On Your Side (810) 966-WINS (9467)
December 2017
The Source of My Passion for Personal Injury Law
Helping People Get the Compensation They Deserve
I caught the law bug early. Back in a business law class in my junior year of high school, our teacher, Mr. Goettz, organized an elaborate mock trial criminal case. I played the part of the prosecutor and found the entire process thrilling. Everything fromwitness cross- examination to closing arguments gave me the feeling that I’d fallen into the work I was meant to do. From then on, I couldn’t let the law go, bending everything in my life toward the goal of one day becoming a practicing attorney. After graduating law school, I began the search for a job as a prosecutor, only to find that there were no positions available in the local office. So, I joined as an associate at a local personal injury firm. I had no preconceived ideas about auto accidents or the claims process, so I sponged up as much information as possible frommy new mentors. From then on, I loved personal injury lawmore and more, gaining a keen appreciation for representing everyday, injured people in their fight against giant, corporate insurance companies — real David versus Goliath stories. After years of experience, I started my own practice, and I haven’t looked back. “From then on, I loved personal injury law more and more, gaining a keen appreciation for representing regular, injured people in their fight against giant, corporate insurance companies — real David versus Goliath stories.”
It’s a privilege to serve those who put their faith in me to get them the compensation they deserve. I get to hold insurance companies accountable while ensuring my clients are able to pay their mounting medical bills and return to their normal lives. Last year, I had one case in particular that will stick with me forever. My client, a woman with a long history of back problems (which she’d been sure to disclose to her insurance provider and physician), was sideswiped in her car as she passed through an intersection. Though the accident was no fault of her own, and there was little visible property damage to either vehicle, the collision took a lasting toll on her well-being. The jarring impact caused an audible pop in her back, resulting in excruciating pain for months. The accident magnified her pre-existing back problems for the rest of her life. The insurance adjuster, after assuring my client that the company would cover her injuries, later went back on their promise and cut off benefits with little warning. After months of battling it out with the company to no avail, the case went to court. In front of the jury, I called my client’s father to the stand. I was a little nervous about how it would go, as I hadn’t had the opportunity to prepare him quite as much as I would have liked. Nonetheless, it was clear that he was passionate about the issue, having seen firsthand the wide-reaching pain the accident had caused his daughter. Within minutes, completely unscripted, he had nearly everyone in the courtroom in tears, offering a moving account of the human cost of the insurance company’s
negligence and their refusal to do what they’d promised. Then, I called the adjuster to the stand.
After a few questions, which she
attempted to dodge, I pulled up a note on the screen for everyone to see. It was a note she had written that stated clearly, “We will pay for this injury.” I asked her why, if they weren’t planning on covering my client from the start, they’d told her they would. She squirmed in her seat, “Well, that’s a typo. It should say, ‘We will not pay for this injury.’” I furrowed my brow and looked at the jury and the judge. It was clear that they were just as baffled as I was by this ridiculous claim. The adjuster was lying through her teeth. In the end, the enormous insurance company waved the white flag and settled, providing my client with the compensation she required and then some. It meant the world to me that we were able to achieve the result she needed and deserved. Moments like that are more than just another victory in court; they give meaning and purpose to the work I do. It feels incredible to have a real positive impact on my clients’ lives, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help.
Nicole Winston
(810) 966-9467 • 1
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