The Chainlink

Jim Freeman, Attorney At Law

Say hi to Lawyer Jim here!

 

1) How/when did you get into cycling as a profession?

Before opening my own practice I worked at a firm defending personal injury cases on behalf of insurance companies.  At that time I was a year round bicycle commuter, and I dabbled in some racing here and there.  I would wear my cut-offs and helmet to the office.  All my suits hung on the back of my office door.  My quick changes and timely appearances at our all-attorney 8:30 meetings earned me the nickname "Superman."  Sometimes people would ask where I hid the telephone booth. 

I worked on an array of cases for the firm.  Over time, I developed a reputation for litigating construction cases and premises liability cases.  Because I was an avid cyclist and familiar with the basics of bicycle laws in Illinois, the firm assigned me to defend the few bicycle cases that came through.  At that point my work on bicycle cases was sort of a novelty and nothing more, and I really only handled a few bicycle cases during my entire time at the law firm. 

A few years later I decided to open my own office.  When I went on my own I thought I'd have a practice just like any other personal injury attorney.  I thought I'd handle a wide array of cases and generate most of my initial business by accepting clients referred by other attorneys.  I left the law firm with only one case, an auto accident my former secretary's sister was involved in.

During the months that followed I found myself with a lot of time on my hands.  While I waited for my business to develop I took a job at Boulevard Bikes as a bicycle mechanic.  I ended up working there for the better part of two years after I left the law firm.  One day a guy came through the door with his arm in a cast.  We talked a bit, I handed him a card, and twenty minutes later I had my second case.  A little while later a friend of mine was hit by a car while riding her bicycle and she called me to represent her.  The next thing I knew I had developed a book of business just out of bicycle and pedestrian cases.

If you told me ten years ago that I'd be living the life I've built today I never would have believed it.  Today the firm has almost a hundred cases at any given time.  We have two lawyers and a full time paralegal, all of whom are avid cyclists.  Everyone at our office loves our jobs, and we relate to our clients.  It's like a dream come true for all of us.

2) How does your organization directly benefit cyclists?
I represent individual bicyclists directly after they have been involved in collisions or otherwise injured.  At any given time we are handling in excess of 50 bicycle related personal injury cases ranging from property damage claims to wrongful death cases.  We are also involved in pushing legislative and policy changes for the benefit of cyclists.

3) Do you specialize in a certain type of cycling?
I handle cases from all corners of Illinois' cycling community, although a slight majority of my clients tend to be urban commuters.  In the last two years we have had a jump in the number of suburban or downstate "roadie" cases coming through our door.  Having said that, all our clients are avid cyclists.  We don't get very many cases from occasional recreational cyclists.

4) What are your "must-have" items for cycling (this could be a tool, an accessory, a food, etc.)

That's easy...   a functional brake, a white headlight and red rear reflector.


5) What do you see as the biggest area of opportunity in your niche market?

I always say my practice is dependent on educated cyclists and bad drivers.  Chicago provides an endless supply of bad drivers, so I'm halfway there...

 

6) How do you think the cycling community has changed in the last year or two? I'm continually amazed at how fast cycling is growing in popularity, not just in Chicago, but all over.  Everyone see's more cyclists on the streets of Chicago, but what some people don't realize is that cycling is gaining popularity all around.  When I was a kid growing up in downstate Illinois there weren't too many cyclists, but now there are cycling clubs popping up in rural downstate towns.  I've heard it said before that, "Cycling is the new golf."  That's becoming more and more true every year. 

 

AND FINALLY......

7) If you could go on a bike ride with anyone (living or dead), who would it be?

My dad.  My dad was a tremendous criminal trial lawyer in his day.  He was my inspiration and support.  Before he died he once told me, "Son, someday you're going to realize that you're going to do a lot better as a lawyer than a bicycle mechanic..."  I don't think he doubted my ability either as a bicycle mechanic, I think at the time he just didn't appreciate that my hobby would blossom into a living.  I'd love to have the opportunity to take him on a tour of the city, show him what I've built and the community I'm trying to protect.  He sacrificed so much of himself so that I could live my dream, and although he never had an opportunity to see it to fruition he always seemed to know I was going to succeed.

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