Trial Magazine
Question of the Month
What was your most memorable case or client?
October 2020“I represented two young girls in a child protective services removal case and, after countless hours, ultimately convinced the court to terminate the mother’s parental rights and move the girls to a more stable environment. This case probably compensated my firm the least amount for the most time ever spent on a file, but it was the most important case I have ever worked on. The girls are now in their 30s and doing well. They sought me out on social media once they were adults, and I love following their lives, knowing that my work really made a difference to two young women who needed a chance to grow and thrive.”
Valerie Farwell, Cappolino Dodd Krebs, Temple, TX
“One of my most memorable cases involved a car crash in France. My client’s wife was killed, and he suffered brain and spinal cord injuries. He could barely move and communicate, and he lost his sight. We recovered damages that allowed him to be cared for in a home of his own that was adapted for his needs. There was a stream running through his garden, with a deck placed close to the stream so that he could sit in his wheelchair and listen to the water. I am so pleased that he was able to get some enjoyment from this small thing.”
Katherine Allen, Hugh James, London, UK
“I represented a client who developed a pre-leukemic disease from a pharmaceutical product containing benzene. In discovery, we learned that for two decades, the pharmaceutical company’s scientists had urged the company to remove benzene from the product. My client was an avid tennis player, and after the case settled, my cocounsel and I sent her to London to attend Wimbledon. She sat in close proximity to the queen and had the time of her life. Our client was a wonderful woman, and we continued to get together with her until she died from the disease.”
Michael G. Phelan, Phelan Petty, Richmond, VA
“I represented a worker who was injured while painting an elevated water tank. He came into contact with live power lines that the power company should have de-energized, burning most of his hands and feet. I took more than 20 depositions over two years, tried the case to a verdict for three weeks in Ohio, and then spent a few years defending the verdict in the Sixth Circuit. The case taught me many things about the practice of law, but most important, I learned that we are not just advocates, we’re also counselors—especially when dealing with catastrophic events.”
Thomas R. Murphy, Law Offices of Thomas R. Murphy, Salem, MA
“My most memorable case involved a woman who was pregnant with her third child and had received prenatal care from a nurse practitioner with inadequate doctor supervision. The result was missed signs of preeclampsia, and she delivered her child on an emergency basis when she started to bleed uncontrollably. Her child was saved, but she died after childbirth from a stroke due to the eclampsia, leaving her children without their mother. Her husband died three months later in an unrelated event, and the children were raised by their grandmother. The Illinois Tort Immunity Act gave the defendants protection from any claim of misdiagnosis, so the case was extremely difficult, but we ultimately won at trial. I will never forget the feeling of realizing that my work gave those children the financial security necessary for their upbringing and college education. ”
Ken Hoffman, Mitchell Hoffman & Wolf, Chicago, IL