Car accident lawyers are personal injury lawyers who handle car accident cases where people are either injured or incur damages. Though the demand for this profession is stable and carries the potential for lucrative salaries, the requirements for becoming a personal injury lawyer are rigorous and it will take you years.
This article discusses the various education and training personal injury attorneys need to complete before becoming a personal injury lawyer in Denver or other areas. Since car accidents are on the rise, the demand for personal injury lawyers is expected to continue.
Car Accident Lawyer Careers
Becoming a lawyer who represents injured clients in car accidents is a common practice area. The high volume of car crashes keeps car accident lawyers in high demand. Personal injury lawyers must be well-versed in personal injury law and all that it encompasses. The end results can be highly lucrative and personal injury settlements come with high payouts.
Car Accident Lawyer Education
Personal injury lawyers need to follow a step-by-step education path to become a lawyer. The process typically lasts seven to eight years when completed on a full-time basis. Personal injury lawyers need the following qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree
- LSAT
- Admission to law school
- Juris Doctor Law Degree
- MPRE
- Passing a bar examination
The pathway to becoming any type of lawyer starts with earning a bachelor’s degree. You don’t need a specific bachelor’s degree to become a lawyer but most undergraduates earn an English, Political Science, Business, or History degree. There is a tremendous amount of reading involved in becoming a lawyer, so it’s natural that lawyers should earn an undergraduate degree in an area that requires a lot of reading.
Features of Law School
There are also specific programs dedicated to entering law school with specific majors to choose from. For these students, they can choose pre-law and criminal justice education to prepare them. Once you complete undergraduate courses, you need to apply to law school.
To apply, you must first take the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). The test is used as a placement tool for law schools. The LSAT score is a determining factor into whether an applicant gets accepted into law school and it is administered a few times per year.
The LSAT score can be a determining factor in whether an applicant gets accepted into law school. It is mostly multiple choice and there are four sections: reading comprehension, logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, and a writing sample.
Once accepted, students must undergo three years of rigorous academic coursework involving dense reading and writing assignments. During this time, most students get involved in different law groups. When students finish law school, they must face the most difficult test of their academic career: the state bar exam. This exam covers all areas of the law and specifics to state law.
Law schools are designed to teach minimum standards students need to pass the bar, administered by the American Bar Association. However, students do not need to attend these programs to sit for the bar exam. These programs also don’t guarantee students can pass the examination. The exam can be administered in the following formats:
- Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
- Multistate Performance test (MPT)
- Multistate Essay Examination (MEE)
- Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)
Job Description and Skills
Car accident attorneys are primarily responsible for explaining the claims process to their clients. After fulfilling this responsibility, they can begin the bulk of their work. Personal injury attorneys must collect as much evidence as possible to support their clients’ cases. They must also formally notify the client’s insurance company of the claim.
Filing an insurance claim is another part of the process car accident attorneys must be aware of. Due to statutes of limitations there are strict parameters for both time limits and claim details that attorneys must fulfill. Attorneys also have to contact their client’s insurance carrier to notify them about the policyholder’s claim.
After filing the claim, personal injury attorneys must exercise their negotiation skills. Insurance companies often have extensive legal resources and personal injury attorneys must understand how to get the correct compensation for their clients while facing skilled litigators. Claims rarely result in trials and personal injury attorneys must be able to secure fair settlements for their clients.
Salary
Personal injury lawyers have the ability and the means to earn a highly lucrative salary. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics measures the mean salary of a personal injury attorney at $120, 910. However, the top-end lawyers can make upwards of $200,000. Location and the size of the firm attorneys work for play a significant role in determining their yearly salary. Working for private firms will likely result in a much higher annual salary than working for a state or federal entity.
Personal injury attorneys typically take home higher than average salaries. Car accident lawyers are considered personal injury attorneys and annual salaries are expected to continue to rise in the future.
Job Outlook
Employment trends for personal injury lawyers in the United States are rarely less than favorable and the future shows no signs of this changing. The anticipated growth for all lawyers over the next ten years is estimated at 8%. Part of this is due to continued urban growth and the increase of car accidents. The Insurance Information Institute reported that car crashes caused by speed amount to around 40.4 billion dollars annually. The statistic shows the potential for car accident damages to grow, suggesting that demand for personal injury lawyers should remain stable.
Key Takeaways
Becoming a personal injury attorney is a lucrative, stable profession to consider, but the education and testing requirements are no cake walk. If you are interested in becoming a personal injury lawyer or car accident lawyer, you will need to obtain your bachelor’s degree, score well on the LSAT, finish law school, and pass a state bar exam.
