Personal Injury Attorney at Kenny Habetz Injury Law in New Orleans, LA

POSITION SUMMARY

The Personal Injury Attorney manages a caseload of Louisiana personal injury matters from evaluation through settlement or trial. Auto and trucking collisions, premises liability, and serious injury and wrongful death claims. You will own case strategy, drive litigation, and be the person the client actually trusts.

We are fully paperless and built around proactive client communication. You will have a case manager and paralegal support behind you, direct access to firm leadership, and the resources to work up a case properly rather than push it out the door.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Case Strategy and Litigation

• Manage a caseload of Louisiana personal injury matters from case evaluation through resolution
• Draft and file petitions, motions, discovery, and pretrial submissions
• Take and defend depositions of parties, treating physicians, and experts
• Retain and work with experts on liability, causation, damages, and life care needs
• Appear at hearings, mediations, and trial, and prepare cases as if they will be tried

Client Advocacy and Communication

• Serve as lead counsel and primary legal contact for assigned clients
• Explain case posture, value, and options in plain language a client can actually act on
• Maintain proactive contact so clients never wonder what is happening with their case
• Counsel clients honestly about risk, timelines, and realistic outcomes

Valuation, Negotiation, and Resolution

• Evaluate liability, coverage, damages, and lien exposure to reach a defensible case value
• Review and approve demand packages prepared by the pre-litigation team
• Negotiate with adjusters and defense counsel and know when to stop negotiating and file
• Oversee settlement approval, lien resolution strategy, and clean client disbursement

Team and Firm Contribution

• Direct the case manager and paralegal assigned to your files so cases move without prompting
• Keep case notes, deadlines, and status current in the case management system
• Support intake and pre-litigation on case selection and evaluation questions
• Represent the firm well in the legal community and with referral sources

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Ownership. Your caseload is yours and you do not wait to be asked about it
• Judgment. You know which cases to push, which to settle, and which never should have been signed
• Preparation. You do not walk into a deposition or mediation hoping it goes well
• Client empathy. You remember the person behind the file is having the worst year of their life
• Advocacy. You are comfortable being the most prepared person in the room
• Collaboration. You use your support team well instead of doing everything yourself
• Ethical backbone. You hold the line on professional standards without being asked

HOW SUCCESS IS MEASURED

Performance in this role is reviewed at 90 days, at six months, and annually. These are the measures that matter:

• Case resolution volume and average cycle time from file open to disbursement, by case type
• Settlement and verdict outcomes measured against case value at time of evaluation
• Prescription and court deadlines met, with zero missed on assigned files
• Client contact standard held, with documented attorney contact on every active file at least every 30 days
• Case notes and status current in the system within 48 hours of any material development
• Client satisfaction at closing, including review and referral rate
• Quality of demand and litigation work product on first review
• Effective direction of case managers and paralegals, measured by files that move without leadership stepping in

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school
• Active admission to the Louisiana State Bar and in good standing
• Demonstrated experience handling personal injury matters through resolution
• Working knowledge of Louisiana civil procedure, prescription periods, and insurance coverage issues
• Strong written and verbal advocacy skills
• Ability to manage a full caseload independently and meet deadlines without reminders

Preferred

• Plaintiff side experience representing injured people
• Deposition and trial experience in Louisiana state or federal court
• Experience with trucking, catastrophic injury, or wrongful death matters
• Familiarity with Louisiana medical lien and Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement issues
• Bilingual in English and Spanish

BENEFITS

• Health care plan (medical, dental, and vision)
• Retirement plan with 401(k) participation
• Critical illness and cancer ancillary plans
• Life insurance (basic, voluntary, and AD&D)
• Short term and long term disability coverage
• Paid time off, including vacation and paid holidays
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Fully paperless, cloud based systems so your day is spent on client work instead of filing