Though three of us were once litigation partners in national, multi-office law firms, we are not big firm lawyers. Our success is based on an approach to lawsuits that is fundamentally different from the way most large firms handle cases.

First and foremost, we are not litigators. We are trial lawyers. That difference informs everything we do:

  • We prepare a case for trial. That means we focus our pre-trial discovery on the most important goal of any trial lawyer: putting together a compelling story for a judge, jury or arbitrator. We don’t take extra depositions, we don’t waste time with unnecessary objections, and we avoid the types of tasks that generate billable hours without advancing the case and honing the story.
  • We staff our cases lean. No matter how large the case, we generally find that the best team is two lawyers. We have learned that in litigation, size does matter—just not in the way many believe. A trial team of five lawyers is by definition slower in every aspect than a team of two lawyers for the simple reason that you need to gather all five into a room once a week to find out what the “team” knows and figure out what the “team” should do next. We understand that some companies and their in-house counsel feel more comfortable with a phalanx of litigators. Fortunately for them, there are plenty of fine law firm out there willing to accommodate those desires.
  • We believe that computer technology is the great equalizer. Once upon a time, you’d come into court with stacks of boxes filled with documents, transcripts, pleadings and the like. Now you walk in with a laptop loaded with all of that and more. Our state-of-the-art technology is a vital tool in presenting our case. Moreover, it enables our trial teams to do superior work far more efficiently.
  • Our lawsuit mantra—prepare for trial—improves our clients’ settlement position as well. We know that most cases don’t go to trial. We also know many clients and their attorneys start to get cold feet as discovery costs mount and the trial date approaches. Our focused approach to pre-trial discovery and the other side’s recognition that we are preparing to take the case to trial are big advantages when the time comes for our client to sit down to discuss settlement.
  • We are open to alternative fee arrangements. While we understand that many clients are more comfortable with hourly billing arrangements in lawsuits, we encourage ours to consider fee structures where we share some of their risk and, if the outcome merits it, some of the reward. These structures can take the form of a flat fee, a contingent fee, a modified hourly fee or other approaches. Our goal is to find a fee arrangement that helps align our interests with our client’s.