Lawyers often get a bad rap, but for personal injury lawyer Sally Metcalfe, lawyers have the opportunity to do meaningful work. She keeps the first part of Isaiah 10 on her desk as a reminder.

“’To whom will you turn for help,’” she reads. “That’s us.” Metcalfe has been practicing law for 18 years, although she had originally planned to have a career in finance and even graduated with a finance degree from Texas A&M University. But after doing financial analysis for an oil and gas company, she decided she wanted to do more to help others.

So in 1990, she began law school. She decided on personal injury law when, as a summer clerk, she saw firsthand how the law can be used against people.

“I remember working at one law firm where we were charged with trying to find ways where folks who had medical problems … finding ways that insurance wouldn’t cover them,” Metcalfe says. “That didn’t work with my beliefs and values.” As a personal injury lawyer, Metcalfe says she has the honor of doing positive work and helping people put their lives back together. “My job is finding ways to represent families and finding ways to make sure that those who are harmed can be compensated for their losses and harm,” she says. “And I think it’s important that those of us in the legal community make sure we’re part of the solution and are helping our communities by brining these problems to light.”

As a result of her commitment to helping others, Metcalfe opened her own law firm, Metcalfe Law, in January 2010. Even though taking on the new and additional role of business owner has sometimes been challenging, Metcalfe says she loves what she does. “The challenges are outweighed by the benefits and rewards,” she says. “I like running my own business and choosing the clients we represent, as well as how we represent them.”

Her method of representation is perhaps Metcalfe’s most defining characteristic as a lawyer. She says she tries to think outside the box when representing a client and truly dedicates herself to doing the best she can for them – no matter what. For instance, in one case, Metcalfe was representing a client against a large corporation. When she asked the corporation for particular documents, she says the corporation instead sent her thousands upon thousands of documents. Metcalfe and her staff poured through every single one and found valuable information for the case. Metcalfe has also been known to track down witnesses with as little information as a last name. Another time when a change in the law made it harder for clients with certain cases to bring lawsuits against insurance carriers, Metcalfe found new ways for her clients to receive justice and compensation.

“It’s the leave-no-stone-unturned mentality of working hard to find and track down information that benefits our clients,” she says. Gala Samuel hired Metcalfe two years ago after the person to whom she had sold an asset defaulted on payment. Samuel says what she likes most about Metcalfe is her dedication to her clients. “She anticipated what we were going to need to do next and was always prepared,” Samuel says. “Meetings with her did not take a lot of time. We were able to focus on what we needed to do and get it done without spending hours of my time.” And of course, Samuel says Metcalfe’s high success rate is another plus. “She got my money for me!” she says with a chuckle.

But wins and losses are not Metcalfe’s sole focus. She takes the “counselor” part of her job seriously. She believes it is her job to represent clients on multiple fronts – not just in the courtroom. “We get in there, and we fight for our clients – to represent them zealously as far as their legal rights are concerned. But you also have to realize that these are people,” she says. “And you’re fighting a legal battle, but at the same time, you have a client who’s a real person, and it’s important that you talk to your clients and treat them with the dignity that they deserve.” Metcalfe says her job is to make families and individuals whole again after tragedy. And she says helping clients in that way creates a ripple effect.

“We have clients who, after they have received justice and their cases have been finalized, are inspired,” she says. “They see how the system works, and they are not the same people anymore. And they turn around and do things in their community for others.” In the future, Metcalfe would like to see her practice grow so she can help more people. And that’s how she knows she made the right choice 21 years ago when she went back to school. “There’s a path that you’re to follow in your career, and it’s a journey – not necessarily a destination,” she says. “I never planned on having my own law firm, but I feel like the doors opened, and the way it happened was the way it was supposed to happen. And if you’re going to spend your life in a profession, you have to make sure it’s something meaningful to you.”

For more information about Metcalfe Law, visit metcalfe-law.com or call 512-329-9920.