I am frequently asked if my work does not make me feel gloomy. I am then reminded of the fact that as a personal injury lawyer you work all day long for people who have to endure great misfortune. In order to alleviate that suffering, you sometimes fight a tough battle to realize for your client what it is worth. liability law has to offer. It's true. Sometimes a gloomy feeling takes over as a result.
Of course, what draws me to my work every day is not that feeling. But the overwhelming feeling that comes from being allowed to experience the resilience of my clients and the power of the love that surrounds them. Against the compensatory effect of love, the value of damages skimpy.
Juan, Naomi and their loved ones
Juan and his family made an indelible impression on me. As a result of a tumor, Juan had developed non-congenital brain damage. In treating it, a medical error made, leaving Juan dependent on a donor kidney after a period of dialysis. Change did not go well for Juan because of his brain injury, which was difficult when he had to undergo new and crucial medical treatments. Only when his mother traveled across the country - sometimes several times a week - to guide him through these novelties did Juan dare to undergo treatment. The last radical treatment was receiving a donor kidney from a family member.
It was therefore more than justified that Juan's entire family should receive compensation from affection damage has received.
Nor will I forget Naomi and her family. Her life is colored by brain damage from a traffic accident. That coloring involved Naomi being taken to the front door of her school in the morning by her six-year-old brother in high school, and picked up there in the afternoon. Why this ritual became second nature to Naomi and her family, I understood only after examples of the rare moments when Naomi was left alone. For example, Naomi took a random bus after school, then got off at the end stop to wait for someone who missed her to call her. With this knowledge, Naomi's mother chose to work at night so that she could offer Naomi support during the day.
It became clear to me in talking with Naomi and her family that Naomi is made complete by her loving family. As a result, she knows she is surrounded by people who compensate for the skills she lost in the accident.
Let love rule!
Long ago, a one-picture comic strip was popular. The strip always began with the words ‘Love is...’. You came across it on pink school notebooks and pens with glitter and feathers. Each installment gave a different representation of what love means. What is beautiful about our work is that I get to experience what moving forms love can take, even when life is not colored pink.‘Love is...‘ is given new meaning by my clients and their loved ones every day.
If we then also get something imprinted on our Amsterdam law firm is: Let love rule!
If you have questions about this blog, please contact the author, Christa Wijnakker.
The names of the characters are fictitious; the facts described are real.