TRIAL ADVOCACY

Experience. Preparation. Judgment.

For more than three decades, I have represented people in personal injury and medical malpractice cases.

During that time, I have participated in over seventy-five trials between selecting the jury and trying the case.

Those experiences have taught me that trial advocacy begins long before a lawyer stands before a jury.

It begins with understanding the case.

The facts. The medicine. The witnesses. The experts. The strengths. The weaknesses. The defense. And, ultimately, the people who will be asked to decide it.

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MY APPROACH TO TRIAL

“Trial is my battleground. The courtroom is my ultimate arena. Every day with zeal, tenacity, wisdom, and courage, I fight for the maximum award and dignity of all my clients while pushing the limits of justice.”

— Alfred Odom

I believe effective trial advocacy requires more than aggression.

It requires preparation, discipline, judgment, and the willingness to look critically at your own case.

I want to understand not only why we believe in our case, but why the other side believes in theirs.

What will the defense attack?

Where is the case vulnerable?

Which evidence truly matters?

What does the client need to explain?

And what does a jury need to understand before it can appreciate the full measure of what has been lost?

Those questions help shape how I prepare a case for trial.

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THE TRIAL LAWYER AS TEACHER

My years as a teacher and preacher have influenced the way I approach the courtroom.

I have taught at the high-school and college levels, taught adult Sunday school, and spoken regularly from the pulpit.

Those experiences have reinforced something I believe strongly:

Before you can persuade people, you have to help them understand.

Jurors may be asked to absorb years of medical treatment, expert testimony, conflicting accounts, complicated injuries, and legal principles in a matter of days.

A lawyer can know every detail in the file and still fail to communicate the case effectively.

The challenge is to determine what really matters and present it clearly, honestly, and persuasively.

In many respects, a trial lawyer is a teacher.

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UNDERSTANDING THE JURY

I have participated in the selection of more than 75 juries.

That experience has taught me that cases are not decided in the abstract. They are decided by people.

Every juror enters the courtroom with a lifetime of experiences, beliefs, expectations, and assumptions.

Jury selection is therefore more than asking questions.

It is an opportunity to listen.

I want to understand how prospective jurors see the world, what experiences may influence them, and whether they can fairly consider the evidence presented in the case.

The process reminds me of something that applies throughout trial advocacy:

Understanding people is just as important as understanding the case.

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KNOWING WHICH CASES TO TRY

Not every case should go to trial.

A significant part of experienced advocacy is knowing when a settlement fairly reflects the value of a case—and when it does not.

I believe in analyzing cases honestly, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and preparing them so that the decision whether to settle or proceed to trial is made from a position of knowledge and readiness.

When a fair resolution can be achieved, it should be seriously considered.

When it cannot, a trial lawyer must be prepared to try the case.

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PERSONAL INJURY & MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

My practice focuses on representing people in serious personal injury and medical malpractice matters.

These cases can involve complicated medicine, significant damages, expert testimony, and life-changing consequences.

Behind every file is a person whose life may have changed unexpectedly.

I never want the human story of a case to become lost beneath the records, reports, depositions, and legal arguments.

The lawyer's responsibility is to understand both:

the evidence that proves the case and the human story that gives the evidence meaning.

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FOR ATTORNEYS

I also welcome the opportunity to speak with attorneys about significant personal injury and medical malpractice cases.

Sometimes another experienced trial lawyer can provide a fresh perspective on case value, weaknesses, trial strategy, witness preparation, or how a case may ultimately be received by a jury.

I welcome conversations concerning case analysis and trial preparation.

Analyze the case. Develop its value. Prepare it for trial. And when trial is necessary, be ready.