Some call them ambulance chasers, some view them with suspicion and some associate them with adverts on the telly – but personal injury solicitors are the lifeblood of a whole subsection of the law world.
And they’re vital to putting people responsible for accidents bang to rights. Whether it’s the local council, a shady employer, a roaring boy racer or someone clumsier than a Harold Lloyd tribute act, solicitors can call them to account.
Moreover, let’s quash that ambulance chasing myth once and for all.
The average injury solicitor is contacted by a member of the public for representation – without them, dodgy workplaces and dangerous members of the public would simply shrug their shoulders and continue their irresponsible actions.
If you’re in the law game, becoming a personal injury solicitor could be the key to helping people. But what skills do you need to make an ace attorney?
Solicit by degrees
Before you can become the suited, booted Don Draper-alike of the personal claims world, you’re going to have to get those study books out.
Any lawyer has to obtain a bachelor’s degree after at least three years of study. The process isn’t easy (many students will drop out in their first year), but that long slog is worth it once you’re clutching a degree in your hands.
Without several years of study, you’ll never earn your place at the personal injury table. So cram hard and gain the best degree you can.
Know the system
Every new case has its ins and outs, and the solicitor without knowhow can feel easily daunted. And without proper revision, your knowledge of the law will grow rustier than a 50-year-old bicycle abandoned in a rainstorm.
Even those hot shot lawyers you see on the telly have to hit the books every once in a while. Laws change and parameters alter. You have to stay on top of them before you’re losing more cases than a featherweight fighter loses heavyweight boxing matches.
To stay at the top of your game, stay abreast of the constant fluctuations of the law. While the foundations of the law will probably never change, those refinements to the process will always exist. Know them and you’ll never feel overwhelmed.
Above and beyond (the law)
More than most areas of the law, personal injury solicitors have their foot in a number of different employment sectors. And while not essential, understanding the specifics of engineering or pretty much any other sections of the workforce will give you a wellspring of background knowledge to draw from.
As soon as you have an accident in an esoteric industry, you’ll be able to make the most of your knowledge – and increase your odds of winning a case.
