Female personal injury lawyers are in high demand. Learn more about personal attorney lawyers and how to choose one.
Article By: Glenna M.
Female Personal Injury Lawyers
Clients often ask to consult with a female personal injury lawyer. There are many reasons why you might want a female lawyer to help you fight your personal injury claim. For example, your claim may involve topics that are sexual in nature; perhaps you want to know if you can file a claim against your landlord for hiring a repairman who sexually assaulted you, and you prefer to speak to a woman about this traumatic event. Alternatively, you may have a medical malpractice claim that a woman will be able to understand more easily: a botched breast reconstruction surgery, for example, or an unnecessary hysterectomy. Perhaps you want to make a claim against an abusive domestic partner and you feel more comfortable telling your story to another woman. These are all concrete reasons why you may be more comfortable with a female lawyer. In addition, sometimes people just prefer to speak to a woman. Warranted or not, women have a reputation for being better listeners than men, and for being more empathetic.
Finding a Balance Between Life and Work
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a female lawyer who is able to take your personal injury case. In Canada, women have been entering the legal profession in large numbers for more than a decade; in North American law schools, approximately half of all law students are female. Unfortunately, the numbers don’t remain equal when you examine the bigger picture – once you look beyond law school and lawyers at the beginning of their careers, there is a noticeable gender imbalance. It turns out that many women leave the legal profession, and that only about 20% of partners at law firms are women. Why is this? A Law Society of Upper Canada committee reported: "although both men and women identify time spent with their family as the aspect of their life that gives them the most satisfaction, maintaining demanding law careers often conflicts with family life and is the most common reason for leaving law practice."
There are many reasons why this work-life balance is difficult to achieve when working for a law firm: the push for billable hours, the amount of travel required, the lack of opportunities for job sharing or flexible hours, the absence of part-time jobs, or the opportunity to work remotely from home. Law is a demanding profession. Many male lawyers thrive in the competitive environment of law firms because they have a spouse who is willing to look after everything on the “home front.” Some women have supportive partners, but they are still the ones who bear children. Women working for large firms sometimes feel as though they are being punished for taking time off to have children, that they are unable to advance in the same way as their male colleagues. Alternatively, those who do advance may feel as though they are failing to fulfill their obligations to their families. Many female lawyers choose to work part-time for organizations such as non-profits in order to achieve the work-life balance they need. Others decide to start their own firms in order to create the culture they want to see.
Female-Led Law Firms
When a woman decides to start her own law firm, she does so on her own terms. Therefore, these firms are likely to have a vision and perspective that’s a little different: an approach or a flexibility that other companies don’t have. In the field of personal injury, female-led law firms are revolutionizing the way we think about these types of cases. Toronto’s Sokoloff Lawyers, for example, led by Wendy Sokoloff, has assembled a team of lawyers where women actually slightly outnumber men. Sokoloff puts the emphasis on client care. If you have a Sokoloff team member fighting for you, you will have access to legal advice 24/7. If you are in a hospital or a rehab facility, your lawyer will come to see you. And, reflecting the needs of their Toronto-based clients, Sokoloff offers legal services in thirty different languages!
From the minute you enter the offices of Sokoloff Lawyers, you know that this is a firm like no other. Sokoloff strives to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. You’ll be greeted with a friendly smile; you’ll be offered refreshments. If you like dogs, you may enjoy meeting the two canine team members. (If not, you will not have to encounter them, of course.) Sokoloff creates an environment where you can feel at ease -- ready to tell your side of the story, and receive support in return. At the same time, the firm’s lawyers are straight-shooters. If you don’t have a case, they’ll tell you right away. If you do have grounds for filing a claim, they won’t sugar-coat things. If it will be an uphill battle, they’ll let you know. They won’t give you inflated estimates for possible damages.
Consult with a female-led personal injury firm, and experience the difference!