Silvio Riesen im Lawyer Monthly über seinen Werdegang als Klägeranwalt im Personenschadenrecht
The Journey to Liability Law
We hear from Silvio Riesen who reveals his journey to specialising in liability law, the challenges he faces and how he overcomes them for the betterment of his clients.
What was the main reason behind you specialising in liability law?
Before specialising in liability law, I had worked in a business law firm in an advisory capacity dealing mainly with corporate law matters for a few years. During that time, I realised more and more that I actually wanted to do something which puts me in closer contact with people who have tangible problems in their lives and enables me to help them directly. Furthermore, I have always been interested in forensic work; in my job, I can now do both.
How was the journey to specialise in liability law and what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
First, it was difficult to get accustomed to the fact that mostly not the legal analysis of a case is important, but the handling of the facts of the case and the assessment of the medical situation. Therefore, it is often hard to predict and tell the client what they can expect from the situation they are in. You also have to be aware that you have to fight hard for the rights of your clients every day and most of the time face considerable resistance from the counter party, especially the insurers.
What motivates and challenges you about your role?
What motivates me most is mainly representing my clients against the large insurance companies. Almost every day you will find yourself in a David vs. Goliath situation. It is one case among many others for the insurers, whereas it is mostly the case of their life for your clients.
This sometimes leads to very emotional situations in which human understanding is often as important as legal skills. You must show the clients that you understand their situation and try to achieve the best result for them. At the same time, you need to be able to persuade them that it is often not possible to obtain as much as they may have hoped for. This balancing act is a big challenge every day.