Hard Work.
People think being a trial lawyer is easy – that the best results come from being smart and well spoken.
Make no mistake –to some degree, those talents come naturally to some people. They hold the world in a paper cup. They make the complicated simple. And when they say something simple, it rings with emotion.
When they give a talk, it all becomes a matter of “Why not?” As in “Of course Charlie should get a million dollars. Why not?”
Sorry, but nothing comes that easy. A lot of people who seem like fast talkers only got that way from years of practice and preparation.
Growing up, I was convinced I wasn’t that good a talker, or that smooth. But I was determined.
My first job as a lawyer was as a hearing officer, on whether real estate agents should have their licenses suspended for lying or keeping someone else’s money. Every month, I had to drive to Columbus to make presentations on my recommendations to the Ohio Real Estate Commission.
I would write out the presentations the night before, memorize them, and practice them in the car on the way to Columbus.
When I started practicing law downtown, my boss wanted me to try property damage lawsuits for insurance companies, trying to get back the $500 or $1,000 they pad paid to the person they insured from the person who caused the accident.
I would take the file home with me ,and write out all my questions the night before, anticipating the witness’s answers. I would write out my opening statement, and my closing statement. I would arrange separate folders to hold my questions for my witnesses, for the other side’s witnesses, for the opening and closing arguments, and to hold the exhibits.
When I applied for a job in a larger firm, the partner who interviewed me went back to a lawyer I had clerked for in law school. The lawyer said “He is very thorough.”
When I got a job in a larger firm, I had to try a lot of lawsuits in outlying counties – Clinton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Brown. I don’t know how many times I got up early to go to some other county to serve a subpoena, or go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office so I would have a certified copy of the car title – because there was a possibility that the judge might not accept an uncertified photocopy as proof of ownership.
And of course, I lost some cases – but none because a witness hadn’t been subpoenaed, or because a document was missing.
The lawyer who I look up to the most as a personal injury lawyer – the best trial lawyer I know – is the best at getting medical records. He will tell you that nothing is as basic to the lawsuits he settles or tries as the medical records.
Robert Strauss – an FBI agent turned lawyer, who advised Presidents – had a sign over his desk: “Keep at it. Sooner or later, everybody else gives up.”
He was right.
It is hard to judge a hard worker based on a website, or a taped presentation. But if you want some idea of how I can help you, give me, Bill Strubbe, a Cincinnati Personal Injury Lawyer, a call, talk to me, and make your own judgment. My phone is 513-621-4775. There is no charge for talking to me.
Other lawyers refer their clients to me. And if you decide you‘d rather hire someone else, that’s OK.
Because all situations are different, and because there may be other facts pertaining to your case that I don’t know about, you should not rely on this answer for legal advice. I am not your attorney, and no lawyer client relationship has been formed. All discussions are limited to Ohio law unless otherwise indicated. And past performance cannot be used to predict future results.
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