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Client Experience When You Hire Me As Your Attorney
“This is what clients get when they hire me as their trial attorney…”
“Highly skilled trial advocate.”
“Compassionate attorney who will handle your case with empathy.”
“Backing of one of the largest firms in the country.”
Insurance Companies Don't Want You to Know This
I never knew that insurance companies after a wreck will hire private investigators to follow you through your day to day activities to get surveillance video.
Years ago, when I was a young lawyer and still on the defense, a company that hired us to defend a case demanded that we get surveillance of the plaintiff.
And the interesting thing about this case was even though the plaintiff was a male and he was the only one in the car when he was hit by this truck, his wife had also filed what is called a loss of consortium claim because she alleged that her husband was unable to perform his marital duties.
Well, when we got that surveillance video back, we learned that her husband was performing his marital duties with a couple of other women.
And of course, we brought that video to mediation, pulled the plaintiffs lawyer out into the hallway, told him what we had, showed it to him so that he could get his client out in the hallway, that case settled.
All because he couldn't try that case and have his wife see the video of him cheating on her.
So just know that if you have had a wreck, there is a potential that someone is watching you and you may not even know it.
Good lawyers can also be kind lawyers
I think it would surprise most young lawyers and law students to learn that some of the best trial lawyers are the least adversarial when it comes to how they communicate with opposing counsel.
One of the things I see a lot, especially with young lawyers, is this need to be overly aggressive and rude and combative in their communications with opposing counsel.
The reality about the practice of law is we are still human beings. There is going to be a time when something happens to you where you mess up something in a case and you are going to need a favor, you are going to need a pack pass, you are going to need to work together with your opposition to how to get you out of that mess if they can. You're going to have a loved one who dies, a child that gets sick.
I had a deposition once where the opposing council's child had a car wreck in the middle of our deposition. Things happen. But when you treat people wrong and you treat people poorly, and you speak to people in a way that is rude and condescending, they're not going to want to help you. And that is not something that any of us get taught in law school. Good lawyers can also be kind lawyers.
Hiring an attorney after a truck wreck - addressing the stigma
Let’s address this stigma. There is nothing wrong with hiring an attorney right after you've had a truck wreck.
The insurance industry has done a really good job with trying to convince people that you are somehow a bad person or a greedy person or a money seeking person if you hire an attorney right after you've had a truck wreck.
But do you know what trucking companies do right after their truck drivers are involved in wrecks? They hire an attorney.
There were times when I did trucking defense where we had lawyers on the scene when the police were there before the vehicles were cleared. They have 24 hour response teams.
There were times where we had people who could help the driver write their statement to the police.
So don't let these insurance companies trick you into believing that you don't need someone as soon as you can.
If you hire a lawyer the next day or two days after, you are probably already behind the insurance company having hired one to protect themselves.
And if they need one to protect them, even though they make billions of dollars a year, don't you think you need a lawyer to protect you too?
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Things I avoid as a personal injury attorney - Part 1
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Do you know there are some states in this country that do not require inspections for the rides at fairs?
I live in one of them.
My name is Sarah Williams.
I'm a personal injury lawyer and I'm talking about things that I avoid because of what I've seen.
One of the first group of cases that I got when I started practicing personal injury was a group of children who had been injured when the ride they were on at a fair spun off the track and like fell to the ground.
It's the craziest thing I've ever seen.
It felt like it was like a Final Destination scene.
And luckily none of them died, but they did have some bad injuries.
And that's when I learned that I live in a state that does not regulate the rides at fairs.
And so there is no city inspector, there is no county inspector, there is no state inspector that is coming and checking behind these folks to see, see if they have put these rides together safely.
It is a self regulated industry in my state.
So while we may attend the local fairs and get a funnel cake and some cotton candy and play some games, me and my family definitely don't put my child on the rides at local fairs.
Stay tuned for more things that I avoid as a personal injury attorney.
How to maximize networking as an introvert
3 ways you can maximize networking as an introvert to advance your career
My first networking tip for introverts. Find smaller groups within larger organizations. I have found as an introvert I maximize networking when I am in smaller groups. That large settings and large conference rooms and rooms full of hundreds of people intimidates me as an introvert.
So don't let being a member of a larger organization intimidate you as an introvert. Find a more specialized group within that organization and focus your networking within that smaller group.
A second tip for introverts when it comes to networking. Find a buddy. Even if that person doesn't live in the same city as you, you have a buddy who's there and I have several conference buddies. You know who's going to be in the room and you know you can at least go and talk to that person.
My third tip to introverts for networking: don't overdo it.
Don't do things that are outside of your comfort zone or that are going to drain your social battery.
Make sure that you are scheduling time to yourself that you are not over scheduling events that you are networking in smaller groups, going to smaller dinners so that you can reserve your social battery so that you can consistently show up to events.
An introvert who's conquered networking.
Think before you send
Those sketchy text messages that you're sending to someone you probably shouldn't be sending them to. Downloaded.
If you don't want someone to see it, do not send it via text message.
I think the biggest surprise my clients who are involved in truck wrecks have is when the other side asks to download their cell phone. We asked to download the driver's cell phone too.
Why? You may think those photos you deleted are gone. Nope, not when we download them.
We recover so much data from cell phone downloads, GPS data on what specific location you were in at an exact time, every text message you've sent, every photo and video that you've attached to those text messages, those racy memes that you're sending to your coworker. Downloaded.
Those racy photographs that you're sending to your boo. Downloaded.
Those sketchy text messages that you're sending to someone you probably shouldn't be sending them to. Downloaded.
If you are involved in a wreck and you have sent stuff on your cell phone, it is going to be discoverable. Do not delete it.
But in the future, know whatever you're sending has a chance to be seen by someone you probably don't want to.
he truth about trucking and insurance companies
Newsflash, the trucking company and insurance company is never going to do right by you. They do not have your best interests at heart.
It always surprises me when we get hired by clients who have spent months and months and months trusting the trucking company or insurance company to do right by them.
I had a case some years ago where our client hired us almost six, 16 months after she had been involved in the wreck. And the reason why is because she had been lulled into a sense of security by the adjuster hired by the trucking company.
He had come to the hospital and brought her flowers. When she was discharged, he brought food to the house. He would come to the house and just sit on her porch and talk to her when no one else would talk to her.
But when it came time to settle her case, when it came time to review her medical records, when it came time to take responsibility, he turned on her, which is not surprising.
You need someone who has your best interests at heart from the beginning. Do not let these insurance companies campaign to make people feel ashamed of hiring lawyers as soon as they are involved in a wreck. Or prevent you from getting the help that you need and from hiring the right lawyer who will have your best interest at heart.
The most powerful tool you have as a trial lawyer
A lot of lawyers spend a lot of money trying to find the perfect tool and the thing that is going to just take their trial advocacy over the top.
The most powerful tool you have as a trial lawyer is you. Who you are as a person. Your experiences, your ability to connect with people, and your ability to be funny, to be empathetic, to tell a story from a perspective of a human being.
Being you is your superpower. Being you is the best tool that you have as a trial attorney.
And no one, not a class, not a consultant, not a coach, knows how to be you better than you do. So own it. Own who you are.
Take that into every single experience you have as a trial lawyer, and I promise you, you.
You will figure out that being you is your number one tool.
Tips for aspiring trial lawyers - Communication Skills 101
In order to be a great trial lawyer, you have to have great communication skills. But law schools, most of them, don't teach that.
So if you didn't go to a law school that has a great trial advocacy program, how can you learn the skills that you need to be a great trial lawyer? I recommend one attending conferences geared towards teaching communication skills that actually let you practice them versus just having someone lecture about.
I also think it's important for you to get coaching. As lawyers, we are always learning.
There is no shame in continuing to be coached on how you communicate.
I'm in several coaching groups. I'm constantly trying to get better.
The last thing is you have to be open to criticism. None of us are perfect. There is not a single perfect trial lawyer in this world.
And in order to get better, you have to recognize what your flaws are and what you need to work on. If you're a trial attorney or aspiring trial attorney that's looking to get better, follow for more tips.
Tips for aspiring trial lawyers - Importance of Cross Examination
Most lawyers stand in the wrong place for cross examination. So when you see most lawyers standing for cross examination what do you see? They are squared up on the witness.
What does it mean when you square up on somebody? I know what it means where I'm from. Where I'm from it means you want to fight and that is not the purpose of cross examination. Cross examination is not your time to fight with the witness.
The purpose of cross examination is something we call cross to close which means that your goal is to elicit testimony, evidence, facts to assist you in making your closing argument whether that be facts that help your case, facts that impeach the credibility of that witness or facts that refute the other side's case.
Your entire purpose in cross examination is cross to close and that is why we do not square up on the witness.
If you want to learn where you should stand for cross examination, hit the follow button and stay tuned for more content.
better, follow for more tips.
I’ll never forget this trucking case
I’ll never forget.
I had this case where the trooper brought the insurance adjuster into my client's hospital room the night of the wreck.
This woman had an orbital fracture that was so severe that witnesses described her eyeball hanging out at the scene.So she was heavily medicated when the trooper came to the hospital.
And he, of course, came to to take a blood sample, which he's entitled to do. And to ask her question, which he's entitled to do.
What he's not entitled to do is bring an insurance adjuster or anyone else into her hospital room. But her family who was there with her assumed that he was with law enforcement.
What's the lesson in that story?
If you are involved in a truck wreck, make sure that you know exactly who's having access to your room. Make sure that you are only allowing law enforcement into your room. And if they attempt to allow anyone else in your room, make sure you're demanding that those people be removed.
But also make sure you get the name of anyone who's accessed your room, whether they be law enforcement or anyone else.
And most importantly, remember this.
If you are under the influence of heavy medications because you've been severely injured, it's okay to tell the investigating officer to come back the next day to get your statement.
Strategic network building
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
This is one of the biggest lessons I learned during my time managing the firm. I remember Alex forcing my invitation into rooms where at times my presence was not welcomed. I went into those rooms intimidated because I was surrounded by some of the most successful law firm owners in the country. But then I realized…
None of them had it all figured out. They relied on their collective knowledge. I was shocked by some of the questions I heard and even more so by how much knowledge I was able to provide as the youngest and seemingly less experienced person in the room.
Truck wreck lawyer vs. personal injury lawyer
Truck wrecks are NOTHING like car wrecks. Which is why it’s crucial to seek out a specialized attorney if you ever find yourself or a loved one in a truck wreck.
One of the biggest differences with truck wrecks is the complexity of the case. There’s a whole lot more at play, crucial evidence to preserve, federal regulations, multiple parties, and big damages. Experienced truck wreck lawyers focus on more than just settlements. We’re focused on building a solid case that we can try to a jury.
We combine our trial skills with our knowledge of the trucking industry to ensure we have the evidence we need to persuade a jury, which leads to outcomes for our clients.
Disclaimer: Your case and/or outcome may vary. This post is not legal advice. There is no agreement to provide legal representation. Contact an attorney to review your specific case.
This will make or break your case
One of the things a lot of people don't realize before they become trial attorneys is that for civil trial attorneys, cases really are won or lost in discovery, in the depositions and the documents that are exchanged and the information that is gathered before you ever even get to trial.
And so I highly recommend if you are an aspiring attorney and you're in law school, and your law school offers courses in pre trial procedure, depositions, or anything to do with everything that happens before trial, take those classes.
If you are a practicing attorney and have the opportunity to attend CLEs and learn more about how to get better at taking depositions and how to get better at the discovery process, that's where you're going to win or lose your cases.
And if this information was valuable, follow for more.
The art of cross examination
We talked about not squaring up on the witness during cross examination. But where should you stand?
The general rule is to stand in a spot in the courtroom that creates a triangle between you, the witness, and the jury, such that everyone can see your face and they can see your facial expressions.
So much of what we do as trial lawyers and as human beings when we communicate is in our body language. And when a jury can't see that, they may miss certain cues. They may think you're being a jerk when you're really being sarcastic because that sarcasm is all over your face.
Now, I know a lot of people are going to say, because I get students that say this, you should stand in a place that blocks the witness from seeing their counsel so that they can't help them answer questions.
I welcome a lawyer trying to assist a witness on the stand because then you get to call it out.
So the reason we stand in a triangle is not to block the witness from seeing their counsel.
We stand in a triangle so that the jury can read our body language, because that is part of our communication.
What other questions do you have about where you should stand during a trial?
Drop them in the comments below.
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You need this to build a solid truck accident case
"A specialized truck accident attorney is necessary to help build a solid case."
Not many people realize how complex and dangerous truck accident cases can be, which is why hiring a specialized truck accident attorney is so important.
A few common challenges in these cases are the federal laws governing large commercial vehicles, negotiating with multiple insurance companies, and multiple parties being accountable.
In general, truck accidents typically cause more damage and serious injuries.
If you ever find yourself with a truck accident case on your hands, make sure you reach out to a dedicated truck accident lawyer to help you navigate the complexities.
Tips for aspiring trial lawyers
You will never stop learning how to be a good trial lawyer. Trial work is an ever evolving field of practice. People change, the way people think about things change, the way we can present ourselves changes.
And so I am always attending CLE’s, talking to other lawyers, attending coaching groups, trying to continue to learn and continue to get better and to ensure I know what the trends are in terms trying new cases.
So my advice to young lawyers is this don't feel like you will ever learn at all. Just try to learn as much as you can and stay open to learning more. If you found this valuable, share it with a friend and follow me for more.
Why Google or ChatGPT can’t replace your lawyer
Look I get it. Google, ChatGPT, all the information that's available to us now lulls us into this sense of security that we are capable of settling personal injury cases without having lawyers involved.
The problem is this, when you don't have a lawyer involved and the insurance company sends you a release, there's a risk that you are not going to be protected.
Had a call recently from someone who settled their case on their own, signed a release that said the insurance company would pay them some money for paying suffering and then would continue to pay their medical bills.
The problem is the next time she went to the doctor, guess who refused to pay the bill. They said, look, that's not related to our case, that's not related to this wreck. And so now she wants to sue them.
But guess what? It's no longer a personal injury case. Now it's a breach of contract case.
And now she's struggling to find lawyers who will take that on a contingency because her only right to recovery is the amount of her medical treatment.
If she's got a future surgery, if she's going to be out of work for that surgery, any future pain and suffering, none of that is going to be covered.
Please do not rely on your Google search or your Chat GPT search or what your mama or your uncle or your cousin who had a wreck two years ago tells you about settling your case.
Find an attorney you trust and let them protect your rights.
Turning nerves into strength in the courtroom - Part 1
Jury trials are not natural.
Do you think our bodies were designed to stand up in front of hundreds of people and have to speak and talk about an experience that our clients have gone through?
No, it's not natural. And that's why you get nervous. It is your body's natural response when you are standing in front of hundreds of people to prepare you to do one of two things, fight or flight.
So when you feel the butterflies in your stomach, when your hands are shaking, that is because your body is saying, we either need to square up with some folks or we need to take out of here.
Being nervous is a biological response.
It's natural. It is your sympathetic nervous system doing what your body was designed to do, protect you.
And so, in overcoming nerves, it's important to understand that I have so many students who think, oh, is there something wrong with me There's something off about me. What is wrong with me that I can't not be nervous?
Everyone gets nervous. People exhibit it differently, but everyone gets nervous. There is nothing wrong with you.
Now that you know that nerves are natural, now that you know that being nervous is just a biological response, we can move on in the next video to talking about how you can recognize in yourself that biological response.
The truth about truck accident cases
Truck accident claims are typically more difficult than car accident claims. Gathering evidence is time-sensitive and crucial information is often held by the trucking company
As an attorney who specializes in truck accident cases, I’ve witnessed these challenges firsthand.
There has to be urgency in collecting crucial evidence and the key often lies with the trucking company – the vital pieces that can make or break a case.
I plan to share more educational content around this in upcoming posts, what would you like me to cover and what questions do you have?
3 tips for taking an effective defendant’s deposition
Most law schools don't teach you how to take a deposition.
My top three tips for taking an effective defendant's deposition is number one, listen more than you talk.
So many of us want to get out what we want to say, and especially when you're a young lawyer, you want to show that you're smart. The best testimony I have had in cases is when I have let a defendant just roll and if you can prevent yourself from interrupting them you will find the gold in their testimony.
The second thing is, even though you want to have an outline so you remember what you need to ask, try to get away from your outline when you are stuck on asking the questions that you typed up. You may miss a follow up question that you need to ask you may miss out on some testimony that is absolutely valuable to your case that you didn't expect or anticipate because you're so focused on your outline.
The third thing is learn the rules of depositions, because as a young lawyer, older lawyers like me are going to take advantage of you. They're going to try to coach their client, they're going to try to rephrase your questions, they're going to try to make improper objections and so you need to understand the rules and be firm in your understanding of the rules so that when they do try to talk over you, when they do try to bully you, you can push back.
What other questions do you have about taking effective depositions?
Leave them in the comments.
A PSA on distracted driving from a personal injury lawyer
No one really talks about this, but there is not a single message, product or fact about your day that is so important that you need to record it while you are driving.
As a personal injury lawyer, every single day we get calls from people who have been involved in wrecks with distracted drivers.
And I know no one thinks that if they take their eyes off the road to make eye contact with the camera for two seconds, that that is distract driving.
But what the data shows us is that even taking your eyes off the road for two seconds increases your perception, reaction time.
What does that mean? That means that it's going to take you another 120 to 140ft to stop because it's going to take you longer to perceive that there is a danger because you've taken your eyes off the road.
So do pull over, go to a gas station, go to a parking lot, wait till you get home. But there is nothing that is so important about what you have to say that it needs to be recorded while you are driving.
And that's just a friendly PSA from a personal injury lawyer.
Master storytelling in the courtroom - Part 2
I don't know about you but I hate when people try to tell me what to feel. My husband does it all the time. You should feel this way about this, and I will absolutely feel the opposite. And juries are people at the end of the day.
So instead of telling the jury what they should feel or what your client felt. My client was angry. My client was nervous. My client was fearful. Find a universal experience that we all have when we experience those emotions.
Feeling in the pit of your stomach, the nervousness in your handshaking, right. Feeling loved when someone cooks dinner or breakfast or something for you, and you can smell it cooking in the kitchen.
How do emotions manifest themselves physically? That is something that is universal.
That is something that everyone can relate to.
That is how we communicate the emotion of our case.
We cannot tell people how to feel. We definitely cannot tell juries how to feel it.