Not just a Personal Injury Lawyer
I dread the inevitable ‘so, what do you do?’ question at functions when I meet new people. I often make a pact with myself that I’ll just say I work in an admin role. Of course, that never happens, and I always end up confessing I’m a lawyer.
Invariably this leads to my newly found friends regaling me with tales of their family and friends having a poor lawyer experience or trying to bait me into some sensationalist statement about a current legislative reform. While I love good and robust discussions, sometimes I just want to blend in and not wear the lawyer cap.
But the worst is when they ask me what kind of law I do. ‘I’m just a personal injury lawyer,’ I audibly sigh. Many people look at me in horror and tell me that is nothing to sneeze at. Others ask me if I’m one of those ambulance chasers.
Why do I feel the need to tell people I’m just a personal injury lawyer with some sort of obvious resignation?
Truth be told, personal injury lawyers get a bad rap. They’re often seen as ambulance chasers or people who just process claims in a ‘sausage factory’ where no real thought process needs to be applied. However, I’m here to tell you, nothing is further from the truth.
The reality is personal injury lawyers are astute litigators and solicitor advocates. We’re particularly perceptive and agile lawyers.
Our client needs can be significant and complex, and we’re often negotiating many areas of law at once – injury law, traffic offences, superannuation entitlements, wage disputes, statutory interpretation, and of course domestic and family violence overlays. Personal injury law is not a ‘discrete’ area of law, although those who practise it sometimes feel we may be pegged into a hole by others.
It's an area of law which provides for a great training ground for solicitor advocacy. Personal injury lawyers are keenly aware of the rules of pleadings, disclosure, evidence and regularly engage in advocacy for their clients, whether in the documents they prepare, in mediations or conferences or before the courts. Personal injury lawyers know how to tell compelling stories to bolster their clients’ cases and put them in the best position possible.
So, I guess as I approach 2 decades of experience as a personal injury lawyer, I should readjust my own perceptions and embrace being one. I’m not a claims handler. I’m not an administration officer. I’m a skilled advocate in insurance litigation with a particular focus on claims involving injuries to people. Now that I’m reflecting on it … there’s really no reason for me not to shout my profession from the rooftop!