New attorney here. I find it difficult to focus on tasks w volumes of medical terms. I hate this part of my job, but understand it’s necessary for litigation. Will it get better or stay away from PI?

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It gets better. Most injuries repeat themselves and once you get used to deal with the injuries you learn price points and how jurisdictions vary. I hated the medical side of it at the beginning but you learn quickly

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You caught my interest with this one.

Someone smarter than me once said it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. I find this to be true. It’s going to take years and years of grinding to learn the medicine, how a chart is put together, and how to use the records to your advantage.

I started off doing Med mal defense after I graduated (during the worst possible economic downturn since the depression) because it was the only decent paying job I could get - and by “decent paying” I mean: around what a union carpenter or electrician makes with a few years experience. I always thought I’d be doing real estate or high end commercial lit, but those jobs no longer existed for people like me at middle of the pack law schools.

I absolutely hated Med mal defense for the exact reason you stated - I didn’t know what the hell any of the friggin words meant. But since the economy took a giant shit, I had no choice but to learn. I asked my clients and experts questions. I asked my senior associates and partners questions (senior med mal lawyers love love love talking about medicine so much is sickening... just wind them up and let them talk... and learn). I compiled a glossary of medical terms as I read through charts, even if it took forever to get through records. That helped me memorize the definitions. Fortunately, I was at a good firm who wanted me to just do good work and told me not to worry about my time. I also used the librarians and paralegals to find good medical literature on the topics relevant to the case.

The more cases I worked on, the more terms I defined, the more articles I read, the more smart people I talked to, the more I learned and the more comfortable I got. Eventually, I became really good at it, presenting defendants for deps, deposing witnesses, and they even let me try a case when we ran out of bodies. It’s a long and painfully slow progression, but a progression nonetheless. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Stick with it. It will come.

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No problem. I been where you’ve been. Made lots of mistakes along the way and it’s been a bumpy road but that’s just how it is. All the senior lawyers you work with/against didn’t coast into it, it took years of struggle. I tell myself: if it doesn’t feel awkward and uncomfortable, then you’re not getting better. And don’t beat yourself up when you mess up. It’s going to happen all the time.

It is probably not your favorite because you’re not acclimated to those terms. Once they become your “everyday stuff” it may just flow with the rest of the work without any issue.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed for ya...

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It will get better. I've even learnt most of the terms, although can't speak for anyone focusing primarily on med neg cases

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If you don’t like cars don’t be a car salesman.

You do learn the common stuff. I think of the uncommon stuff as an excuse to call my doctor friends, who are pretty patient with me on the whole.

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