Other skills of injury attourney

Client Service
In order to succeed in the area of personal injury/wrongful
death, you must know how to interview and screen
prospective clients, review a file to determine what the client’s
case involves and know its current status. The ability to
interact with clients to learn about their injuries and how their
daily life activities are affected is also important.
Medical Analysis
Personal injury paralegals must be able to handle the medical
aspects of a case to ascertain which medical records and bills
you will need to obtain and determine if future cost
projections or experts are needed. You must also have
knowledge of medical terminology and know how to prepare
medical chronologies, medical expense itemizations, deposition
summaries and demand packages. In addition, you must
familiarize yourself with prescription medications to learn
which ones may be related to your client’s claim, understand
the typical nerve root distribution pattern for injuries involving
radicular symptoms (pain that radiates from the spine into a
person’s extremities), become familiar with the human
anatomy and gain knowledge regarding various types of
injuries (e.g., if they pose permanent implications or may
necessitate future surgery or lifelong expenses).
Drafting Skills
Drafting skills are also important in the job of a personal injury
paralegal. You must be able to draft discovery responses and
assert all necessary objections to ensure that they are nearly
perfect prior to the attorney’s review. You must also prepare
witness and exhibit lists, draft motions in limine, final
instructions and verdict forms and be ready to tackle any
special writing projects that come your way.
Trial Preparation
Personal injury paralegals must also become well-versed in the
trial realm. Important tasks include witness preparation
(helping to prepare the clients for trial) and preparing voir
dire outlines, opening and closing statements and witness
outlines. You must also determine what exhibits will be utilized
and ensure that they are properly prepared.
Trial
Personal injury paralegals play an important role at trial . At
trial, the personal injury paralegal may:
It is also helpful to know the trial rules in your area, the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of
Evidence for trial purposes. Trials are very exciting! They are
the highlight of my career. (Read about Jamie’s most
memorable trial ).
Other Skills
As with any area of litigation, a personal injury paralegal must
also be:
For more on succeeding as a paralegal, review these top 8
paralegal skills, this Paralegal Career Guide and The Role of the
Paralegal in Civil Litigation .
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Assist the attorney with the entire voir dire process (e.g.,
taking notes, striking and selection of jurors);
Pull and pass exhibits to the attorney as needed;
Act as a liaison to the client throughout trial;
Ensure the attorney doesn’t inadvertently waive an
objection during trial by allowing certain evidence to be
read into the record;
Communicate with the bailiff or court reporter if issues
arise or information needs to be shared;
Bring witnesses into the courtroom when it is their turn to
testify;
Rework exhibit binders if an exhibit is added or needs to be
removed prior to presenting it to the jury (this is an event
which often transpires just outside the courtroom when a
last minute issue arises with an exhibit);
Help the attorney to elicit key pieces of testimony from
each witness based upon your vast personal knowledge of
the case;
Assist with all aspects of trial strategy, and act as a second
set of eyes and ears (and another legal mind) in the
courtroom.
an excellent multi-tasker
organized and efficient
a proficient writer
capable of prioritizing and reprioritizing tasks
willing to learn new material regularly
detail–oriented
able to work at a fast pace
accurate and consistent
willing to assume full ownership over all assigned work
well-spoken and personable
poised and professional
exude a positive attitude