What We Believe

Responsibility is, simply, the ability to respond. What we do is simple: we respond. Almost always, it starts with a phone call, because we don't solicit or "chase" cases like some firms do, and you won't see us on TV. In fact, our phone rings because over 90% of our clients come from word of mouth referrals.

But we are usually not "first responders." Our typical clients are folks who were harmed or injured in some fashion, through no fault of their own. They usually call us only after being treated unfairly or denied answers to questions. Most have no previous involvement with our legal system. They don't want to profit from their claim; they merely want to try to recover what they have lost and move on.

Yet, the public perceives that many people who pursue personal injury claims are "sue happy" and bombarding big business with thousands of frivolous lawsuits. Statistics do not bear this out. In fact, most lawsuits in this country involve businesses suing businesses for a variety of reasons, but statistics and facts have become a casualty in this debate. There are two major reasons for this perception. The first is an orchestrated, multi-billion dollar lobbying and propaganda effort by well heeled special interests, to convince Americans that our legal system has run amok.

You may have heard terms like "junk lawsuits," "runaway juries," and "litigation lottery." These terms did not originate in grass root fashion; they were hatched by big business, the insurance industry, and well funded "think tanks" over thirty years ago to influence public opinion, and push for legal "reforms" that limit liability for wrongdoers who injure Americans due to shoddy products, preventable medical mistakes, and other negligent acts. For the most part, their tireless efforts have proven successful. Over thirty two states have passed limits or caps on what innocent victims of negligence can recover in legitimate lawsuits.

The second reason for the negative perception of our legal system, upon reflection, is us.  A small minority in legal profession has chosen to flood the airwaves with distasteful, cheesy mass media ads that serve to paint all of us as money hungry, greedy ambulance chasers. Perhaps the most offensive of these tactics involves firms who solicit accident victims with "lawyer letters" pitching their services. (none of these tactics will bear our name, by the way).

The combination of these two forces has fueled many negative attitudes about our legal system, confirming the wise words of Mark Twain that "a lie can travel twice around the world before the truth can put its pants on in the morning." Yet, this is what you, and we as your attorneys, face when we represent you in a personal injury claim or lawsuit.

Ironically, this negative climate comes at a time in our nation's history where there has never been a greater need for a robust legal system that truly works to protect innocent victims of negligence and wrongdoing. One need only turn on the TV or scan the newspaper or Internet to realize this. Enron. Wall Street fraud and greed. Inadequately tested drugs and food (Vioxx, tainted eggs, spinach, and peanut butter, to name a few) that are too quickly launched on an unsuspecting public and too slowly recalled. The Ford Explorer and Firestone tires fiasco. The close to 100,000 people who die in hospitals every year due to medical negligence. Fine print insurance policy "exclusions" that are used to deny claims after you've paid your hard earned premium payments for years. The list is endless, and is, unfortunately, growing.

We have made our voices heard on these issues on behalf of our clients. You can read about some of our efforts here and here, in addition to the numerous books and reports we have made available on this website. We have done so not out of a desire for publicity, but because it matters. It matters to our clients, who deserve a level playing field and a fair shake in the courtroom. Their voices need to be heard both in the courtroom, and in the court of public opinion.

This same passion, we think, carries over into the clients we have proudly represented for over twenty years now. They deserve no less.