Have you been injured in accident that was someone else's fault? Has a doctor's mistake caused long-term health issues? Have you been hurt by a defective product? Under state personal injury laws, you may be entitled to compensation if you are hurt as a result of another person or company's negligent, reckless or deliberate actions. Personal injury lawyers work with the victims of all kinds of accidents, including auto accidents, motorcycle crashes, truck crashes, boating accidents, plane crashes, workplace injuries and railroad accidents.
You should also hire a personal injury attorney if you've been injured as a result of dental or medical malpractice, a defective product, nursing home abuse, a slip and fall accident on someone else's property or a dog bite. Your personal injury law firm can help you collect money to pay for medical expenses, temporary or permanent disability, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other injury-related expenses.The law defines personal injury as an injury to the body, mind, or emotions. This is in contrast to an injury to property. Personal injury lawsuits fall under US civil and tort law. Tort law concerns acts that cause harm but are not necessarily illegal as with criminal law.
Personal injury lawyers, also known as plaintiff lawyers or trial lawyers deal with cases concerning:
- Personal injury resulting in serious injuries or death of a family member
- Medical malpractice and harm
- Cases of assault and battery
- Insurance companies’ refusal to pay for medical expenses of the injured party or whose coverage is less than what was contracted
- Slander, libel and defamation
- Product fault and liability
- Injuries occurring while on the land or premise of the accused party
Educational Requirements
In order to practice law as a personal injury lawyer, a bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor Law degree is obligatory. In addition to passing the state’s bar exam, most states require the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). Some states require the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) as well.
To be certified as a specialist in personal injury, a lawyer must enroll in a specialty certification program accredited by the American Bar Association. Like with most specialized areas of law, continuing legal education courses in personal injury are essential for remaining up-to-date with the progression of this field.
Job Description & Skills Required
A personal injury lawyer files legal complaints, offers legal advice, prepares legal documents and represents his client in court. A personal injury lawyer’s primary purpose is to see justice and compensation served to the injured party. Frequently, a personal injury lawyer will settle out of court on behalf of his client. However, if an agreement cannot be reached between the plaintiff and the defendant, the case must be settled in court.
Within the personal injury field, lawyers will choose to specialize even further because certain cases demand a more detailed level of expertise. For example, a personal injury lawyer may regularly litigate malpractice cases and would specialize in anesthesia negligence.
Personal lawyers must have a strong code of ethics, a dedication to justice and a compassion for their clients. They must also be effective advocates for their clients. They must possess strong research and analytical skills as well to adequately gather and examine data in support of their client’s case.
Salary & Job Outlook
Unlike other lawyers, personal injury lawyers don’t charge an hourly rate. Instead, they accept a percentage of their client’s compensation for punitive damages as payment. In high profile cases, personal injury lawyers may earn as much as 40% of their winning client’s compensation. Payment is made on a contingency basis meaning the plaintiff only pays if the lawyer recovers money on his behalf.
The average annual salary for a personal injury lawyer is $73,000. Those employed by a larger law firm tend to earn more, topping the pay scale between $81,000 and $164,000 a year. Those employed by non-profit organizations earn the least while a government employed lawyers earn on average $70,000 at the state and local level and up to $121,000 at the federal level.
For many law firms, personal injury cases form a large portion of their revenue. Therefore, future job prospects continue to look promising for this specialized field. However, there are proposed changes in tort law which could limit compensation and decrease litigation. If this tort reform occurs, it would cause a decline in personal injury cases.
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