I’m an associate attorney at a smallish personal injury firm. Total firm has 12 attorneys, and my office has 2 attorneys, including myself. My office is currently handling roughly 145 cases between the two of us. I’m just wondering if this is a normal caseload for the field. We have roughly 10 trials set for next year. Some are in back to back weeks. Thoughts?

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Depends on where the cases are procedurally. For example when I did plaintiffs PI I had roughly 145 cases on my own in various stages of litigation (presuit to trial). On defense I’ve worked with 110 cases all in litigation.

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I have a caseload of 350ish. Only a handful per year require litigation, though. Clear liability cases.

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That sounds completely reasonable for a PI firm. IMO each attorney can handle 125 cases with 50% in suit if they are spaced accordingly (depending on venue of course) but with staff that should expand accordingly.

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What kind of cases?

We do not have staff helping with discovery. They help some with client contact. But I still do much of it myself.

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Are they all in litigation? Are you sure all ten trials will go?

Things are looking better. We had a meeting today. Looks like 5 trials will go. Two will be in back to back weeks. But definitely more manageable.

Thank you to everyone for your comments. I have an additional question for anyone that cares to chime in: should I seek a raise for the coming year? I am meeting with the firm owner for the end of the year eval. I’ve been with the firm for a year. I’ve had nothing but positive reviews, including several big wins on motions. I’ve also brought in a few good cases for myself and other members of the firm with good-very good value for the state (given tort caps). My base salary is low based on what I’ve read for my city from Robert Half. I don’t know about my bonus yet. I have a fairly good percentage cut for cases I bring in after meeting a minimum cutoff. My question is, should I trust the Robert Half metrics that say I’m below the 25th percentile for pay based on my experience? Should I play it by ear and see what the owner says? I love my job and have no desire to leave or be greedy. But I do have a family to support. Input is appreciated.

For PI, the bonus percentage of attorneys fees is what matters most. Salary is just overhead for the firm, but the bonus motivates employees to resolve cases. If you're getting a good percentage, that's the most important thing.

However, it never hurts to push the envelope and ask for more money.

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