply any to their own walkways . Now , because of the threat of lawsuits , they make certain to de-ice their parking lots . When it snows , the manager may tell an employee , “ Go salt the entryway before someone slips and sues us .” But they have it all wrong . What management should say to their porter is “ go clear the snow and salt the parking lot before some woman falls and breaks her hip ; and because of that she may lose her job since she can ’ t go to work . Furthermore , because the woman lost her job , her house may go into foreclosure and because of her pain , she can ’ t take care of her disabled husband and even ends up missing her granddaughter ’ s wedding . Now go outside and clean and salt the parking lot !”
The truth of the matter is that the store owner only cares about not being sued .
Not only am I proud of the work that I do , but I also realize that trial lawyers need far more skills than other lawyers . We need to know all the applicable statutes and case law . We need to know Evidence Law inside and out . We need to understand other areas of the law including , real estate , partnerships and corporations , civil procedure , family law , estate law , criminal law , bankruptcy , contracts , and constitutional law . We also need a good understanding of medicine , accounting , engineering , and psychology . We learned to be good legal brief writers and , above all , “ good on our feet ” in front of a jury . We need good investigation and negotiation skills as well as a good understanding of human nature , and good debating and theatrical skills .
On top of it all , we trial lawyers need to have enough confidence in ourselves to win our client ’ s case , because if we don ’ t win their case , we will not get paid . But despite it all , I would not change a thing in my career . In fact , often while trying a case , I say to myself , “ I can ’ t believe that I get to do this .”
During my career , I ’ ve had the privilege of interviewing hundreds of lawyers for a position at my firm . When asked why they decided to go to law school , they all say that they became lawyers “ to help people .” Well , the reality is that we trial lawyers are the lawyers that really do help people from all walks of life , whether they are old or young , rich or poor . In the end , by doing our jobs , we helped a person or a family get their measure of justice while making the world a safer place .
And that ’ s what it means to be a trial lawyer .
10 x The Trial Lawyer