"We only handle personal injury cases."
You’ll see this claim on billboards, websites, and television commercials across Mississippi. It sounds impressive. It sounds like specialization. It sounds like expertise.
But here’s what that statement doesn’t tell you: How often does that attorney actually go to court?
There’s a world of difference between an attorney who handles personal injury cases and an attorney who tries personal injury cases. And insurance companies know exactly which category your attorney falls into.
The Uncomfortable Truth About “Settlement Mills”
I’ve known attorneys who spent entire careers calling themselves personal injury lawyers without ever setting foot in a courtroom. Their practice model is simple:
Sign up as many cases as possible.
Make a few calls to insurance adjusters.
Settle quickly for whatever the insurance company offers.
Take their fee and move on to the next case.
This isn’t a secret. Insurance companies keep detailed records on every attorney. They know who fights and who folds. They know who has trial experience and who doesn’t. They know who will accept a lowball offer and who will take them to court if necessary.
When an insurance adjuster sees a demand letter from an attorney with no trial history, the math is simple: offer the minimum, because this attorney won’t push back.
The result? Clients who think they’re getting "specialized" representation often end up with less compensation than they deserved, simply because their attorney never demonstrated the willingness or ability to try the case in court.
Why We Handle Both Personal Injury and Criminal Defense
At Coxwell & Associates, we handle personal injury cases and criminal defense cases. Some might question this approach. "Shouldn’t you limit your practice to just personal injury, like car wrecks?" they ask.
Here’s our answer: We do limit our practice. We are trial attorneys.
Criminal defense keeps us in the courtroom constantly. We’re not waiting months or years between trials. We’re in front of judges and juries regularly—fighting the State of Mississippi and the Federal Government on behalf of people who have made mistakes or been wrongly accused.
And here’s what that courtroom experience teaches us—and ultimately benefits your personal injury case:
How to pick a jury: Not just read voir dire questions, but actually connect with potential jurors and identify who will be fair to your client.
How to cross-examine witnesses: Not just polite questions, but expose inconsistencies, challenge credibility, and dismantle the opposition’s case piece by piece.
How to handle expert witnesses: Prepare them, present their testimony effectively, and attack the other side’s experts.
How to think on your feet: Trials don’t follow scripts. Witnesses give unexpected answers. Judges make unexpected rulings. You learn to adapt in real-time.
How to deliver a closing argument: Not rehearsed speeches, but genuine appeals to a jury based on evidence.
How to handle pressure: When someone’s freedom is on the line, you learn what it means to perform under the most intense pressure imaginable.
Every one of these skills transfers directly to personal injury trials. The courtroom rules don’t change. The need for preparation, credibility, and persuasiveness doesn’t change.
What This Means for Your Personal Injury Case
When we take a personal injury case, the insurance company knows we’re not bluffing when we say we’ll go to trial. They’ve seen us in court. They know we have the experience and skills to try the case effectively.
This changes negotiations entirely.
Instead of offering the minimum and counting on a quick settlement, the insurance company must ask:
"What’s this case actually worth to a jury? What happens if we lowball this offer and end up in trial against an attorney who knows what they’re doing?"
That’s why our clients often receive better settlement offers than they would from a "personal injury only" firm with no trial history. The insurance companies know we’re prepared to go to trial, and they know we have the courtroom experience to do it successfully.
Think about it this way: if you can successfully defend someone against the full resources of the state or federal government—prosecutors with unlimited budgets, teams of investigators, and the power of the government behind them—you can certainly handle an insurance company’s defense attorney.
If you can stand in front of a jury and persuade them that your client deserves a not-guilty verdict when their freedom hangs in the balance, you can persuade them that your client deserves full and fair compensation for their injuries.
Trial Skills Sharpen Trial Skills
Here’s something “personal injury only” firms miss: criminal defense work makes you a better personal injury attorney.
In criminal cases, the stakes are someone’s freedom—sometimes their life. The pressure is immense. The prosecution is relentless. Every word matters. Every piece of evidence counts. You learn to fight with everything you have because there’s no room for error.
That intensity, precision, and commitment to thorough preparation becomes part of how we approach every personal injury case. When we handle a car accident, slip and fall, or wrongful death case, we bring the same level of dedication, courtroom sharpness, and refusal to accept anything less than the best result for our client.
And here’s the beautiful part: we genuinely enjoy both types of work. We enjoy helping people injured through no fault of their own and defending people who have made mistakes or been wrongly accused. Both types of clients deserve skilled, experienced representation. Both types of cases demand excellence in the courtroom.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney
When you’re interviewing personal injury attorneys, don’t just accept marketing slogans. Ask hard questions:
“Do you handle any other types of cases that keep you in court regularly?”
An attorney who only handles personal injury cases and rarely tries them isn’t maintaining trial skills. An attorney who handles criminal defense, or other litigation, is in court constantly, keeping skills sharp.“Will you actually try my case if necessary, or will you refer it out?”
Some firms sign cases, negotiate settlements, but refer cases to other attorneys for trial. You need to know this upfront.
The Bottom Line
"We only handle personal injury cases" sounds impressive in a TV commercial. But it’s not the right question to ask.
The right question is: "Does this attorney have recent, regular trial experience?" Is this attorney known around town as a fair, but tough advocate who will represent me with their heart and soul?
At Coxwell & Associates, we handle both personal injury and criminal defense because both types of cases give us the courtroom experience that makes us better advocates for all our clients.
When you hire us for a personal injury case, you’re getting attorneys who were in court last week, last month, and will be in court next week—fighting, winning, and constantly sharpening our skills.
The insurance companies know our track record. They know we’ll fight. They know we’ll go to trial if that’s what it takes to get fair compensation.
That knowledge—that reputation—often makes all the difference in what they’re willing to offer to settle your case.
Because at the end of the day, the best settlement comes from a position of strength. And strength comes from proven trial experience.
Coxwell & Associates, PLLC
Personal Injury and Criminal Defense
Trial Experience That Makes a Difference