I joined up with my former employer a couple of years ago to form a new firm with each of us as a principal. He does plaintiff's personal injury, while I'm trying to build up a family law practice. It's been really tough lately - he's had some health issues, and we just went through a string of difficult losses at trial and arbitration. And I've had to spend so much time on the personal injury stuff that I haven't been able to pay enough attention to family law.
When I came on with him, he had a birth injury case that he was trying to pawn off on another firm. He'd already had one decline it. I looked at it and convinced him to keep it. The defendant doctor was employed through a federal program, so it was in federal court with the U.S. as a defendant - judge trial, not a jury trial.
He tried it in May and June, and we just got the opinion: We won, with a total award of $5 million (in fact, the exact numbers we asked for in our closing brief to the judge). He talked to the defense attorney, and it sounds like they're not going to appeal. Also, it appears (we're trying to confirm this) that because it's under the federal tort claims act, our fee is 25%, not the (essentially) 15% we were anticipating under California law for medial malpractice (thanks to tort reformers).
Honestly, had we lost, there was a huge possibility we would have had to dissolve the firm and try something else. So, we're flying pretty high right now.
When I came on with him, he had a birth injury case that he was trying to pawn off on another firm. He'd already had one decline it. I looked at it and convinced him to keep it. The defendant doctor was employed through a federal program, so it was in federal court with the U.S. as a defendant - judge trial, not a jury trial.
He tried it in May and June, and we just got the opinion: We won, with a total award of $5 million (in fact, the exact numbers we asked for in our closing brief to the judge). He talked to the defense attorney, and it sounds like they're not going to appeal. Also, it appears (we're trying to confirm this) that because it's under the federal tort claims act, our fee is 25%, not the (essentially) 15% we were anticipating under California law for medial malpractice (thanks to tort reformers).
Honestly, had we lost, there was a huge possibility we would have had to dissolve the firm and try something else. So, we're flying pretty high right now.
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