Juliana O’Grady, Esq.

I grew up in a business family, and was often surrounded by legal issues as I watched my father run the business and deal with day-to-day matters. It became apparent to me that it was important to learn about legal issues and how these issues affect us in our day to day working lives, whether it’s in business or in our personal situations. Hence, I went to law school and have practiced ever since. From a very young age, I always had a sense of right and wrong and the need for people to be treated equally and fairly. As far back as middle school, I remember always wanting to see that my little friends were included in everything and not left out of anything. I remember once standing up for a little girl in the school yard who was being ostracized for no reason and taking her under my wing. It was many years later at my mother’s funeral at the age of 18, that the little girl’s mother came up to me and reminded me of that. It’s amazing how grateful people are and how they remember when you stand for what is right and just. I thank my parents for instilling that in me.

First, I love the firm for whom I work, and my colleagues. I love the fact that the emphasis is always on getting the best for the client. The client is number one and everything revolves around each one of them. I also love the fact that my work is challenging, and I am always busy. I love that as lawyers, we share information and discuss cases with enthusiasm, compassion and openness. Above all, I love personal injury law because it’s interesting. I believe it’s very important to know your client’s injuries well and to understand the limitations that an injury can place on the whole body not just the injured part.

I remember early on in my career, when I first started out, endeavoring to settle a case on behalf of my client who had been injured in a slip and fall accident. We were at a mediation in Manhattan, NY and opposing counsel was adamant they weren’t paying next nor near what my client was seeking to settle. We spent all day in that mediation and refused to be low balled. We ended up walking away with even more than my client had expected. That was an accomplishment that made me happy because my client was ecstatic with the results.

I have handled personal injury cases on both the plaintiff and defense side. I think it’s good to have a perspective from both sides of the coin. Having worked on the defense side, for many years, I have learned how insurance companies and their adjusters think and operate in terms of willingness to settle and the varying requirements of insurance companies. That certainly helps me as a plaintiff’s lawyer when time arrives, for negotiating or settling a claim.

I generally keep in mind, that while cases often appear similar, clients have different needs and I endeavor to work towards meeting those needs. I also try to keep in mind, that people react very differently to injuries, so what might be minor to one client, may have an extremely negative impact on another’s life and wellbeing.