From: A Guest Experienced Attorney in Law for 20-plus Years

If you have ever searched online for legal help, you have likely noticed something pretty interesting: people search for a “lawyer” in some areas of the country while others search for an “attorney.” It holds true for “personal injury lawyer” and “injury attorney.” While these may seem to be subtle changes, they are referred to by regional habit, cultural habit, and perceptions of legal practice. After practicing law for more than 20 years in multiple states, I have learned a variety of attitudes toward language, including legal language, which ultimately varies with where you hang your shingle.

The Great Divide between Lawyer and Attorney
To put it bluntly, “lawyer” and “attorney” are technically interchangeable. In terms of legal distinction, there is no real difference. Both terms describe someone who is licensed to prepare cases on behalf of others. As a matter of fact, how we use them in conversation can vary greatly.

If you take a look at the South and Midwest, “lawyer” is still a much more commonly used term. A client from Alabama or Ohio is much more likely to say, “I need a lawyer,” than, “I need an attorney.” “Lawyer” is more conversational, more real. You hear it at church, when you bump into someone at the grocery store, during social gatherings, and even around the neighborhood.
However, sophistication returns to the coastlines–California or New York–where “attorney” seems to take the cake. It is generally used in a more consistent formality, and is generally what is said more in business and corporate words. I think some clients think “attorney” sounds more sophisticated, even though it is the same thing.

When I practiced in Los Angeles, for example, I would receive emails to “Attorney [Last Name].” But when I moved my practice back home to a small Southern city, it was generally, “Hey, are you a good injury lawyer?” Same job, same effort, different language.

Personal Injury Lawyer vs. Injury Attorney: The Marketing Puzzle
Now, take this same distinction and apply it to how people talk about personal injury law—and you now have an entirely new set of regional distinctions.

In the Southeast, and Midwest, “personal injury lawyer” is the most common phrase used. That is what people Googled. That is what people called the office asking about, “I was in a car wreck. Do y’all do personal injury?”. It is a common phrase. It identifies a type of law that people immediately recognize.

Now contrast that on the East Coast—especially urban areas, like Boston, D.C. or New York. You will hear “injury attorney” more than anything else. Same work—help people recover damages from accidents—but difference phrasing. I even noticed that “attorney” is something people in cities may say while people in rural areas will tend to say “lawyer” even within the same state.

Out west, the terminology seems to become even more widespread. I am aware of attorney firms in Arizona or Nevada branding themselves “injury lawyers” in some towns but “accident lawyers” in others. A great of this has to do with the trends of search engines and what people are typing into Google, with so much of it being a reflection of how local people talk.

Why Does It Matter?
Are you following me? You may consider these examples semantic, but here is why this matters to you: when people become hurt and need help, they search for the words that they are most familiar with. If your law firm cannot speak their language—can you imagine missing a chance to help someone?

As an attorney (or lawyer depending on where you’re reading this) my job is to know my client, especially not so much about the personal injury legal issue but the way they communicate, the way they think, and yes, the way they search for help.

This is also a reminder that legal work is not one size fits all. Each region has a different flavor, a different tempo, and different words. The words may be different, but the heart of the work—the fight and taking care of people when they need it most—is the same.

Last Thought
So regardless of whether you call me a personal injury lawyer or an injury attorney, just know this—I have been in the trenches long enough, I understand both languages. At the end of the day, it is not the title that means more. It is the state of mind, the trust, the fight, and the results.

And if you are reading this and are already stressing over what search bar to type into and what to call what this article is about—you need not have an aneurysm over terminology. Just search for a trained injury lawyer or trained injury attorney that is going to listen, that is going to fight for you, and that understands not just the law—but you.

CategoryBlog, Law

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