Empathy is a crucial component of great personal injury attorneys, but it’s often overlooked. Empathetic attorneys understand the emotional turmoil that their clients are going through and use this understanding not only to provide legal representation, but also comfort and support.
The women at Schwebel Goetz and Sieben are proud to be able to balance their empathy with a professional distance. They have a wealth of legal knowledge, litigation skills and steadfast commitment to justice.
Hannah Mielke is a former summer associate at Schwebel Goetz & Sieben, and she understands it well. She says that her biggest challenge is to be there for clients and show support without getting too emotional. It’s a skill that I work at constantly, even though sometimes it takes extra self-awareness and discipline.
Courtney Lawrence says, “In the practice of personal injury, you get to see both the inside and outside of the courtroom. You also visit your clients at home.” Both perspectives make this unique. It’s the human aspect of the job that I find so rewarding.
Everyone seems to have their own way of finding their way into this niche. Alicia Sieben’s experience as a clerk at the firm sparked her passion.
She says: “I fell in Love with it and I knew that that was the only field of law that would be for me.” You can meet people at their most vulnerable, and be their sounding-board as well as someone to help them get back on track. “You take them by the hand and guide them through a process they would otherwise be completely lost about.”
Her colleague Jessica Servais expresses similar sentiments. She says, “I like the fact that I am representing an individual in a way that makes a difference to someone’s lives.” For me, that’s much more satisfying than saving a few thousands dollars for a billion dollar insurance company or representing a faceless, large corporation.
Cody Scharpf considers herself a people-person. She says, “I think that’s why I gravitated towards personal injury.” It’s not like working in a corporate environment with business professionals or other lawyers. I deal with people every day who didn’t choose to have this horrible thing happen to them. “They need someone to guide them through the process, and I like being that person.”
Esprit de Corp
These women from Schwebel Goetz & Sieben seem to have a similar theme: helping people when they’re at their most vulnerable. But there is another area in which they agree, and that’s the positive energy and company culture.
Scharpf says, “It is a wonderful dynamic.” “Even though there are two generations of lawyers with a gap of about 20 years between the older attorneys and the young ones, it is not apparent because of the harmony and family-like atmosphere.”
Servais says, “I enjoy coming to work every day because I love my coworkers.” It’s a wonderful group of people. We even hang out outside of the office.
“We just all get along so well,” Sieben says. “I don’t really know if this is the case in other companies, but I do know that everyone here is wonderful. We are co-workers and mentors as well as friends. “I always know there will be people around to offer advice or answer questions if I need it.”
Mielke adds, “It is like working with friends every single day.” We’re colleagues in the office, but we also enjoy socializing outside of work. It’s great to be able to walk into any office at any time, even that of the senior partners, if I have a problem.
Lawrence is particularly close to this group. She says, “They helped me become the lawyer I am today.” “I started here in 2005 as a clerk, and was hired as a associate after I passed the bar. I’ve been able to benefit from the support and advice of everyone.”
A personal injury lawyer can benefit from a combination of empathy and a solid support system in their firm. This allows attorneys to offer holistic support to clients by helping them deal with the emotional strain of a personal injuries case while navigating the legal process.
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