Why I practice Personal Injury Law

There is no shortage of news stories, novels, television series or movies portraying what the media believe lawyers (or “attorneys” if you want the US lingo) do for a living. While the media often depicts lawyers in a bad light, fortunately some portrayals are not only positive but also inspiring. One of my favorite inspiring moments is the closing argument in the movie: A Time to Kill, based on a John Grisham novel. Obviously, A Time to Kill is not a story of a personal injury lawyer but it is a story about a lawyer who is passionate about the law and finding justice for his client.

I think that most people who go to law school have a sense of what they think the practice of law is about, but until they get out into the real world, meet real clients and have to solve real problems they really have no clue. When I finished law school, I could have chosen to be any type of lawyer I wanted. I could have been a general practitioner (a lawyer who does a bit of everything), a solicitor (a lawyer who drafts things like business contracts, deals with copyright, tax or security issues, prepares wills or documents needed to buy and sell homes), a criminal defence lawyer (like in the movie mentioned), or a crown prosecutor (someone who prosecutes criminals), just to name a few. But, I knew within my first weeks of articling (like an apprenticeship for lawyers) that I wanted to be a civil litigator. A civil litigator is a lawyer who goes to court and argues civil (as opposed to criminal) cases. Now, the fact that I would take an interest in arguing probably came as no surprise to those who know me.

By the time I finished articling I knew, not only did I want to be a civil litigator but I had a keen interest in personal injury law. I wanted to act for the injured, not the insurance companies. I had gotten a taste of how good it felt to help someone and how interesting the medical and legal issues were. Each year that passed, each conference I attended, each trial I watched or was involved in, I became more and more entrenched and excited about the practice of personal injury law such that there was no doubt about it, I had found my niche. To many of my colleagues, the thought of practicing personal injury law is exactly how I view tax and securities law. In one word - “yuck!” So, you might be wondering what it is about personal injury law that is so exciting to me?

There are lots of aspects about what I do that I love. I have always had an interest in medicine and I get to pour over medical records, reports and text books. In some cases, I get to refer clients to medical experts that without my involvement, they would not otherwise get to see. So, indirectly, I sometimes get to play a role in helping my clients get better. I get to help eliminate their stress by helping them navigate the system and get fair settlements. When push comes to shove, if the other party is not offering a fair settlement for the injuries suffered, I get to run a trial. Sometimes judge alone and sometimes jury. Either way, I get to put my skills to the test in the court room where I get an opportunity to tell my client’s story in an attempt to obtain justice and as much as I can, make my client whole again. Achieving a great result for a client through settlement or trial is a pretty awesome feeling.

However, the number one reason I love what I do is that I get to help people who need it, who without someone to advocate for them would get screwed over by the system. I get to make a real difference in people’s lives and I get to meet some pretty amazing people in the process. I love that!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.