Did anyone make the switch from general litigation or big law to plaintiffs PI? Any regrets? Do you still feel like you’re being worked into an early grave ?

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Yes I did. It’s only been a month and I still feel like I’m drowning but I’ve been told that is to be expected for 6 months until I get my footing. Not having the billable hour pressure is very nice though and the days go by very fast.

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If you don’t have PI experience but you have Client experience, I can mold you to an attorney who might be beneficial to the system that works for us, PI experience isn’t always necessary

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Yeah, though after just one year of biglaw and a clerkship. It's worked out so far, but I'm in a mass tort group where I mostly don't work on hundreds of individual cases (it's mostly for leadership in mass actions).
It's been great so far. A bit more work than biglaw, but more opportunity too.

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I did. 5 years into my career I left a pretty solid ID position doing mostly legal malpractice defense to open my own PI shop, thinking I was going to be a high-flying PI trial lawyer banking tons of cash in no time. Wrong.

The biggest shock and difference you’ll feel is not getting a predictable stream of income (at least at first). That steady paycheck is worth more than many think because it regulates your personal finances and you don’t get a stress complex that otherwise sets in from burning through your savings and racking up credit card debt as you front litigation costs for often ungrateful PI clients rolling the dice on your dime and up front labor.

Unless and until you get a steady rhythm of quality cases (quality cases are hard to come by at first too) and work them up correctly to create substantial risk for the defense, and have tens of thousands of dollars (minimum) in-play to front litigation costs all the way through to verdict on your cases which can easily be defensed still at trial (meaning you lose all your money invested in the case not to mention your time), you can easily flame out on a PI practice.

I survived 8 years doing it with peaks and valleys before going back to ID, at first to a firm and then on my own. But I got paid steadily even on my own because the fee structure is hourly and you get paid after regular invoicing every 30, 60, or 90 days depending on the client.

I don’t regret the journey as a PI lawyer though. I tried to verdict several jury trials which wouldn’t have happened as an associate at an ID firm. I had a few very rewarding cases. I learned to run a small business. I also would not have developed as much perspective of tort litigation in general. Those experiences served me very well when I went back to ID both at a firm and again running my own defense practice.

It can be done successfully. I know a few lawyers that transitioned and are doing very well, but I know of some that tried and were wrecked financially inside of 3 years. Plan very carefully and understand it’s an extremely competitive marketplace in terms of landing decent PI cases, and whatever money you think a case will cost to work up and try … double it.

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Additional Posts in Personal Injury Lawyers

NYC area Personal Injury Lawyers:

What are some of the most well respected plaintiff’s personal injury firms in NYC, and why?

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I do digital marketing for a PI firm. I want to chat about Yelp. Obviously it’s a platform built for consumers, not for businesses. Naturally, former clients go there to bash or rave about their experience. While I know Yelp’s algorithm, I was wondering if anyone has any advice on pushing the negative reviews down so they’re not the first few that populate? The review replies are specific, detailed, & to the point as to why they’d write it, the outcome of their case, etc. I appreciate any help!

What metrics do you think are most important to measure for success of a Plaintiff’s firm? Obviously revenue, but what else is at the top of the list for you?

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For anyone working PI Defense, what is your current salary and YOE? If you received a raise what was your raise percentage? Not enough people talk about true salaries and I believe it’s important to know the ranges of your colleagues to reevaluate and get better!

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Tip to Plaintiffs bar, the tough guy act is not as effective a tactic as you think it is. Bad behavior hurts your clients, gives overwhelmed ID lawyers and adjusters the excuse they need to triage your case and delay reporting for settlement authority.

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Does anyone practice first party property defense?

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What would you say is a reasonable number of cases per number of staff in a PI firm? What number is manageable and what is a number you would say is going into the realm of malpractice. For example for about 150 cases I know of a firm that has about 3 attorneys and 4 support staff. But some have 400-500 with 2 attorneys & 1 support staffer. What are your thoughts or how many cases is your firm currently handling?

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How easy or difficult do you think it is to transfer from PI as a paralegal to corporate law?

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Anyone going to the AAJ conference in Vegas? It'll be my first time to an AAJ conference AND Vegas! Is it usually more fun or educational?

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Left old firm to go solo PI. Old firm has 1 outside referring atty. Outside atty approached me and sent me cases directly. Old partner angry & threatening.“I should have called before accepting cases”

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Should a company go out of business if it hurts consumers? 3M is facing lawsuits for their defective ear plugs, surgical blankets, firefighter foam, PFAs, etc. Someone just got $77.5 million on 1 earplug case and there are about 270,000 military personnel with tinnitus and hearing loss. At least 20,000 people who have had multiple surgeries from their blankets and some who have had limbs amputated, who knows how many have had cancer, etc from chemicals made by 3M. 3M market cap is 87 billion

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