From Paralegal to Solo Practice—A Talk with Jessylin Polo Wiederhold

“I’m a people person,” Attorney Jessylin Polo Wiederhold says. “I always try to be a light in the lives of those whom I encounter—especially my clients.

So, it’s no surprise that upon graduating law school, Polo Wiederhold gravitated towards personal injury law. “When you’re dealing with an injured person, they’re understandably frustrated,” she explains. “I really try to alleviate that stress.”

And that philosophy shines through in her solo practice, Polo Wiederhold Law, P.A. “I am with my clients every step of the way,” Polo Wiederhold beams.

Polo Wiederhold explains that while she primarily focuses on personal injury law, she also handles health insurance and property insurance claim denials, along with transportation law—which she says are natural extensions of her personal
injury practice.

It’s her transition from paralegal to attorney, however, that perhaps best demonstrates her practice philosophy. “When I was working as a paralegal, not only did I fall in love with the law, I felt this need to help others in a greater capacity.”

Paralegal Perspective

“I absolutely fell in love with personal injury as a paralegal,” Polo Wiederhold says. "Once I graduated law school, I knew I wanted to return to that practice area.”

But once she launched her practice, she didn’t forget about that vital experience as a paralegal. “I was able to take a step back and look at how firms were operating and how I would do things differently.”

While she’s quick to highlight several positives of her time with larger law firms, Polo Wiederhold describes how she recognized opportunities for better client service. “It’s beneficial to the attorney to have a strong relationship with their clients,” Polo Wiederhold says. “With high-volume firms that are quite large, that can get lost to a certain extent.”

And that’s a big deal, Polo Wiederhold explains, for a practice area like personal injury. “I find it’s so important to better communicate clients’ injuries, for a personal injury case,” she says. “To understand what the client is suffering and going through.”

Polo Wiederhold makes it clear that, while big law firms aren’t necessarily doing it wrong, her experiences as a paralegal in those larger shops helped her forge a philosophy that underscores her practice today.

“When you’re working in a big law firm, you see a lot of positives,” she explains. “But when I went to law school, I knew I wanted to start my own practice. And I was going to do it my way.”

The Importance of Relationships

Polo Wiederhold explains that her clients often come to her with a lot of frustrations. “I really try to alleviate that stress,” she states. And she says that, even in her cases outside of personal injury, tensions are still running high. “It’s often a time when an individual is facing financial stress or other problems,” she says.

That’s where building a strong, personal relationship with clients helps.

“It makes it feel like you’re in this together,” Polo Wiederhold states. The idea that she’s with her clients every step of the way forms the bedrock of her practice. “That was a very important element that I made sure was present in my practice.”

And that relationship build begins quickly. Wiederhold describes that her approach starts with compassion and understanding—right from the onset.

Client Service Success

Given the growth of Polo Wiederhold Law, P.A., it’s clear that her service-minded approach is working.

And after talking with Polo Wiederhold, it’s equally clear that client service is more than a gimmick or empty marketing speak—she truly loves what she does.

“It allows me to be a light in my clients’ lives and helps me lead them through a difficult time,” Polo Wiederhold says. “At the end of the day, you just want to make their lives better.”