It’s not written anywhere. But trade groups (AAJ, WSAJ, etc.) try to make everyone believe that trial work is the highest calling for any personal injury attorney.
Hard not to think of The Rolling Stones:
When I’m watchin’ my TV
And a man comes on and tells me
How white my shirts can be
But he can’t be a man ’cause he doesn’t smoke
The same cigarettes as me
They never really come out and say it. But there’s always the insinuation. If you don’t try cases, you’re not a “man.”
This myth is repeated over and over. Especially by attorneys who never try cases.
So much time is spent talking about trial techniques. But most personal injury attorneys don’t try cases. And that’s okay.
Here’s the truth: trying cases is not the be all and end all—helping clients is the single most important objective.
The prospect of potentially having to try a case is stressful for people who don’t want to try cases.
There’s this false construct that the only way to really be a competent personal injury client is to try cases. You can be a great personal injury attorney and never try a case. How?
- Mastering case selection.
- Explaining the process in a way that informs and helps the client make decisions.
- Drafting good demand letters.
- Focusing discovery on things that will help at trial.
- Hiring the right experts.
- Associating trial counsel if you can’t negotiate a fair settlement.
If you’re a personal injury attorney and have trials coming up that you don’t want to try, find someone who does and associate them to try the case. It’s the best thing for the client. It’s the best thing for you—you’re going to make more money and have less stress.
We’ve developed a great system for trying cases. It works. In our last five trials we’ve had two excess verdicts and—at a minimum—quadrupled the best insurance company offer.
Trial right around the corner? We can ramp up to try a case in a week or even over a weekend.
There are a lot of good trial attorneys. Not all of them will jump in at a moment’s notice. We will.
Do you have a case that needs to be tried? Do you need someone to try it? Do you need someone to try it with you?
Call us. We’ll review the case right away and let you know under what terms we’ll get involved. Problem solved.