Aug 20, 2024 | admin
Compassion is at the root of everything Monique Lee does. Not only does she organize a monthly food drive for the homeless of Baltimore (see: #HashtagLunchbag Baltimore), she also coaches youth basketball in the city. No matter what Monique is doing, her thoughts and actions are focused on the people around her, demonstrating the sense of selflessness her colleagues are quick to attribute to her. As such, it is no surprise that Monique was drawn to practicing personal injury law.
Monique became aware of injustice firsthand at a very young age when a family tragedy shed light on the physical, psychological, and legal struggles people face when they are mistreated. Her grandfather had lost a son to police violence as a result of mistaken identity, and a lack of legal assistance resulted in him struggling to find justice on behalf of his son. “Had he known his rights, he could have had a claim against the city,” Monique explained. “I wanted to be a lawyer, to just help people; to make sure they knew their rights.” Monique has continued working to ensure that people who have been wrongfully treated are able to stand up for themselves in the courtrooms, and this desire to help the disadvantaged stuck with her: “I wanted to help the underdog against these bigger companies, to make sure they had a voice and knew what their rights were. That’s what motivates me and it’s never changed. From middle school onward I wanted to be a lawyer.”
This engrained compassion for others proved invaluable in May 2024 when Monique secured for her client the care she deserved after years of medical and financial struggle, as well as multiple case appeals. Back on January 9th, 2019, Monique’s client – a hospice nurse traveling between patients’ homes – was hit head-on by another vehicle when the vehicle’s driver failed to yield at an intersection. The crash resulted in significant injuries for Monique’s client, from head to neck and shoulders, as well as upper, mid, and lower back. After her injury, Monique’s client struggled with her health and was unable to make up for what was a considerable income to her household. Not only did doctors declare that she was no longer fit to return to her nursing duties, but she also began incurring medical bills after her insurance company cut off her care. This proved traumatic for Monique’s client, as she was exceedingly loyal to her employer and cared very deeply about her job and the type of work she did.
In a testament to how significant her injuries were, Monique’s client continued to go to her doctors for care: “Even when they cut her off and stopped paying for treatment, she went to her appointments. She paid out of pocket, she did what she had to do – because she wanted to get better. She had planned to retire with this company.” These measures helped prove to the jury that she had a life-changing injury. “That helped us because there was never any gap in her treatment. It showed her willingness to try to get better, and that she was credible,” Monique explained. This combined with the support of good doctors was pivotal to the initial success of this case; however, the defense quickly appealed the initial ruling.
When the appeals came in after the initial case result, the level of care Monique’s client had for her patients and others drove Monique to fight even harder. “She just cared so much. We had to do what we could do, however long it took. We were going to appeal, we were going to fight until they gave her what she rightfully deserved. These are the people you want to help – not the people the system should be fighting. We should be trying to help her get better and get back to work so she can help others. Who doesn’t want to fight for someone hard-working and compassionate like that?” Monique and her team thus took the fight on behalf of her client, and they were once again able to prove her case, leading to success in securing her the long-term care she deserved.
When asked what made this case win special, Monique was quick to comment on her client: “The fact that she’s in the medical field. She and I bonded because she cares about people.” Monique went on to describe with an admiration her client’s inspiring passion for others, remarking: “Even though she was no longer able to do her assisted living care, she would still go to [her patients] just to give them hugs and check on them.” When Monique explained to her client that the insurance company would likely use this against her in court, her client was not intimidated: “She said ‘I love these people, I’m going to go give my hug and if they’ve got a video of me giving a hug, they can have that.’”
Monique Lee has practiced law at ChasenBoscolo for eight years. She regards the caring culture of the firm as one of its finest strengths. Monique also commented on the dependability of her fellow teammates. On the back of this case, Monique praised the works of both fellow attorney Andrew Franchetti as well as Senior Legal Assistant Nikki Kelly, citing their prep work and crosschecks as vital to the success of the case – especially on the back of appeals which required a significant amount of extra work on short notice.
