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Our attorneys are the heart of Jones and Swanson, and one of our newest additions, only having worked a year and four months, is Rutledge Jones. Rutledge, or ‘Rutty’ as we call him, went to law school at Mercer University and became an attorney in 2022.
Rutty had always known he wanted to be a lawyer. Since he was young he has watched and admired his dad, founding partner Andrew Jones, and Chase Swanson. He looks to both of them for guidance as a young attorney and has always appreciated the work they do. By choosing to go to Mercer University, he followed in Chase’s footsteps on his way to acquiring his law degree.
The life of an attorney is always changing, so Rutty explains what his average day looks like.
Rutty begins his day
It’s 6:45 AM, and the first thing he does in the morning is check his calendar and email. Some days he may have a morning court appearance and others he may have a meeting with a client. This routine ensures that Rutty is prepared to represent his clients interests every day.
Even here from the marketing team, we can vouch that being an attorney requires a lot of organization and attention to detail.
After getting his mind ready for the day, Rutty then likes to get some exercise. Depending on the time of year, and the weather, he will hike up Kennesaw Mountain or do a workout at home.
Just like everyone else Rutty needs his pick-me-up. For him, that usually means an early morning stop at Starbucks on his way to the office.
at work
Arriving at the office at 8:30 AM, each day is always different from the last. He looks over any messages he had missed from the prior evening, and he responds to the emails he looked at in the morning.
Rutty likes to accomplish his simpler tasks in the morning. These are items such as editing demands, reviewing lawsuits, and calling clients to provide case updates.
For reviewing demands, his task is to edit demands drafted by paralegals. Additionally, he has to determine what the client should demand from the insurance companies as compensation for their injuries. Rutty always discusses this phase of the case with his clients. Once the demand is sent, he can begin negotiations on behalf of his clients.
Once lunch rolls around, he can dig into his more difficult half of the day. He knows that the bigger items require more quiet time and extensive thought. These include most of his writing and strategic moves on cases. Writing can be emails, demands, and negotiations interchangeably; it just depends on the work he needs to get done for that given day.
One of his more frequent duties is to call insurance adjusters. When calling an adjuster, Rutty is negotiating the amount his clients should be compensated as a result of their injuries. In almost every case this starts with the insurance company of the at-fault party. But, in many cases, the at fault party may be underinsured or uninsured. In these cases, Rutty also may negotiate with his clients own insurance company.
This is why Rutty’s #1 advice to all motorists is to ensure that you have UM/UIM coverage on your insurance policy. This protects you in situations where you are injured by another driver who themselves has no insurance, or simply not enough insurance coverage. Having UM/UIM coverage adds a layer of protection to ensure you are completely and fairly compensated for your injuries.
If the insurance company fails to meet the level of compensation Rutty believes his clients deserve, then he will discuss filing a lawsuit with the client. When a lawsuit is filed the pressure is put on the insurance company to increase their compensation offer or risk going to trial where Rutty and the other attorneys at Jones & Swanson will argue their clients case in front of a judge and jury. Thankfully, Rutty has a great support staff at Jones & Swanson to ensure every case gets the attention it needs to appropriately advocate for his clients interests.
Filing a lawsuit does change Rutty’s day-to-day schedule. Depositions and hearings in front of the court are common occurrences for cases in litigation. Depositions can take hours or even last all day long; but they are necessary to ensure his clients receive the best representation possible.
The last hour and a half of his day is spent calling most of his clients. He does this because he knows the majority of his clients have busy work days as well. This ensures he does not interrupt his clients schedule and he does not mind staying late to make sure all his clients questions and concerns are answered.
Working as a lawyer always has its ebbs and flows like any other job. But Rutty loves the work he does everyday and appreciates every opportunity he has to advocate for people in his community who have been injured as the result someone else’s negligence.
After Work
Once all tasks for the day are accomplished, Rutty likes to end his hectic day with some sports.
Rutty loves all things sports. He goes to a Braves games every chance he gets, watches football whenever it is on, and on weekends in the summer he plays in a local men’s baseball league run by the very own Rexx Hudgins, owner of T-Rexx Garage.
Above all, being an attorney is something that Rutty feels is greatly rewarding. Working on the personal injury side of the law gives him the chance to communicate directly with his clients and create lastings relationships.
He loves his community ands appreciates the importance of his role as an advocate within it. He hopes to serve the members of this community for years to come.
