The Evolving Landscape of Civil Litigation and Plaintiffs’ Lawyers

When you look at the ways legal practice has changed over the decades, you see different trends in where new attorneys start their careers. For a long time, law students with big goals would inevitably end up working in Big Law, often doing defense-side legal work, or taking roles with nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

Where did plaintiff-side law fit into all of this? It was often an afterthought—something you’d get into if you had limited options or didn’t feel particularly called to the types of legal practice listed earlier.

That’s all changing. In recent years, more promising new attorneys have shown interest in starting their careers as plaintiffs’ lawyers. This means that more law firms have access to the brightest and best, and so do the clients who are seeking justice.

At Nace Law Group, we’re proud of the lives we’ve changed in our plaintiff-side work. Find out how we can help you.

The changing perception of plaintiff-side law

This change will have a huge impact on how the legal industry in general views this type of practice. Why has public opinion on plaintiff-side law shifted so much?

For one, this type of practice gives attorneys far more options. They can work in a wide range of areas of practice, depending on their interests and the experience gained in law school. As a plaintiffs’ attorney, they also have the opportunity to work directly with the clients and change lives. In mass tort cases, for example, they can right the wrongs done by ethically gray corporations with deep legal pockets. If they go into bankruptcy law, they help clients who are out of options and desperately need a fresh start.

The work is demanding, of course, but when they’re successful, they go to bed at night knowing that they’ve changed the course of someone’s life.

This extends to the various areas of plaintiffs’ law. Personal injury law has long gotten a bad rap in the public eye, with attorneys being referred to as “ambulance chasers” and victims being side-eyed for being honest about their injuries. However, that’s changing. Standing up for victims means advocating against insurance companies that often employ strategies to minimize claim payouts. No one should be financially ruined by a car accident they didn’t cause, and a grieving family should not be left covering the lifelong care costs associated with childbirth gone wrong thanks to a negligent care provider. Attorneys in this niche take on those cases.

How law firms can shape public perception

Law firms that engage in this type of practice have put in a lot of legwork to make it more appealing to new attorneys. Consider the different experiences a lawyer might get, depending on the path they choose. Going into Big Law is an intense commitment—they put in tons of hours every single week, but at the start, a lot of it is essentially grunt work. It takes years for an attorney to get the chance to practice on their own and get some real responsibility. By the time an attorney can spread their wings and start making a name for themselves, they run the very real risk of already being burned out.

That isn’t often the case for those who go into plaintiff-side law. Make no mistake of it, it is still an intense commitment. There’s a steep learning curve that comes with any type of legal practice, and that’s still the case here. The difference, though, is how that time is spent.  Lawyers who work at plaintiffs’ firms often jump right in with both feet, doing depositions, representing clients in court, negotiating directly with opponents, and writing motions. They get the experience they need to come into their own as an attorney without having to earn the right to do so for years ahead of time.

Firms like ours can play a big role in law students’ choices and where they decide to focus their professional efforts after graduating. We’re proud of the work our attorneys do, and we strive to serve as mentors to the new attorneys we bring into the fold. Our goal is to show the substantive nature of the work we do and empower new lawyers to make a difference.

Different types of plaintiff-side law

Plaintiff-side law covers a wide range of areas of practice, but the phrase is often used to refer to cases involving regular people, rather than massive corporations or government agencies that have endless money to spend on legal representation. Some types of plaintiff-side law include:

• Employment law (representing employees)
• Mass tort cases
• Civil rights claims
• Consumers’ rights issues
• Personal injury
• Medical malpractice

Collaborations and community involvement

Another big draw for those who go into plaintiff-side law is the opportunity for community involvement. There’s a bit of a misconception that choosing not to work for a nonprofit means not showing up in your community, but the very nature of our practice allows us to connect with those around us. In our line of work, we see the real effects of unsafe driving, improper medical care, a lack of financial education and guidance, and other flaws in society—and that gives us the drive to fix them. For example, personal injury law firms have sponsored scholarships and awards for drunk driving awareness groups, supported children living in poverty, and provided educational opportunities to aspiring legal students in their communities.

The team at Nace Law Group is proud of the work we do for our plaintiffs, and if you’re in need of legal assistance, we’re here to provide the support and guidance you need. Call us or fill out our online contact form to explore your options now.