Nate Bjerke, TSR Injury Law

What are the biggest challenges you currently see in personal injury law?

It’s no secret that trials are getting tougher and tougher to come by, particularly for younger lawyers. Every settlement is based on the parties’ best guess as to what a jury would do with the case; without the experience of presenting a case and seeing how juries respond, a good evaluation is almost impossible. And in my experience, the fewer cases that are tried in the community at large, the lower the offers. Insurance companies just don’t see the risk to their insureds without seeing verdicts.

What advice would you give a client to avoid legal complications in a personal injury case?

Talk to a lawyer right away. You may choose not to hire a lawyer, but if you don’t talk to a lawyer and educate yourself about your claims, your rights and potential sources of recovery, you will likely be left grossly undercompensated. Or worse, left suffering because you didn’t get the medical care you needed.

Without revealing the names of a client, what is the most interesting case you’ve worked on lately?

We handled a wrongful death case for the family of a teenager against a product manufacturer. The manufacturer was a bit cocky at the outset, telling us to dismiss the case or take a nominal settlement. But in discovery and depositions, the truth came out and the manufacturer settled the case for fair value. The family felt some level of vindication, although the hole left by the loss can obviously never be filled.

How do you manage work/life balance?

I do my best to balance using two tools. First, I need to look at balance over time — not by the day or week. We all have days when we work 14 hours or weeks when we work 70. And that’s OK, if you balance it out with time for yourself. Second, I am addicted to working out and being outside; my moving meditation keeps me happy and motivated.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I have taken some improv classes and look forward to doing more when I decide to slow down my practice.