Zhilia Rashid, Director of Operations and Lead Paralegal
Zhilia Rashid is the Lead Paralegal and Director of Operations at Meyers Personal Injury Law in Brentwood. Working across both case support and firm operations, she helps coordinate the many moving parts involved in personal injury litigation while making sure the team has what it needs to do its best work.
Her responsibilities can shift quickly between supporting active personal injury cases and overseeing the day-to-day needs of the firm, a range that suits her well.
Zhilia enjoys seeing how individual pieces of a case come together over time, including much of the work clients may never see. She also understands that those details exist alongside a real person who is dealing with medical treatment, bills, insurance companies, work, and the disruption an injury can cause.
Phone: (615) 258-9000
Email: [email protected]
Zhilia’s Role at Meyers Personal Injury Law
Zhilia spends much of her day moving between the big picture and the details.
On the case side, she may review upcoming deadlines, work on discovery, coordinate depositions and experts, or help attorneys Chad Meyers and Leah Pybas prepare for mediation or trial. Her operations responsibilities require a different perspective: making sure work moves efficiently across the firm and that the team has the resources and information necessary to keep cases progressing.
Personal injury litigation can generate an enormous amount of work behind the scenes. A single case may involve thousands of pages of medical records alongside insurance communications, provider correspondence, research, discovery, depositions, expert involvement, negotiations, and court deadlines.
Keeping track of those pieces matters. A task that appears routine on its own may become important later as the attorneys prepare for negotiations, mediation, or trial.
Zhilia enjoys watching that process unfold from beginning to end. There is satisfaction in seeing months of preparation come together, but the most meaningful part for her is knowing what that work represents for the client on the other side of the case.
Building a Career in Personal Injury Law
Zhilia earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a Pre-Law Concentration from Middle Tennessee State University and began building her career in personal injury before joining Meyers Personal Injury Law.
She was drawn to Meyers in part because its size offered something different. Rather than working within a larger structure where responsibilities could be narrowly divided, she saw an opportunity to become deeply involved in cases, take on greater responsibility, and contribute to how the firm itself operates.
The firm’s more specialized cases also caught her attention. Work involving funeral home negligence and negligent security introduced Zhilia to areas she had not previously encountered and gave her an opportunity to expand her experience.
Today, her dual role as Lead Paralegal and Director of Operations reflects both sides of the work she enjoys: understanding what a case requires in detail and thinking more broadly about how the team can work effectively.
A Perspective Shaped by Two Cultures
Zhilia was born and raised in Kurdistan, Iraq, and moved to the United States when she was nine years old. Growing up between two cultures shaped how she approaches unfamiliar situations and communicates with people experiencing them for the first time. Fluent in both English and Kurdish, she brings that perspective with her when connecting with clients and their families.
She remembers what it is like to encounter systems whose expectations and processes are not immediately clear. That experience taught her to be patient, explain things in practical terms, and avoid assuming that someone knows what comes next simply because the process is familiar to her.
Her involvement with Girls Inc. further shaped that perspective. Zhilia participated in the organization when she was younger and later returned as a mentor and volunteer. Being on both sides of that relationship reinforced the value she places on listening, consistency, and showing up for other people.
Those experiences influence how Zhilia works with clients today. She wants to give people useful context about what is happening and why, particularly during stages of a case when substantial work may be occurring without producing an immediate, visible result.
The Work Clients Don’t Always See
One misconception Zhilia encounters is that a legal case should move quickly along a simple, predictable path.
In practice, there may be several processes unfolding at once. A client could still be receiving medical treatment while the legal team gathers records, communicates with insurers, investigates the claim, handles discovery, tracks court deadlines, coordinates experts or depositions, and prepares for negotiations.
That means significant work can be happening even when a client is not seeing a major development in the case.
Zhilia sees value in helping clients understand that distinction. Taking the time to gather the necessary information and prepare a case thoroughly can involve substantial work between visible milestones.
It is one reason she enjoys building relationships with clients over the life of a case. She can help provide context as the case develops while seeing firsthand how all of that behind-the-scenes work eventually comes together.
A Close-Knit Team With Direct Communication
One of the things Zhilia values most about Meyers Personal Injury Law is how closely the team works together.
At a smaller firm, Zhilia can communicate directly with the attorneys and other team members involved in a case. The team knows its clients, understands their cases, and stays aware of developments in their lives that may affect the legal work.
That familiarity also shapes preparation. Knowing the person behind the records, deadlines, and claim helps the team understand the concerns that matter to them and communicate internally with greater context.
For Zhilia, this is one of the clearest differences between a close-knit practice and a more departmentalized environment. Clients can communicate with the people doing the work, and team members can stay connected to both the case and the person it belongs to.
Beyond the Office
Outside of Meyers Personal Injury Law, Zhilia enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time outdoors. She also prioritizes time with her family and friends.
She appreciates a balance between staying busy and having quieter ways to recharge, whether that means getting outside or settling in with a book.
Meet the Team at Meyers Personal Injury Law
At Meyers Personal Injury Law, clients have a small team that stays closely involved throughout their case. Zhilia’s work behind the scenes is one part of that hands-on approach, helping the firm stay prepared, organized, and connected to the people it represents.
If you have been injured and need help understanding your options, contact Meyers Personal Injury Law to schedule a free consultation.
