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Do it Right or Be Right – Lessons Learned from Defense Litigation

Wool Landon

At Wool Landon, our informal motto is “Do it Right or Be Right.”

Our estate planning and administration team take the time to Do it Right and prepare quality documents that stand the test of time.

On the litigation side, we do not hurry our initial client conversations and work up of new matters because we want to Be Right before we incur the significant legal spend required to bring claims. Nothing in litigation is black and white, and sometimes we have to make a judgment call or take a risk. However, with proper preparation and workup, we are in a better position to do so.

During my years in insurance defense civil litigation, where insurers retained us for the defense of claims against their insureds ranging from $10,000.00 to $10 million, I saw the unfortunate costs of attorneys who leaned too heavily on support staff and rote procedures to quickly evaluate and investigate their new cases. Working that way results in litigation filings riddled with factual inaccuracies, game-changing surprises during key depositions, and, often, poorer outcomes for their clients.

It was obvious when a plaintiff’s counsel took the time to get to know the client, their goals, and the key facts that led up to the dispute. The results were all positive – fewer surprises, fewer clashes due to clients’ unmet expectations, and often better overall outcomes for their clients (much to my chagrin at the time!).

I take this lesson to heart in my work at Wool Landon. Clients who choose to work with our firm have close contact directly with me, their attorney and advocate. Together, we discuss the facets of their disputes and consider all potential avenues for resolution. We take into account the important relationships at play and dig beyond the surface of the facts to ensure we have as good an understanding of the risks and benefits of the actions we take as possible.

The results speak for themselves. Our clients feel heard, and know they matter to us. And at the end of the day, we leave them better than we found them!