Personal Injury Attorney
Personal injury attorneys provide legal representation to individuals who claim to be injured physically or psychologically, as the result of negligence or wrongdoing of another person, company, government agency or other entity. Personal injury lawyers are also used when an individual needs help fighting an insurance company because of their reluctance to pay a fair settlement amount to a victim of an accident. Additionally, personal injury lawyers assist their clients in finding out who is liable for their injuries, and how to go about recovering money needed to cover medical expenses and lost income.
Tort law is the biggest component of most personal injury lawyers. Most, if not all personal injury lawyers are extensively knowledgeable and experienced in the area of tort law, dealing with civil wrongs and economic or non-economic damages to a person’s property, rights or reputation. Personal injury attorneys are also specialized in personal injury law, which includes specific fields of law such as personal injury litigation. Personal injury litigations involve claims that deal mainly with medical malpractice, accidents, product liability, workplace injury, wrongful death and more. Some of these types of lawyers focus on one area of litigation within personal injury law, becoming more experienced at handling certain types of cases.
Personal Injury Topics
There is a variety of topics, types of accidents or cases that a personal injury lawyer can take on. These include:
- Accidents involving vehicles
- Accidents involving animals
- Accidents involving pedestrians
- Accidents involving slip and fall victims
- Work-related injuries
- Assault victims of domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, etc.
- Birth and child injuries
- Insurance claims
- Defective products
- Lead poisoning
- Internet defamation
- Medical injuries
- Medical malpractice
- Personal injury claims
- Personal injury litigations
- Wrongful death
- Pharmaceutical injuries
- Damage to one property
Although many personal injury lawyers handle cases of this nature, most stick to the following types of cases primarily:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Defective products
- Work injuries
- Automobile accidents
Personal Injury Lawyer Certification
Unlike other types of lawyers, and regardless of specific jurisdiction requirements, all personal injury lawyers must take the MBE, MEE, and MPRE along with their state bar examination. Some states, even require the MPT as apart of their bar examination. Once admitted to the bar, continuing legal education is required to help personal injury lawyers stay updated on the latest developments in their field. Most personal injury attorneys focus on a particular area of law, however, to become certified a personal injury attorney must complete a specialty certification program accredited by the ABA.
Job Outlook for Personal Injury Lawyers
As with other types of lawyers, personal injury lawyers can work in either a small or large law firm, or they can go into solo practice. If they go to work in a law firm, generally they start as associates but have the ability to become partner if desired. Solo practitioners are able to spend more time with their clients, building a strong relationship and offering more one-on-one attention. Solo practitioners are also more willing to take on smaller cases, for a cheaper fee. Still, the need for personal injury lawyers is expected to increase 13% by 2018, as this world continues to see an increase in automobile accidents, bankruptcy cases, malpractice complaints, work injuries and insurance companies who are not willing to be fair when paying victims.
