Hi all! I received an offer at an insurance defense firm but recently received a slightly better offer at a plaintiffs firm. Not sure which direction to go in. The defense firm has a crazy billable hours requirement and at the plaintiffs firm I will be managing a large docket of cases. Not sure which is more or less stressful.

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As someone who has done both, I can’t recommend going the plaintiff’s route enough. We all love our jobs, and all I hear from insurance defense lawyers are complaints about billables. A large caseload will be stressful at first, but you’ll get the hang of it, and it will be fun. Plus, getting a large case load will allow to become indispensable, which means job security.

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A big part of the stress level comes from (1) the personality of the attorney(s) who will be supervising you and (2) the firm culture. So, think about the people you met and how you think they will be to work with. Also try to find out as much as you can about each firm's culture.

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I’ve done both, and yes billing sucks but nothing sucks more than dealing with plaintiffs blowing you up asking about their money (which they never think is enough).

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This is 100% about your personality. Different types will be happy at either spot and miserable in the opposite one.

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Plaintiff’s what, PI I assume?

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I’ve done both. It comes down to what you want, practicing experience, or theory experience. On the insurance defense side depending on where your looking you’ll get practical experience (court appearances, depositions, and possible trials). On the plaintiff side you get to develop theories on the case, but may have a partner or supervisor do the practical stuff. It’s all about what you want though.

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Congrats on the offers!! Excellent advice here - firm culture and your personal preferences are the key indicators. I made the switch from a small Plaintiff side firm to an ID firm, and I took a significant pay cut. I couldn’t be happier for the reasons identified above. The Plaintiff firm was toxic, and the ID firm offers flexibility and supportive partners. Although I had no billable minimum at the Plaintiff firm, I work way less hours as an ID attorney because billing expectations are transparent. It’s also much easier to disconnect from work now. Being a Plaintiff attorney can be emotionally draining depending on your practice area and personality.

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Thank you everyone for the advice! Very helpful! The plaintiffs firm said I will get substantive experience early on as well (depos, hearings, trials). So, that's what I'm leaning towards right now.

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Just make sure they have a legitimate plan. Ask to speak with whoever you’d be reporting to, to build a relationship with them, and to make it known that that’s what you want. Just because they say it, doesn’t mean it’s true.

Insurance wants to pay as little as possible for claim including the attorneys representing their insured.

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Oops meant for prior post on insurance defense bad wrap. My bad

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As someone who has done both, RUN in the direction of the plaintiffs firm. Youll learn more, have more responsibility and have more autonomy than being part of an impersonal insurance defense machine.

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