Prospective
clients have many questions for me when we first meet. One of the more common questions I get asked is
why I call myself a trial lawyer. Many
people think “Don’t all lawyers go to trial?” or “Doesn't trial lawyer really
mean ambulance chaser?” My favorite
statement came from a college fraternity brother (after a couple of drinks) who
proclaimed he could be a trial lawyer, because he watches a lot of Judge Judy
and has all twelve seasons of The People’s Court on Blu-Ray. I don’t doubt that many people would perform
excellent in trial with proper training, but I want to share a little about why
I call myself a trial lawyer.
For
most of my career, I represented corporate interests. I was involved in some high-profile lawsuits
between competing companies. In those
cases, I fought to right a wrong that was committed by the other
corporation. That made me feel as if I
had contributed to the greater good.
However, during that same time, I represented corporations against
individuals that were injured or terminated at the hands of the corporate
machine. Fighting against the common
person on behalf of big business left me with a less than settled feeling. Put plainly, I felt like just another cog in
the corporate wheel.
A
mentor of mine, Bob Meadows from Opelika, Alabama, told me early on in my
career to love the people that I represent, because you are hired to speak for
them in a legal system for which they have no voice. That thought confused me for many years, because,
frankly, I am a hard guy to get to shut up.
However, one day while driving to Atlanta, it dawned on me what meaning
I placed on lawyer Meadows’ statement.
I decided
at that moment that I would dedicate my practice to representing people that
need help in righting a wrong they have suffered. I would dedicate my practice to being the
conduit that tells the legal system and anyone else that wants to listen a
story that needs to be told. Instead of
being just another big firm lawyer, I would practice law and provide my voice
in a way that makes a difference in a person’s life. As one of the old warhorse lawyers Jake Moore
of Columbia, South Carolina told me over a beer one evening at Turner Field, people
come to trial lawyers because they have the privilege and power to sue others and
take them to trial before a court of law to right a wrong.
The
Parian Law Firm, LLC is dedicated to representing those that have suffered
injuries through no fault of their own.
Those injuries could be related to an auto accident, medical malpractice,
nursing home abuse, or a slip and fall.
Also, injuries are caused by being accused of a crime you did not commit
or being asked to pay for a debt that you do not owe. These are only some of the areas where I
represent people that need help in righting a wrong. At a recent social gathering, the CEO of a
publicly-traded company came up to me and told me that he applauds me and my
firm for the work we are doing, because as he put it, “what you do is good and
makes a difference in people’s lives.” I
can think of no better definition of why I call myself a trial lawyer.
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