Brian Glass started his career at a firm that competed with his father’s, Ben Glass Law. Today, he’s a partner at the firm, where he and his father have carved out their own practices and roles.
Brian visits with host Michael Cowen to share insights about what he’s learned as the firm’s integrator who manages budget, salaries, bonuses, marketing, or anything in the “integrator box.” Tune in for his strategies on building client trust, balancing multiple responsibilities, and assigning accountability.
Michael and Malorie welcome listener questions for a new “Ask Michael and Malorie Anything” feature. To submit a question, email Michael.
Featured Guest
Name: Brian Glass | LinkedIn
About: Brian focuses his practice on personal injury and also helps run the firm. He is a thought leader on the topic of building great businesses.
Company: Ben Glass Law
Connect: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | X
Episode Highlights
[03:23] “I’m Ben Glass’s Son”: For the first 10 years of his career, Brian practiced at a firm that competed with his father’s. In 2019, he joined his father’s firm, Ben Glass Law.
[06:22] “We Stay in Our Lanes”: Ben is the visionary who specializes in long-term disability. Brian is the integrator who makes business decisions on salaries, budgets, and more.
[10:02] Entrepreneurial Operating System: The firm uses an EOS, or Entrepreneurial Operating System. The framework guides the firm in making decisions and assigning accountability.
[18:47] Finding a Rhythm: The firm has a section-wide meeting once a week to go through every single case so that every case is discussed once a month. At a separate meeting, the team discusses the top 20% of cases by estimated value.
[27:37] Great Legal Marketing: In addition to helping run the law firm, Brian helps his father operate Great Legal Marketing, a consulting, coaching, and masterminding company.
[30:36] Word of Mouth: Much of the firm’s marketing focuses on word of mouth rather than digital tools.
[35:29] “Brian’s Got That”: The firm points callers to frequently asked questions either on its website or YouTube page, such as: “Your lawyer should have this quality.” “You build up this list of questions to which you are always a ‘yes.’ ‘Brian’s got that.’”
[43:27] Delegate: Brian encourages lawyers and those who run law firms to delegate. “You have to surround yourself with a good team, and you have to be able to delegate the things that really are not needle-movers for you.”
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In this popular and award-winning podcast for trial lawyers, noteworthy author, sought-after speaker, and renowned trial lawyer, Michael Cowen explores critical topics distinctive to the legal profession with some of the biggest names in the industry – specifically focused on developing extremely efficient law practices, securing a competitive edge in the industry, and wildly excelling in the courtroom.
Produced and Sponsored by LawPods.
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163 – Joe Fried – $16.2 Million Verdict in Pioneering Case against Amazon
Renowned trucking accident lawyer Joe Fried tried the second case in the nation and the first in Georgia to test Amazon’s claims that it has no responsibility for its drivers’ conduct.
The result was a $16.2 million verdict against Amazon for pain and suffering endured by his client’s son, an 8-year-old boy who was run over by a delivery van. As Joe explains to host Michael Cowen, the groundbreaking case offers unique teaching opportunities for plaintiffs’ lawyers. Among the successful strategies: his team’s focus on exposing how the driver was himself a victim of Amazon, which places drivers under immense pressure. “The jury agreed with us on that in that regard.”
Both Joe and Michael will share their insights about trucking accident law this fall.
First, Joe will discuss the Amazon case at the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys Annual Symposium, to be held in Nashville from September 25 to 27.
Then, Joe and Michael will join the faculty at TLU Vegas, October 16-19 at Caesars Palace. Joe will present about the case, and Michael will lead a masterclass on trucking.
Featured Guest
Name: Joe Fried
About: Joe Fried is one of the original truck accident lawyers in the country and is widely recognized as a top attorney in the field. He is credited with developing many of the best practices used by lawyers nationally in truck accident investigation and truck accident litigation.
Company: Fried Goldberg LLC
Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | X | YouTube | Instagram
Episode Highlights
[02:13] First in Georgia, Second in Nation: Joe’s unique case focused on whether Amazon should be held responsible for the conduct of drivers who are doing Amazon work.
[05:14] All Profit, No Responsibility: Amazon puts its drivers under pressure to perform, then claims to have no responsibility when problems occur.
[10:19] Joe’s Legal Theory: Amazon failed to train its driver on two things: how to handle children in a residential neighborhood and how to drive the vehicle he had that day: a rental van, not the typical delivery van.
[16:08] Specifics of the Case: The Amazon van struck an 8-year-old boy who was riding an electric bike. The boy suffered a fractured pelvis and a “de-gloving” injury to his leg, which required multiple surgeries, including skin grafts.
[20:36] Mission-Critical: A re-enactment showed that, whichever way the boy was coming toward the van, he was visible – unless packages on the dash blocked the driver’s view.
[31:58] Modern-Day Tenant Farming: Amazon’s delivery service provider owner believed he was an independent businessman. In fact, Amazon had control – like the puppetmaster of a marionette that Joe was prepared to display at trial but didn’t.
[38:29] The Jury’s Conclusion: Amazon held 85% responsibility for negligently training the driver; the driver and his delivery service provider had 10%; and the adult who went inside the house when the incident occurred had 5%.
[1:06] The Future of Trucking Cases: The so-called “relay cases,” which focus on 18-wheelers that deliver for Amazon.
[1:09] View Behind the Curtain: Joe explained the significance of this case to jurors this way: “You have had one of the rare looks behind the curtain at what Jeff Bezos has created.”
Connect with Trial Lawyer Nation
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In this popular and award-winning podcast for trial lawyers, noteworthy author, sought-after speaker, and renowned trial lawyer, Michael Cowen explores critical topics distinctive to the legal profession with some of the biggest names in the industry – specifically focused on developing extremely efficient law practices, securing a competitive edge in the industry, and wildly excelling in the courtroom.
Produced and Sponsored by LawPods.
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159 – Sean Claggett – The Billion Dollar Ask That Birthed JuryBall
Sean Claggett is on a mission to change the way trial lawyers use data so they don’t leave billions on the table.
The author of JuryBall: The Big Data Revolution is Here, Sean, joins Michael Cowen to discuss how using focus groups and big data have helped him learn from early losses and helped his clients get what they deserve. “Asking for too much money is dangerous, but if you don’t ask for enough money, you lose too,” says Sean. Tune in as Sean shares what big data has taught plaintiffs’ lawyers and hear about two real-world examples of how he used big data to win large verdicts for his injured clients, including how he asked the jury for $1B.
Featured Guest
Name: Sean Claggett
About: Sean Claggett is an established Las Vegas personal injury attorney and handles difficult cases across the country. Sean founded Claggett & Sykes Law Firm in 2005, and is the firm’s lead trial lawyer. Sean has also co-authored the book JuryBall: The Big Data Revolution is Here, along with Alicia Campbell and John Campbell.
In 2017, Sean was recognized by his fellow trial lawyers of the Nevada Justice Association as Nevada’s Trial Attorney of the Year. In 2023, Sean and the Claggett & Sykes Law Firm trial team in New Mexico won a record $485 million jury verdict against a national healthcare company, Acadia Healthcare, Inc., for its involvement in placing children in a foster care home with a known sexual predator.
Company: Claggett & Sykes Law Firm
Episode Highlights
[06:29] The First Win: Sean Claggett didn’t win his first personal injury trial. In fact, after he lost his first trial, he took a break from personal injury law. But when he re-entered the arena, he came up victorious. Hear about how Sean learned from his loss and used what he learned to become a winning trial lawyer.
[08:37] The Benefits of Focus Groups: Focus groups allow plaintiffs’ attorneys to learn how the average juror feels not only about the specifics of a given case, but how they might feel about specific facts and items applicable to multiple cases. Regular focus groups improve an attorney’s understanding of how juries think and allow them to better advocate for their clients.
[13:13] Big Data: By compiling and analyzing information from focus groups, plaintiffs’ lawyers can craft better arguments and also learn the true value of a case. Knowing the value of a case increases the odds of a good recovery for clients, either through settlement or verdict.
[20:40] Helping Others Help Their Clients: Sean understands the value of teaching other attorneys how to use big data and other tools so that they can better represent their own clients. Sean and his team do a lot of consulting with attorneys on their cases to make sure everything is dialed in.
[28:55] $485M Verdict for Foster Care Child: A child was raped while in the foster care system, and the foster care treatment facility knew of the rapes. Using big data to properly value the case, Sean turned down small offers and ultimately received some justice for his client in the form of a $485 million verdict.
[36:20] $38M Verdict in Child Death Case: Pretrial big data analytics showed a child death case to be worth $38 million with 27% comparative negligence. After applying those analyses to the España v. Republic Services case, Sean was able to get a verdict for exactly what the big data showed after rejecting smaller settlement offers.
Connect with Trial Lawyer Nation
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☑️ Subscribe to Trial Lawyer Nation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
In this popular and award-winning podcast for trial lawyers, noteworthy author, sought-after speaker, and renowned trial lawyer, Michael Cowen explores critical topics distinctive to the legal profession with some of the biggest names in the industry – specifically focused on developing extremely efficient law practices, securing a competitive edge in the industry, and wildly excelling in the courtroom.
Produced and Sponsored by LawPods.
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154 – Lara Brock – Whether in Trial or Arbitration, Compete to Win
“In order to be a good trial lawyer, you have to have that innate sense of ‘let’s go, I’m ready to go.’”
In this episode of Trial Lawyer Nation, host Michael Cowen talks to seasoned trial lawyer Lara Brock of Espinoza & Brock, PLLC about her sports-oriented, competitive mindset that has influenced both how she practices law and serves as a leader within her law firm.
Tune in as Michael and Lara talk about why it’s important to shift from the “family” mindset to the “team” mindset within your law firm, how to find your own voice as a trial lawyer, and why Lara’s firm handles worker’s comp cases in Texas while few other law firms do. They also discuss the strategy behind her firm’s repeated success in arbitration, and what Lara looks for in third-party cases.
Don’t miss out! Michael’s book, Big Rig Justice: A Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing Value in Truck Accident Cases is now available!
Featured Guest
Name: Lara Brock
About: Lara is a senior partner at Espinoza & Brock, PLLC in San Antonio, Texas. Lara has worked with the Espinoza Law Firm since March 2011 and has focused her practice on non-subscriber injury cases, third party injury cases, and employment discrimination and retaliation cases. In doing so, she has presented cases at trial, has presented cases to arbitrators with the American Arbitration Association and Judicial Workforce Arbitrations, and has presented written appeals and oral argument before the Fourth Court of Appeals. She serves as Treasurer of the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association and President-Elect of the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association. In 2016, Lara founded the Women’s Caucus for the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association and is a steering committee member of the Women’s Caucus of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. From 2021 through 2023, Lara served as the Vice President of Continuing Legal Education for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
A native of Roanoke, Virginia, she graduated sixth in her class from St. Mary’s University School of Law in May 2014. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Spanish from Carson-Newman University in Tennessee, graduating summa cum laude with honors.
Company: Espinoza & Brock, PLLC
Connect: LinkedIn
Episode Highlights
[03:37] Getting to Know Lara Brock: Lara knew from a young age that she wanted to compete every day so becoming a trial lawyer seemed like a natural fit. Lara is thrilled that she’s found a career where she can make a difference in real people’s lives, all while having a lot of fun.
[06:47] A Law Firm is Like a Sports Team: You have to perform if you want to be a part of the team. It’s hard to make the shift from thinking of your law firm as a “family” to a “team” but it really does pay off when you do it.
[11:09] “I’m Not Going to Let You Win”: It was a roofing fall case. Lara’s client was working for a “sub of a sub” on a roof and walked right off the edge. It was a flat roof, no fall protection. “I don’t care that my client’s undocumented, he shouldn’t have fallen off that roof. You chose not to have these protections and we’re going to go tell a story,” says Lara about a case where she got a $4.5M verdict where defense pulled the offer. The case is currently up on appeal.
[16:14] Ask “Why?”: Lara shares how she’s found her own voice as a trial lawyer. She learned early on that just imitating another’s lawyer’s way of doing things wasn’t the route to success.
[22:53] There’s No Such Thing as “Work-Life Balance”: From building a great practice, to taking on leadership roles in the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association, and the Bexar County Women’s Bar Foundation, Lara shares that getting buy-in from everyone around her has been key to her success.
[26:18] Few Firms Do Workers’ Comp Cases in Texas, But Lara’s Does: When asked how her firm is able to do worker’s comp cases in Texas despite the limited fees, Lara responds, “Because that’s our purpose, that’s our base. We also found that a lot of times people just think that it’s a workers’ comp case and it’s not, and we started learning that we could help people in more than one way.”
[31:26] Plaintiff Lawyers Have Success in Arbitration Too: Lara shares “Just as big box retailers or companies that are frequently in arbitration find success, so do plaintiff’s lawyers…We have such a large practice of these arbitration cases that we also have some power with arbitrators because they know that we can keep them from getting business too, if they want to screw our clients over.”
[35:46] Third-Party Cases: A third-party case is where you’re suing someone other than the employer for a workplace injury. Lara explains the things she looks for when taking on these cases.
Connect with Trial Lawyer Nation
☑️ Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn.
☑️ Subscribe to Trial Lawyer Nation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and YouTube.
In this popular and award-winning podcast for trial lawyers, noteworthy author, sought-after speaker, and renowned trial lawyer, Michael Cowen explores critical topics distinctive to the legal profession with some of the biggest names in the industry – specifically focused on developing extremely efficient law practices, securing a competitive edge in the industry, and wildly excelling in the courtroom.
Produced and Sponsored by LawPods.
