by Bernard D. Nomberg, Partner, The Nomberg Law Firm
We are often asked by friends and clients ‘what is it that we do every day’? It might be surprising to some, boring to others. Never boring to us, just sometimes a little bit hectic. Always entertaining.
Do we sit around counting stacks of money? Umm, nope. Are we entrenched at our computers all day researching and writing the next great lawsuit? Sometimes. Do we talk on the phone with other attorneys, insurance adjusters and clients. Just about daily.
This time of the year is particularly busy. During the fourth quarter of the year, leading into the holidays, many clients feel the stress of Christmas. This anxiety sometimes leads to their desire to get their injury claims settled, hence more discussions with their attorney about their claim.
Here is a typical day from earlier this week, believe it or not.
6:30 am
Arrived at office to start the day. It’s quiet so it’s a good time to concentrate on some emails before the phones start ringing. The quiet lasted about thirty minutes; then, a buddy who knows my work schedule called to say hey.
8:15 am
Frantic call from a client who informed us that his ex-wife just gave him his mail from the past six months. In the mail was a notice from the Social Security Administration about an appeals hearing set for tomorrow. The crazy thing about this notice is that our office never received it either, although we are listed as his representative for this appeal. A phone call to the SSA cleared this up and got the hearing postponed for ninety days. Client was calmed down and we set a preparation meeting for a few days prior to the hearing.
Social Security Administration building in Birmingham
9:00 am
Meeting with a new client about a workers’ compensation matter. Client was injured on a construction site when a forklift operator misjudged the clearance of a door which lead to an accident. Our client injured his back which lead to surgery. He will be off work 6-8 weeks. It remains to be seen how well he will recover and the value of his case.
10:00 am
Court hearing downtown to approve a workers’ compensation case. This was a hard fought case we litigated for almost two years. Great result for our client who was quite nervous before the hearing so we spent an hour earlier in the week preparing for the 20 minute hearing. She was quite relieved when the process was finally over. I am very thankful for this client in trusting my advice and judgment in leading her through this case.
Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham
11:15 am
Quick lunch with David. We usually eat lunch together a few days a week. Allows us time to discuss firm business without disrupting our regularly scheduled appointments and other commitments throughout the day.
12:30 pm
Since it’s a beautiful December day with mild temps, I scooted home to let the dogs outside into the backyard. Our office is less than two miles from the house. Awfully convenient now that we have moved our office out of downtown.
1:00 pm
Recorded two short videos for social media. Whenever new issues surface involving our clients, we usually record short (2-3 minutes) videos for our video bank. We share these to our social media platforms and website. We also share these to clients via email and continually promote them. They are supposed to be informative for clients and help to answer their questions.
1:30 pm
Finished writing a new lawsuit to be filed this week. Motor vehicle collision that lead to some pretty bad physical injuries to our client. Accident happened in Blount County, about an hour north of Birmingham.
2:15 pm
Spent the next almost ninety minutes on the phone returning calls, mainly to clients and adjusters. Nothing out of the ordinary, but totally necessary. Our legal assistants cannot offer legal advice so the lawyers must respond to most calls that do not involve setting medical appointments and other similar issues. I usually enjoy these interactions with clients. Calming their stress is one of our goals in these communications. Knowledge is power!
Our office, located at 3940 Montclair Road in Birmingham
3:45 pm
Walked over to the Levite Jewish Community Center for a workout class. Our office building is adjacent to the LJCC so it’s an easy walk. Our mother works at the LJCC so I am sure she’s pleased to see her son trying to keep healthy, especially this time of the year. We have so much food and other treats (no photos!) delivered to our office from clients, venders and referring lawyers, it’s hard to resist trying some of them! Most of it gets re-routed to the local fire or police departments, but some of it gets devoured by the office folks.
Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham
5:15 pm
Back at the office to return more client calls.
6:30 pm
Home to feed the dogs and dinner. Dogs were very glad to be back in the house!
Sophie and Minnie (and part of my finger)
7:00 pm
Watched / listened to a few podcasts / webcasts about social media and marketing for lawyers. Learning much from Mitch, Jim, Tyson, Nicole, Nick, Mo and others. Very thankful to be part of the Mastermind Legalminds, Maximum Lawyers and Social Chefs. Learning something each time. Time invested well worth it.
10:15 pm
I’m pooped. Time for bed. Love my job. Cannot wait to do it again tomorrow.
Bernard D. Nomberg has practiced workers’ compensation law in Alabama for more than 20 years. Bernard has earned an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell’s peer-review rating. He has been selected a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine as well as a Top Rated Attorney by B-Metro Magazine. Bernard is the Chair of the Alabama State Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Section.
(PS: A tip of the hat and thanks to Jim Hacking for the idea. His blog was much better written than this one!)