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Author: Paul Luvera

Luvera practiced plaintiff law 55 years. He is past President of the Inner Circle of Advocates & Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. Member ABOTA, American College of Trial Lawyers, International Academy, International Society of Barristers and the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. Book Luvera on Advocacy available at Trial Guides Publishing Email paul@luvera.org
RALPH WALDO EMERSON & TRIAL LAWYERS

RALPH WALDO EMERSON & TRIAL LAWYERS

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I realize that my most recent posts have departed from my usual offering of practical advice regarding plaintiff trial practice. This post is equally lacking in practical application to trial, but I think worth considering. I’ve been thinking about what are the fundamental qualities of a great trial lawyer and it seems to me that it always starts with who we are, what we believe and what we think. Everything else are learned attributes or techniques. The most important thing…

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APOLOGY & ADMISSION OF LIABILITY

APOLOGY & ADMISSION OF LIABILITY

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Insurance companies advise their insureds  in malpractice situations to apologize to the injured person. That’s because their research indicates that a prompt concession of fault with an apology motivates the injured person to either not assert a claim at all or to be willing to compromise more quickly and easily. They have enough confidence in this idea to lobby legislators to adopt statutes that prohibit the introduction into evidence that apology or admission of fault has been made in such cases….

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RULES FOR PLAINTIFF TRIAL LAWYERS

RULES FOR PLAINTIFF TRIAL LAWYERS

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Today I want to share some random rules of  plaintiff trial work that are not all connected, but, for me at least, have meaning.  They include some of these  ideas: Gerry Spence once shared with me the phrase “watchful waiting.” By that he meant the idea of calmly listening to another argue or make personal attacks on you and waiting patiently without interrupting before responding. And, when responding, doing so in a measured calm manner. Ernest Hemingway wrote the classic:  Death…

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