Attorneys and aspiring attorneys sometimes have trouble deciding which area of law to which to devote their practices. One of the most satisfying and financially stable fields is personal injury law. If you are considering becoming a personal injury lawyer, what should you know about it? Text Kevin Accident Attorneys take a look at some of the basics.
Why Become A Personal Injury Attorney?
Most people go into law for at least two main reasons: to help others and to establish oneself in a financially secure career. Personal injury combines both. Individuals who are harmed by others’ negligence and recklessness often find themselves suffering severe injuries and facing ruin in the form of steep medical bills, lost time from work, and once-promising careers cut short. They and their families would be forced to pay these expenses out of pocket if not for the work of personal injury lawyers. Additionally, these attorneys help level the field between victims of often meager financial means and deep-pocketed corporations and other interests.
The lawyer can be well-paid for his or her hard work in winning the compensation that victims deserve. Personal injury attorneys are generally paid on the back end from the damages award or insurance settlement that the victim receives. This means that most personal injury lawyers are not paid unless and until they win a case for their clients. While the attorney’s compensation will vary from one firm to another, it averages between 33% and 40% in most cases in California. For example, if a client receives a settlement of $200,000, the lawyer’s fee, at 33%, would be $66,000. The remaining $134,000 goes to the client to cover his or her losses.
A Broad Practice Area
Personal injury law covers a wide array of injuries that victims encounter every day. These are a few examples of cases that a personal injury lawyer may take:
- Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
- Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare accidents
- Premises liability injuries
- Slip and fall injuries
- Burn injuries
- Dog bites
- Product liability (e.g. defective consumer products)
- Boating accidents
- Swimming pool accidents
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Construction accidents
- Drunk drivers and dram shop laws
As you develop and refine your practice, you may wish to vary the types of cases you take or the clients you represent. There may also come a time when you want to expand your practice or branch into other areas that are closely related to personal injury law. Some examples are:
- Wrongful death
- Medical malpractice
- Workers’ compensation
- Mass tort and class action law
- Insurance law
- Defamation, slander, and libel law
How Do I Find Clients?
The State Bar of California places restrictions on how attorneys can advertise and solicit clients. One of the most important first steps you should take as a personal injury lawyer is to study and familiarize yourself with these rules so you are not held liable for a breach of your professional and ethical responsibilities.
That being said, there are several potential avenues for finding personal injury clients and growing your practice:
Website and social media pages: It should come as no surprise that the most successful personal injury law firms have professionally designed websites and a presence on major social media platforms. In this day and age, you simply cannot afford to not have both.
Search engine optimization: Also known as SEO, search engine optimization means designing your website in a way that increases the likelihood that it shows up near the top of search engine results. Digital marketing companies can help you with this.
Lawyer referral services: There are various pre-paid legal programs that help match individuals with attorneys. For a fee, members of these programs can have access to personal injury lawyers (usually at a discounted rate). This may be a great option to build your initial client base.
Word of mouth and reviews: You can let your friends, family, and professional associates know you practice personal injury law and ask them to refer clients to you. After you successfully represent a client you can request a positive online review of your business. Again, make sure you check all applicable ethical rules first.
Advertising: Although there are limits on attorney advertising, it is legal to do so in the state of California. Check the Rules of Professional Conduct to make sure any advertising content is in line with current ethical requirements.
Proudly Representing California Personal Injury Victims
Text Kevin Accident Attorneys advocate for the legal rights and interests of California personal injury victims. We are proud to help victims gain access to the civil court system so they and their families can seek justice and compensation after being injured by negligent individuals, corporations, and governments. Give us a call today to learn more about our legal services.
