Advice for Students Who Want to Become a Personal Injury Lawyer

Law students hoping to practice as personal injury attorneys may wonder how to get their footing in such a competitive field of law. Although personal injury law may involve high-stress cases with high stakes, many find the challenges bring rewards.

Those practicing in personal injury law may feel drawn to representing people dealing with severe injuries and illnesses. Some personal injury attorneys may choose to represent the defendants in these matters because they find satisfaction in defending people who have been taken advantage of by the negligence of others.

Below, injury attorney Aaron Bensinger walks you through what personal injury law is and what it takes to become a personal injury lawyer.

Why Personal Injury Law?

The field of personal injury law includes a broad array of cases. Personal injury lawsuits include the following topics and more:

Car, motorcycle, and bicycle accidents;

Boating accidents;

Pedestrian accidents;

Premises liability;

Medical malpractice;

Work-related injuries;

Product liability;

Slip-and-fall cases; and

Animal bites and attacks.

As a personal injury lawyer, you must be well-prepared to battle against large insurance companies, healthcare providers, and other third parties. Personal injury lawyers often meet clients dealing with injuries and trauma stemming from the worst day of their life. Therefore, in addition to advocacy and diligence in representation, personal injury lawyers must also provide compassion and understanding to their client's plight.

Although most personal injury cases don’t go to trial, personal injury attorneys must prepare as if they are headed to trial. Preparation usually involves long hours researching issues, statutes, and other documentation to support your client's position.

Personal injury cases most often settle before trial, with both parties agreeing on a sum that adequately satisfies the victim's demands. These settlement discussions require skillful negotiation tactics on the part of an attorney. Insurance companies and healthcare providers often strive to pay as little as possible in settlement offers. Therefore, knowing how to get fair compensation is an essential skill of experienced personal injury attorneys.

How to Become a Personal Injury Lawyer

The road to becoming an attorney is long and full of multiple steps. Attacking each step with perseverance and ambition lays the path for a successful career as a personal injury attorney.

Earn an Undergraduate Degree

The better your college transcript, the better equipped you will be for obtaining a law degree in the future. Undergraduate studies in law-related fields are not necessary to attend law school. Many future law students major in history, English, political science, science, engineering, and business, to name just a few. Law schools value diversity among the students they admit, so you’ll find law students with almost every conceivable background.

Take the LSAT

Most law schools rely heavily on college transcripts and LSAT scores in admitting students. The LSAT is the Law School Admissions Test, and it tests a student's logical reasoning, critical thinking, task management, and research skills. The better your score on the LSAT, the better your chances of being accepted by the law school of your choice and receiving financial assistance.

Attend Law School and Earn a Juris Doctor (JD) Degree

Law school trains you for the field of practice and prepares you for the bar exam. Full-time law school generally takes three years of study to complete. Once completed, you become eligible to take the bar exam. It’s a competitive environment that will introduce you to a wide variety of legal topics. It’s during law school that many future lawyers begin to get a better grasp of the area of law they might like to pursue.

Take and Pass the Bar Exam

Almost all states require a law school graduate to take the bar exam for the state you wish to practice. The bar exam can be a grueling finale to the long road to becoming a lawyer. For most, it takes several months of full-time study and dedication to prepare for the extensive material covered by the exam. By this time, you have a lot invested in a law career, so it makes sense to make every effort to pass the bar on the first attempt.

Get a Job in the Legal Field

One of the great benefits of practicing law is the various fields of law to choose from when you become an attorney. However, if you're like many personal injury attorneys, you may feel drawn to the broad range of cases, interesting fact patterns, and adversarial atmosphere of personal injury law.

Having said that, many new lawyers tend to gravitate to the practice area that is available in the market or that is the focus of the firm they get hired by. In this way, choosing a practice area is much like an apprenticeship. Once you start practicing, you may feel drawn to a particular practice area based on your interests and personality or the influence of a mentor. It’s important to keep an open mind because you never know which area of law will pique your interest.