Her Story
About Jodi
I am currently of counsel at Douglas and Runger, where my husband runs the firm with 6 attorneys total. I've also founded my own separate firm, Bishop Runger Law, which operates under the name 'Your Lien Team.' What inspired me to start this was my extensive experience throughout my entire career representing healthcare insurance companies and medical providers. When I was a baby lawyer first starting out, I represented large rural hospitals and handled all of their collection matters, helping insurance companies and medical providers collect money for their reimbursements. I did that for about 16 years until I was very burned out. I was then recruited by Morgan & Morgan to practice personal injury law, and that experience was eye-opening for me. I realized what the other side has to go through, and it gave me compassion for personal injury attorneys and their clients. I discovered I could help both the clients and the personal injury lawyers the most by flipping sides and handling their lien issues. Personal injury attorneys would come to me saying they couldn't settle cases because there was a $50,000 ERISA lien or Medicare lien with only $100,000 in policy limits. That's where I step in to handle the lien issue and get it reduced so they can help their client and settle the case. I've been practicing for 22 years, and it will be 23 years in October.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jodi
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Make sure that you are going into the field for the right reasons, and not just because you think you're going to make a lot of money, or you think it's going to be easy, or you think it's something that is respectable and your parents wanted you to do it, or you just feel like it's what you should do. A lot of women go into law because they think, oh, well, I like to argue. Well, just because you like to argue doesn't mean that you're going to be a good lawyer, or that you're even going to enjoy practicing law. I would also say, definitely make sure to intern at a lot of different places, have experiences at different firms, because practicing law at a big firm is a lot different than practicing law at a boutique law firm. You need to figure out: Do you want to manage people? Do you not want to manage people? Do you want to become a partner? What is your path? Do you want to handle litigation and be in the courtroom all the time, or do you want to sit behind a computer and review contracts? You don't know what you don't know, so until you actually go and have that personal experience, that's the only way to find out.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I'm big on uplifting other women and bringing women together. I've been in a lot of female-oriented organizations, and I even started a podcast called 'The Top 3 Things with Jody' this year, where all of my guests are female entrepreneurs or female professionals. I really just started it for fun, and I didn't really even know where it would go, but it's turned into a platform where I can support and highlight other women. I also learned from my mentor, District Attorney William Paul Phillips, that you can practice law and make it enjoyable. Just because opposing counsel are your adversaries doesn't mean that you have to be rude to each other and make both of your days even worse. I really like the way that General Phillips operated on a personal and professional level, treating employees, staff, and clients with respect.
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