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Should I go to PI firm?
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Date: December 8th, 2025 1:38 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale Currently insurance defense attorney with book of around $1.2m per year. Making 250k-300k annually. It basically sucks, as you can imagine. Constant marketing and conference trips along with billing time sucks. My book is somewhat dependent on how many associates I can hire, so we’re constantly hiring new people, but older ones leave so it’s a net neutral for us annually. Founding partners book is around $4m and he basically does whatever he wants and is making around 700-900k a year. I’m not sure I have the energy required to oversee a book that big on a defense basis. I’ve already got 250 open matters and it’s getting hard to keep up with that. Founding partner says he’s retiring in 5 years, but I think he’s going to run this place his way until he dies.
Pi firm with some guys I know offered me a job where I could take the one pl case I currently have, which will give me a 150k fee, keep the entire fee, and they’d pay me a salary of 100k for the first year to build up my caseload with them through cases they’ve got. After that, I’d be on a % of cases they handle. They’ve got around 350 cases themselves.
Thoughts?
TLDR- pl firm pay package is about the same as I’m making and Id work a lot less but I’d be lighting my client base on fire with hope of making more after year 1 w pl firm, but no guarantee as is. |
Date: December 8th, 2025 1:39 PM Author: green provocative base Do it (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494029) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 1:47 PM Author: chocolate charismatic den how in the fuck do you have 250 active matters? like seriously what the shit, man? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494047) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 1:50 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale All at various stages. Some could be Presuit, some in litigation, some settled but not closed. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494067) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 1:55 PM Author: Copper Home And how many associates to run those? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494080) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 2:03 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale We’ve got a total of 8 or so associates that I’m feeding work to but they’re shared by all the partners. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494099) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 1:59 PM Author: chocolate charismatic den this is blowing my mind. are these all pure SPS tiny ass cases? idgi. dat too many cases. how do you not commit malpractice much less actually litigate these well (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494091) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 2:01 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale Associates handle most of the work on small ones, clients expect that. I handle the bigger ones, trucking, catastrophic injuries, complex ones with more associate help. This is fairly normal imo. Most of my partners have way more than I do (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494095) |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:33 AM Author: Frum electric son of senegal every time I talk to ID guys they say shit like this
meanwhile I have 12 maybe 20 - depends on what you mean by "active" but still
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Date: December 8th, 2025 1:47 PM Author: silver heady wagecucks can you reflect on being a lawyer and whether you enjoy the direction your life has gone (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494048) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 9:56 PM Author: silver heady wagecucks (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49495479) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 2:02 PM Author: cerebral stage There’s no way in hell I’d ever do ID and more ppl should make the switch, but your results are better than most and you could easily end up worse off. The bizdev skills are different, the community is different, the legal skills are different. Being a wild-eyed lunatical true believer who fails to see any flaws in your own case theories is a HUGE ASSET, not flame; the reasonable, see-the-other-side moderation and caution you’ll bring with you from ID will drag you down to the seabed floor like a cinderblock if you don’t push it away with both hands. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494096) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 2:10 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale Thought about that. The guy I’d be working with cant see anyone’s side but his own. One pro of going to pl side is judges tend to side with plaintiffs on motions. Discovery is the bane of my existence (companies not wanting to turn stuff over, lying to you, etc.) so at least I wouldn’t have to deal with that. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494127) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 6:45 PM Author: cerebral stage I think it's a lot of fun and I don't -- not for a single microsecond on my very worst day -- regret or second-guess the decision. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49495021) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 7:42 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale I hear this consistently. Never heard any pl atty in my state say they regretted it. Dont have any defense attorney say that (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49495180) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 7:51 PM Author: cerebral stage You really should have done it earlier before you created the opportunity for regret associated with your perfectly good current income.
I see these guys on the other side slaving away for what I believe is like $110K, and for them there's NO FUCKING WAY they should stay. It's purely an inertia trap--an assumption that they're way bigger pussies than they actually are. |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 8:35 AM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale Yeah with a larger pl case to bring with me feels like the best chance I’ll have at this point (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49496010) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 9:02 PM Author: Trip slimy crotch toaster This is correct. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49495341) |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 8:57 AM Author: crusty pocket flask multi-billionaire mfcr (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49496058) |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:37 AM Author: Frum electric son of senegal "Being a wild-eyed lunatical true believer who fails to see any flaws in your own case theories is a HUGE ASSET, not flame; the reasonable, see-the-other-side moderation and caution you’ll bring with you from ID will drag you down to the seabed floor like a cinderblock if you don’t push it away with both hands. "
holy shit is this the truth |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 10:42 AM Author: Trip slimy crotch toaster The hardest thing is to transfer from defense work to plaintiffs work. The mindset is entirely different. Defense counsel “I’m not a danger seeker judge”. Plaintiffs counsel “i Am a danger seeker. Let me get the win now and I’ll deal with any appeals down the road”. Totally different mentality. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49496245) |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:35 PM Author: apoplectic razzmatazz rigor No, you got it wrong.
As Plaintiff Counsel the mindset is, "I am the FUCKING DANGER if you let me get this case in front of a jury." |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:34 PM Author: apoplectic razzmatazz rigor "Being a wild-eyed lunatical true believer who fails to see any flaws in your own case theories is a HUGE ASSET, not flame;"
This is true. You need to scrutinize a case on the FRONT END, because once you've committed to signing the client up, then you've stuck your dick all the in and can't pull out.
You have to be a true believer because nobody is going to give you any money unless you BUILD THE CASE from the ground up and show them the risk of liability. |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 2:04 PM Author: Flushed kitchen is your book worthless outside the firm? why not start ur own ID firm w that kind of book? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494101) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 2:08 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale I’ve thought of that but then I’d have to work even more than I am now. I’d be hiring a billing person, paralegal, secretary, associates and have to get an office etc. May work out eventually, but the thought of being tied to billing time is a concern since your limited to number of hours in a year on how much you can make (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494121) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 2:13 PM Author: green provocative base Start an XO firm with your bros. I can come work for you (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494132) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 6:25 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale Ha you don’t want to do ID in my state. Is hell (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49494964) |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:12 AM Author: vivacious parlor titcr (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49496079) |
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Date: December 8th, 2025 10:49 PM Author: Flushed kitchen >your limited to number of hours in a year on how much you can make
no, you can more associates. sky's the limit |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:11 AM Author: vivacious parlor That’s a good deal. PI is the best way to lawyer in a bunch of different ways and it’s not even close. Every time I dabble in some other kind of law I keep thinking about how I wish I were suing someone instead (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49496078) |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:16 AM Author: green provocative base Why do you like lawsuits? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49496091) |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:28 AM Author: vivacious parlor Work at your own pace, your workup adds value, negotiation is a fun game, occasional briefing battles are fun, a lot of times you just write a letter and make tons of money, finding a little nugget of evidence that helps is exciting, interesting parties like one guy who accused everyone of putting cum in his cereal (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49496106) |
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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:38 AM Author: Frum electric son of senegal go on (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49496129) |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:34 PM Author: Impressive Stag Film Not just PI (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49574157) |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:36 PM Author: apoplectic razzmatazz rigor "interesting parties like one guy who accused everyone of putting cum in his cereal"
DESCRIBE the discovery process for htis |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:45 PM Author: Impressive Stag Film Depositions and let do (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49574211) |
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Date: January 9th, 2026 12:09 AM Author: thirsty umber elastic band blind taste test (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49574794) |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:31 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale Update: founding partner sniffed out that I www thinking of leaving and confronted me after 2026 partner pay formula was calculated and I went down. If we distribute the same amount as last year, I make 30k less, and I supposed he knew I’d be pissed.
Spent like 2 hours yesterday trying to talk me out of it then brought in my buddy who is also a shareholder (and who presumably would run the firm with me in a few years) to also try and talk me out of it.
Same story today. Promised me that if I only made 270k this year he’d personally pay me 100k out of his pocket to keep me, which I thought was pretty cool of him. Final decision still in air |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:37 PM Author: apoplectic razzmatazz rigor So you have to suck his cock for the next 12 months and MAYBE he'll give you an extra $100k. . .before taxes? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49574173) |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:49 PM Author: Bat shit crazy locus gunner i am for op but his phrasing above tells you where this is ultimately headed. “he’d give me $100k out of his OWN POCKET! gee golly what a swell guy!” the correct way to look at it is the main partner, in order to keep the spigot turned on, is willing, only upon feeling he’s now being put to the screws on the matter, to let op keep a larger cut of op’s book that’s been going into HIS pocket for a decade now. |
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Date: January 9th, 2026 6:39 AM Author: Marvelous police squad Fuck that guy. If he wanted to keep you, he could have treated you right before. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49574966) |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 9:33 PM Author: Impressive Stag Film 250 active matters sounds like an ethics problem (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49574156) |
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Date: January 8th, 2026 11:59 PM Author: lake exhilarant queen of the night locale Not even remotely close to one. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49574785) |
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Date: January 9th, 2026 12:15 AM Author: Marvelous police squad You should definitely do it. Insurance defense is 120. At least with Pi you can make money. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807926&forum_id=2...id#49574801) |