Arthur York opened his own personal injury firm in August without any cases in the pipeline. Despite the pandemic, he’s been able to land new work and keep cases moving—even without the leverage of a jury trial.

With civil jury trials on hold, the threat of a bad-faith claim can still make defense lawyers and insurance adjusters take demand letters seriously, said York, who spent almost five years at plaintiffs firms Rafi Law Firm and Apolinsky & Associates before opening The York Firm.