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Comment by petcat | Hacker News Reader

> personal injury attorney

> ... a degraded culture

Do matters of personal injury liability not apply in Europe?

Suing for damages here isn't profitable enough for attorneys, because "damages" with free healthcare means "missed a week of work", instead of "got a $200k bill".

"damages" can be a lot more than just "missed a week of work" or "got medical bills". It can be lifetime debilitation.

Obviously it can, but it usually isn't. If 90% of your target market isn't there, the economics are different.

It does happen, but it's way less lucrative. Tends to be limited to actual damages rather than punitive damages. There have been some scam-ish sub-industries (fake whiplash claims, suing councils for tripping over cracks in the pavement). It's very rare to see advertising for lawyers.

It's also rare because advertising for lawyers (and doctors) is strictly regulated in some member states. A sign in front of the office saying "S. Goodman, attorney, specialized in drugs, organized crime and whiplash" is OK, billboards, TV spots, newspaper ads and any kind of claims beyond "I'm an attorney and this is my office and specialty" are verboten.

Most non-US countries only award money for actual damages, not punitive charges.

It's also assumed that people have at least a little common sense and that your average adult knows more than a toddler.

Personal injury cases exist everywhere, but most countries impose very strict restrictions on legal advertising, which greatly reduce the phenomenon of the "personal injury guy" who plasters his face everywhere with text about how much money he'll get you. In the US, most such restrictions were prohibited by the Supreme Court in the 80s.

FWIW it took me multiple US television shows to figure out what "ambulance chasers" are and why they exist.

Pretty sure this is illegal now across the board.

Insurance and worker rights probably takes care of that here. What is it that personal injury lawyers usually do?

Insurance and "worker rights" don't cover cases of lifetime pain or loss of energy due to negligence causing trauma. They'll cover your medical bills and your time off work.

mostly handled by insurance. Payouts are also a lot less, and typically standardized.

lawyers or law firms are very limited in how they are allowed to promote themselves.

WAY less than in the US

But no you don't have ambulance chasers or personal injury lawyers trying to get millions out of someone who had a car crash and now their neck feels funny

Not on dirty great billboards, no. Not yet.

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