A personal injury lawyer, also known as a plaintiff lawyer or a trial lawyer, is a civil litigator that represents plaintiffs alleging either a physical or psychological injury due to negligence or carelessness of another person, entity or organization. They focus on the area of law that is known as tort law which involves civil wrongs or injuries. Tort law aims to protect the injured party and to discourage other people from committing the same offense.
The goal of a personal injury lawyer is to get justice for the injured party. They help the plaintiffs get the compensation that they deserve for their losses – this includes the loss of earning capacity or inability to work, pain and suffering, medical expenses, emotional distress, loss of companionship, legal costs, attorney fees, etc. They also provide protection to clients who have been victimized by insurance companies and the legal system.
Education
Anyone who wants to be a personal injury lawyer should pursue the same path of training and education as any other lawyer. They should earn a law degree from any accredited law school and pass the written bar examination too. Personal injury lawyers have the option to become a certified specialist in civil trial advocacy. All they have to do is complete a certification program that’s accredited by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification.
Salary and Employment Outlook
A personal injury lawyer is one of the few professionals that get to earn a 7-digit salary. They can earn between $30,000 to $300,000 depending on their practice and location. As for their employment outlook, the rate remains to be quite excellent. Since litigation is on the rise and is very in demand in numerous law firms, personal injury lawyers are almost always hired.
Types of Cases that Personal Injury Lawyers Handle
Generally, personal injury lawyers handle anything that involves an injury to the body or mind – everything that falls under the personal injury law.
- Animal bite injury
- Auto accidents
- Aviation accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Boating accidents
- Brain injury
- Burn injury
- Construction accidents
- Defective products
- Insurance/bad faith
- Medical malpractice
- Motorcycle accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Spinal cord injuries
- Wrongful death