Toronto Injury Lawyer Blog
People are interested in what makes people great at the things they do. It makes no difference if it’s a baseball player, a bread maker, a chef, and artist, or even a personal injury lawyer. It’s why we love biographies, biopics, and documentaries about what it takes to be “great“. In my line of work, people ask me what’s the secret of being a great personal injury lawyer. I’ve had over 2 decades to reflect on this. What does it take to be a great personal injury lawyer. Here are some of my insights of over 20 years in the industry:
- Being great isn’t all about the law. It’s about all of the other things outside of the law. In 2026, AI can teach you a lot there is to know about the law; which is crazy when you think about it long and hard. But, people don’t want a robot as their personal injury lawyer. They’re hiring you, and putting their trust in you in some of their darkest times. While they will be impressed with your legal knowledge and experience; what really sets a great lawyer apart is his/her kindness, compassion, decency and above all else; authenticity. You can’t teach these qualities.
- But being great is also about the law! There is no substitute for knowing your stuff. It’s a powerful legal weapon which clients, opposing lawyers and insurers will know and will respect. Knowing the law isn’t easy. It’s constantly changing, and very nuanced. The practice of the law is about splitting hairs, and it’s about those fine details which are time consuming to breakdown and analyze. There are no shortcuts, even with AI.
- Email is lazy and impersonal. A phone call, meeting, or a videoconference is far more humanizing, personal and leaves no room for confusion. I spend a lot of the time on the phone speaking with clients. I chose to speak with them over the phone because the messages aren’t lost in translation. It ensures that everyone is on the same page, which is very important across the life of a lengthy personal injury law suit. There is a place and a time for emails. But, if it can be said in a call, pick up the phone. Clients appreciate it. It lends to more humanity in the lawyer/client relationship. Ideas exchanged must faster, and there is room for candour, laughter, along with other information which might not have been included in the email which may prove to be useful for the case. This does not only extend with a personal injury lawyer and his/her client. It also extends to relationships with opposing counsel and insurance adjusters. Once a micro barrier of formality has been broken down (an ice breaker), you would be amazed at how quickly and easily “getting to yes” can be. Emails are formal and can be intimidating in the way they are composed. They can also be relied on in Court because you never know what can pop up on another lawyer’s motion record. Conversations are completely different, less formal and give everyone some leeway.
- Returning calls and returning emails is important! It amazes me the number of people in the legal industry, and periphery, who don’t bother returning calls, or responding to emails. And it’s not enough just to respond to a call, but a great personal injury lawyer does so within 24hrs (if not sooner). If you’re tied up, a quick note back to the sender explaining that you’re busy but will get back to them in x amount of time goes a long way. Nobody likes to be ignores. Especially not your clients. People also seem impressed when you return their calls (fast), or respond to their emails (quickly). Not everything requires a quick response, so you will need to be the judge.
- Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. Lawyers are paid by the word when you think about it. When a lawyer gets paid on an hourly rate basis, the more time they spend, the more they get paid. The longer which they spend speaking, or writing threatening letters/emails, the more they can bill their client(s). Lawyers talk all day long because that’s what’s expected of them. Don’t be intimidated by the blowhards out there (there are a lot of them). I’ve been told to my face that my client’s case was the “worst Plaintiff case” which that lawyer had ever seen; and then later on that very same lawyer instructed his client to write my client a cheque for $1,000,000. Intimidation and strong arm tactics are par for the course in personal injury litigation, so get used to it.
- Have the same professional approach to each case; regardless of the expectant value of the case. Having this sort of mindset is crucial to executing at a high level. A great personal injury lawyer cannot let up on one case because it’s perceived value might be less than another case. That isn’t doing your client a service; and you won’t end up getting any sort of result with that sort of attitude. In fact, it’s often the cases which a lawyer might not perceive to be a big case; which end up being massive cases; and vice versa. Even the most experienced personal injury lawyer cannot predict the life and the outcome of a case. Clients die. Defendants die. Subsequent accidents happen. Clients pack up and move out of the country to far remote lands. Insurers change hands and then have different views on the case. None of these things are predictable, but they all happen.
- Ignore the noise. Put your head down and do your job (nicely). It costs nothing to smile and it makes everyone around you feel good. Your staff and your clients will appreciate it. And as they appreciate your warm and kind disposition, you go around and do your job. And as a personal injury lawyer, that means issuing statements of claim and suing people for millions of dollars to help your clients get the compensation which they deserve; all while doing it with a great big smile on your face. I cannot think of a better way to do so.
