Last week, my co-counsel sent me a message that our mutual FTCA client had just started a gourmet ice cream business.
This client was a favorite of mine. She’s smart and ambitious. The kind of person I would describe as both interesting and interested.
The settlement we got her undoubtedly was a key piece of funding this venture.
The news cheered my soul.
As a medical malpractice plaintiffs’ lawyer, I am used to getting snarky remarks and raised eyebrows about what I do. You don’t get it from everyone, of course, but it happens enough that it’s never a surprise.
Sometimes, it’s one lawyer joke too many.
Sometimes, it’s a seemingly serious remark about the need for so called tort reform.
This business is not easy. These are complicated cases. The medicine is often a huge challenge. The financial risks are substantial. If you try a case - or even get close to trial - the costs can easily exceed $100,000.
Turn up your nose at “ambulance chasers” all you like.
When you are injured - or a family member killed - by deficient medical care, your perspective might change a bit.
What we do is hard.
But we help people.
We change lives.
And, in that distant city, we might well be improving the quality of ice cream too.