In trial law, the cards are stacked against plaintiffs. Many corporations, especially insurance companies, have an overabundance of power and money that they use to intimidate and take advantage of the average citizen who's been injured as a result of someone else's negligence.
Often, the only thing standing between a plaintiff and financial and emotional ruin is his or her lawyer. I always root for the underdog. It is for this reason, and the fact that I couldn’t stand to have a desk job, that I became a trial lawyer.
In 1991, I graduated magna cum laude from Ole Miss law school, something that I am very proud of. I practiced law in my hometown of Jackson, Mississippi for three years, before moving to Florida. I have been practicing law in Polk County, Florida, since 1999, mostly in the areas of commercial litigation, construction law, first-party insurance, trucking law, and personal injury.
I am very proud of my community, and am very civically involved. I volunteer as a Guardian ad Litem, and I serve as a Magistrate in the Polk County Teen Court, a remarkable program where first-time teen offenders can be judged by their peers instead of by an adult judge. I also serve on the Board of Directors of the Bartow/Fort Meade Unit of the American Cancer Society.
I used to work for corporations and insurance companies for many years, so I have an insider’s perspective on how the “other side” thinks and operates. Corporations and insurance companies understand that there is strength in numbers, and they have become powerful and influential by coming together to work against the average citizen.
That is why they have been so successful in spreading biased and dishonest rhetoric about trial lawyers being “ambulance chasers” and dishonest people. But in reality, these companies are hurting the people they represent more than the trial lawyers, which is why it is so important for trial lawyers to be advocated of the truth.
The beautiful thing about the American justice system is that in the courtroom, the playing field against powerful and wealthy corporations is leveled, and the search for truth is at the forefront. A trial lawyer's job is to see to it that the truth, not misleading propaganda, prevails.
I love seeing justice served, and any day that I can bring some relief to my clients, financial or otherwise, is a good day. That is why I love working with Lilly, O’Toole, and Brown. We don’t herd our clients like high-volume cattle; we treat them like people and try to get them the best result possible, regardless of what that means for us financially. The best part of my job is when an appreciative client says “thank you” at the end of a case; that’s what lets me know that I am doing something right.