By: Leslie S. Harkavy, Esquire

Should gender matter when you hire a personal injury lawyer?  Often gender does not matter, but hiring a female attorney has distinct advantages, which can lead to a better overall experience for all genders. 

Our TV airwaves in Massachusetts are filled with men in dark suits from outside of the Commonwealth advertising their personal injury services, as if Massachusetts somehow has a shortage of competent local personal injury attorneys male or female. Our television stations and radio airwaves are being constantly invaded with these same men with their rich southern drawls without a local attorney in sight, especially a local female lawyer.   These same actors may not even be licensed to practice law in Massachusetts.  We have been similarly inundated by billboard images popping up all over the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Southeast Expressway of lawyers wearing flashy black suits carrying signature black briefcases.   As if that is not enough, these same law firms are suddenly showing up on storefronts in suburbia seemingly to appear out of nowhere, with false claims of superior services.  The billboards, airwaves and storefronts flash the names of big national law firms, as if bigger is somehow better.  But as the saying goes, buyer beware – the actual named partners of these national law firms are far away from where you live, and are likely never ever going to touch your case.  

Luckily, you can find some of the best personal injury attorneys right here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  In searching for the best personal injury attorney to represent you on your case, not only should you hire a local Massachusetts personal injury attorney, but you absolutely should consider hiring a local Massachusetts FEMALE personal injury attorney, and here is why:   

Women prefer women personal injury attorneys:  

Women who sustain accident related personal injuries often do prefer to be represented by another woman who can relate to female specific issues.  Usually a female attorney can easily understand the concerns and the nature of a woman’s injuries. Some female specific issues that a female attorney may be able to relate more to a bit than her male counterpart include:

• Assault, sexual assault and rape cases
  

  

• Brain injuries affecting multi-tasking abilities
• Injuries involving post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental and emotional disorders
• Cases involving injuries to private parts of a woman’s anatomy
• Injuries involving facial scars and other disfigurements
• Cases involving stay-at-home moms who need women who can quantify the loss of service to the household
• Cases involving working moms who need to quantify a loss of their services

Men Want Female Representation:

Men who sustain injuries also have their own set of needs and issues that may often be better addressed through female representation. These issues include:

• The strategic need for female representation especially when injured by a female
• The need to explain to a woman the depth and extent of injury
• Cases involving single dads who need to quantify a loss of services beyond lost wages
• Cases involving stay-at-home dads who need to quantify loss of household and parenting services

Children Need Female Representation:

Children also need female representation for issues such as:

• Injuries from automobile accidents, bicycle accidents, children’s toys, sports equipment, furniture
• Dog attacks
• Injuries from unsafe business premises
• Injuries arising out of day care, camp and preschool activities

In addition to adding personal comfort for some plaintiffs, having a female lawyer can offer practical benefits.  Here are our top 10 reasons to hire a female personal injury lawyer:

1. Victims of crime.  Each personal injury lawsuit, especially one arising out of a criminal act has unique personal issues.  This is especially true in the areas of domestic violence, childhood abuse and sexual assault. In many of these areas, victims do not even realize that there are potential civil recoveries that they can receive, in addition to being involved in the criminal case.  Victims in scenarios like this often find comfort in having a female attorney with whom to discuss these sensitive matters.
2. Medical issues.  Your lawyer will review your medical records.  There are often sensitive medical issues where one may feel more comfortable dealing with a female attorney as they can reveal deeply private and personal information.  All the information is confidential.  There are empathetic female attorneys available to help.
3. Women attorneys are detail oriented by nature.  Women have larger prefrontal cortexes than men.  The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for executive function or judgment and consequence processing.  A larger prefrontal cortex allows for greater processing of details surrounding a situation in order to determine possible outcomes.  This biological predisposition for greater attention to detail can be extremely beneficial to personal injury clients by allowing all aspects of the case to be investigated, which can possibly lead to greater settlements.
4. Women have good social and communicating skills.  Women’s brains have more wiring between the right and left hemispheres, making women more adept at communicating, analyzing and having better intuition. An article entitled: “How Men’s Brains are Wired Differently Than Women’s” discusses research performed by Ragini Verma et al, University of Pennsylvania regarding the difference between men’s and women’s brains. The research suggests that male brains may be optimized for motor skills, while female brains may be optimized for combining analytical and intuitive thinking.  Female attorneys can use these skills to better understand a client’s needs and wants and more clearly explain the nuances in a client’s case.
5. Women are empathetic.  Women are excellent listeners and empathizers.  A female attorney will seek to understand what you are thinking and how you are feeling.  Along with their good social and communication skills, this skill can not only provide comfort for personal injury clients but prove helpful in fighting for a client’s compensation for pain and suffering.  Female attorneys often appear less intimidating than their male counterparts allowing clients to feel more comfortable when it comes to sharing details of intimate injuries and their emotional suffering.
6. Women are more likely to collaborate with others.  Women are more likely to collaborate with others in solving problems.  Women usually bounce ideas off of others to arrive at the best possible conclusion/course of action.  This can be extremely beneficial for a client because it ensures your case will be approached from all possible angles to receive the best outcome.
7. Women tend to over prepare.  Whether it is to combat a negative cultural bias or just the way women organize and process, female lawyers tend to over prepare a case.  Our clients never have to worry if we have done our homework.
8. Women have the ability to multi-task.  Women have superior ability to multitask. They can switch attention from task to task with little difficulty.  This ability is especially beneficial when it comes to prioritizing tasks; when a woman is working on something, but a more pressing issue arises, she can seemingly switch to giving attention to the more pressing matter.  This ability can help us be there for you when you need us the most.
9. Women have advantages in the courtroom.  Female lawyers tend to be very prepared for a case. Clients never have to worry if we have done our homework on a case.  Women connect well with jurors, particularly with women jurors, who often comprise half or more of the jury pool, are viewed as more credible and trustworthy and are in many instances over prepared rather than under prepared. Women litigators have ample reason to be confident in their effectiveness as trial counsel.
10. Women overcome obstacles.  Female attorneys have many odds against them (children/family responsibilities, male dominated field, gender pay gap etc.).  Their ability to overcome these odds speaks to the perseverance of these women, the same way we will persevere for you in your personal injury case.

As a victim of an accident, make sure everything is done to protect your interests. The lawyers at Nadeau Harkavy LLC, a women owned and operated law firm, help people and their families recover compensation for their losses in serious injury and wrongful death cases arising from accidents at the hands of someone else’s wrongdoing.  We help you navigate the rules and insurance claims process, and we are dedicated to get you the compensation you deserve. We know how to maximize the value of your case.  If you have any questions about your legal rights relating to an accident, feel free to contact us for a free no obligation consultation today at 617-674-7640.