You are citizens. Called together to render judgment. On a conflict which you are not involved in. For people whom you do not know. You have been taken away. From your businesses. From your families. Your lives have been disrupted. For a conflict which you are not involved in. And this case may only involve an injured hip. That might sound like the least glamorous...
Pain, especially pain that doesn't quit, changes a person. And rarely for the better. The consequences of persistent pain extend well beyond the agonizing sensations of pain itself. Unremitting pain robs a person of the ability to enjoy life, maintain important relationships, fulfill spousal and parental responsibilities, perform well at a job or work at all. Pain may be invisible but,...
In legal terms, “emotional distress” or “mental anguish” has four identifiable aspects for a jury to consider: 1. grief and sorrow 2. worry, anxiety, and fear 3. loss of enjoyment of life 4. loss of self-identify or an inability to obtain self-satisfaction Many people, many jurors in fact, will ask rhetorically: Are these really damages we should compensate for in a personal injury case? This same juror...
Everyone knows it takes money to go to trial. I'm here to tell you that you don't need a bunch of money to have excellent counsel or to have experts with lots of experience on your side. But you do need some things. First, you need courage. Second, you need to be able to trust...
No one dreams of needing a trial lawyer. No one wakes up thinking an injury will change life forever, just like we do not expect to bury a child, because of someone else’s neglect. Odds are, if we meet, I am very sorry we had to. I wish we never had to meet. Most all of my battles representing injured families...
The first time I stood in front of a jury, in a large superior courtroom in Spokane County, I was a younger lawyer with more energy than eloquence, more ambition than experience. I'll never forget the feeling as if my legs might give out and collapse as easily as the accordion files in my briefcase. My mouth...
