This week, I’ll be speaking to truck accident attorneys from across the country at the National Trial Lawyers Summit in Florida.
The primary focus of the seminar will be on all things trucking, from how to get better and faster settlements for people hurt in a truck accident, to tips on truck accident lawsuits, as well as how to best protect victims of truck accidents. There will be a number of tips for lawyers on managing their time and legal practices to be able to handle a catastrophic death or serious truck accident injury lawsuit, which can be large, complicated and very expensive.
This is a very important topic as of late, because serious truck crashes are only rising each year, due to many trucking companies pushing their drivers further to “bend” the rules and therefore, increase their bottom lines. Evidence of this can be seen in the recent 9 percent increase in truck accident deaths throughout the country.
It’s my belief that if truck accident attorneys are properly equipped to protect their clients, then that is the way to get many trucking companies, that usually deliberately ignore mandatory truck safety rules, to start focusing on safety. By being better truck accident attorneys in the end, we can prevent future truck crashes — and save lives.
But the only way we can do this today – when the odds of an out of service truck or an unsafe and unfit truck driver being stopped randomly is less than 1 percent – is by making the cost of harms act as a deterrent to companies that keep breaking the rules. Attorneys need to make an example of the truck companies who choose to break the law and sacrifice safety and endanger the public.
The National Trial Lawyers is a national organization. My law firm is on the list of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers, which is based upon a review process by the National Trial Lawyers Association. Membership is obtained through special invitation and is extended only to those attorneys who “exemplify superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature, and profile” as trial lawyers. This group aims to improve the legal profession through educational programs like this seminar, networking and legal publications.
I’m looking forward to helping out my fellow truck accident attorneys, and learning from them as well.
– Steven Gursten is a partner of Michigan Auto Law and one of the top truck accident attorneys in the country. He is past president of the American Association for Justice Truck Accident Litigation Group, and has received the top-reported jury verdict in Michigan for a truck accident case. Steve was named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law for his work to promote national truck safety.
