Trial lawyers representing injured people have in recent years gained a huge advantage by sharing information over the internet with fellow plaintiff’s side lawyers through listserves or groups of lawyers with a common interest.
For years, defense lawyers have shared information with other lawyers representing big clients like insurance companies and corporations defending tort claims. These lawyers would go to national level meetings and talk about how to keep from having to pay for legitimate cases of injury and death caused by their clients. Many times the same huge law firm would represent the same at-fault party or defendant in many courts and many states. Those defense firms had an advantage over the individual plaintiff attorney fighting against the same big company on behalf of an individual.
One weapon, which the plaintiff’s bar has been using lately to balance the scales of justice, are listserves. Listserves allow attorneys in groups such as the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA) and state trial lawyer groups such as Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA) to talk with other lawyers representing individual victims. These listserves allow an injury attorney to find out the experience of other attorneys with a certain defendant, judge or jurisdiction. As we all know, information is power. This sharing of information has blossomed into an excellent system for getting better compensation for clients hurt by the negligence of another person or company.
I routinely monitor the daily exchange of blog information on ATLA and VTLA’s plaintiff’s only websites. I can ask other practitioners who I know and trust questions in our shared field of car wreck, railroad, and medical malpractice cases. Whenever I see someone requesting information, I try to share what I have with them. For example, if someone has an upcoming deposition with an insurance oriented doctor, I will send them my cross-examination of that same doctor in a recent trial. Most lawyers, especially some of the best lawyers in the state and the country, are extremely generous with their time and documents. By staying in touch with other lawyers, I keep most current on recent trends that will help me get the most for my personal injury clients.
Our firm prides itself on being current with the latest technology. By spending a lot of time on our own websites, blogs, and technology upgrades, we help ourselves to stay in better touch with our clients and the latest in personal injury methods. One thing you should look for in an attorney is someone who knows how to efficiently use the available weapons to bring justice home for people who are hurt because of someone else’s fault.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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