One morning, in the early part of November 2003, I called my then-husband and told him that I had had enough. At the time, I had been a senior-level Claims Adjuster for nine years and two months. The stress of the work itself had been wearing on me, but that morning, I reached my breaking point. I was handling cases from Colorado, Utah, Missouri, Kansas, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury
I had just finished reviewing a case where Claimant/Decedent died in a particularly heinous accident. He had been run over by an asphalt roller. I had to take the statement of the worker who had run over him. I had to view the pictures. I had a reputation for being extremely detailed and analytical so the case was assigned to me. I was working as a contracted adjuster and under normal circumstances, that kind of case would have been assigned to a full-time employer. Because of the nature of the case, though, it was handed to me.
In all honesty, I was sickened, but because I had been in the workers’ compensation field so long and was very good at my job, I maintained that level of calm that was required and I completed the interview. After I was finished, I laid the file atop of another death claim I settled just the day before. I was burned out in the insurance field. I had handled everything from medical-only claims to catastrophic claims to death claims. I had seen it all.
Truths, Lies, and Everything In-between
My time as a Workers’ Compensation Claims Adjuster was…let’s just say… educational. By and large, my claimants were honest. Their injuries were real. I worked extremely hard to get them the things they needed, whether that meant beginning their benefits promptly, authorizing needed medical care, or taking care of their families if the case was fatal. I was excellent at forecasting benefits and was only off on two cases over my entire 9+ year career.
Then there were the claimants who weren’t the most honest. I utilized my surveillance team on a near-daily basis. I caught them; I acted accordingly.
I am not only well-versed in handling Workers’ Compensation cases, I am familiar with personal injury claims. I know what it is to interview persons who have been injured in automobile accidents. I know the devastation of losing an only source of transportation. My job was, again, to get my claimants the medical care they needed as well as to make sure they received all the other things they needed during a time of transition and adjustment.
The Other Side of the Table
That day in November 2003, I decided that I wanted to step off in a new direction. I needed something different. I wanted to stay in a service role, but I wanted something different. Paralegal work seemed the most natural step for me.
Without hesitation, I placed the call to what was then Denver Paralegal Institute and before I knew it, I was enrolled. During my studies, I became mesmerized by the law. I was able to dabble in corporate law, family law, intellectual property, entertainment law, insurance law, administrative law, and criminal law.
What I discovered immediately was that I had no interest in being involved in criminal law. I just didn’t want to. I did, however, love family law, insurance law, and criminal law.
When it was time for me to seek employment as a paralegal when my studies were completed, I had my choice of employers. Everyone knew me as an adjuster and I chose to become a plaintiff paralegal for insurance defense. The plaintiff attorneys who hired me had been my adversaries for years. In me, they would have an “inside view” of the other side.
Common Law and Civil Law
My paralegal credentials were attained in Colorado. Until my move back to my home state of Louisiana, my legal support was based on Common Law. Louisiana is the only state in the union that operates on Civil Law.
We do things a little differently down here in The Boot. Most recently, I was privileged to work as a Family Law Paralegal and an Administrative Law Senior Paralegal.
Rest assured that whether I create content for your Civil Law-based firm or your unique Common Law-based firm, you will get unmatched professionalism and blog posts that will reach your intended audience. My research skills are impeccable. My ability to put into writing what cannot be easily said is second to none. Let me help you get more clients.
Your business is my business.
