Our law firm is unique in many ways. One thing that distinguishes us is that we have relatively “younger” lawyers given the cases and success we have had. At 54, I am the oldest by far. Most of the rest of us, including partners, are under 40. Most of them have worked with us their entire careers. Most of our competitors feature a bit more “grey.”
I have invested very heavily in our “younger” lawyers and my vision for our law firm. No doubt, there is value in experience. And when I first invested in many of them, they had little of it. There was also a perception challenge. Lots of people want their lawyers to look the part. And for some, that may mean having been around for a while. For those reasons and for some time, I was the one winning all the trials, settling all the cases, and getting all the accolades.
That was fine with me. I knew that if I hired the very best lawyers possible, trained them to the highest level, and provided them unparalleled opportunities, that soon I would have a powerhouse law firm built to last for decades to come. And so, we all attended an awards ceremony this month. That event and this year’s overall success by those same “younger” lawyers made me realize that we are just about there.
Each year, the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (“CASD”) hosts a “Trial Stars” dinner event. During the evening, CASD presents “Outstanding Trial Lawyer Awards” to those plaintiffs attorneys the committee believes did really remarkable things in trial that year. The award is considered to be a very prestigious one.
Here at GTA, of course, we pride ourselves on being a trial firm, and we emphasize that identify and mindset constantly. And so, as our attorneys progress further and further in their own careers, they are trying more and more cases. And they are doing it exceptionally well. At this year’s awards dinners, our lawyers were honored and humbled to receive 6 separate Outstanding Trial Lawyer awards. And Jeremiah Lowe even received 2! Bibianne Fell, Jessica Sizemore, Victoria Lazar and yours truly (boring) rounded out the list. Jeremiah and Jessica have now each received 3. For any lawyer to receive 3 in a career would be remarkable. But for Jeremiah and Jessica, not yet 40, that number is truly remarkable.
I personally have 11 of them but have a heck of a head start. There is a good chance that one or more of these great lawyers will exceed that number by the time they get to my age. And nothing would make me more proud. Sometimes I kind of feel like the firm dad. As parents, we invest so much time, caring and worry into our kids. And we have so much hope for how they are going to grow up. I have gone through that same process with these lawyers. And now, they are all grown up. They have not only met but exceeded my hopes and expectations. They are absolutely crushing it and have another 25 years to go.
That makes our firm built to last. I am very happy that we have invested smartly in good, young talent and decent and caring human beings. The title of this column is “Passing the Torch.” The thing is, I feel like I am just finding my stride as well. I have lots and lots of trials to do and people to help before I quit doing what I love. And I’m going to do my darnedest to make sure none of these lawyers – as much as I love them – ever matches my record. But regardless, I am super happy and proud of their growth and success.
Thanks for reading my story.
