On The Stand w/Mike Yepp, Esq.

When people ask me how to choose a personal injury lawyer, they usually expect me to talk about the biggest billboard, the catchiest slogan, or the largest verdict splashed across a website. But after years in the courtroom — first defending the City of Los Angeles, then representing people whose lives changed in an instant — and after surviving a life-changing auto accident myself, I’ve learned that the real answer is much simpler and much more human.

Choosing a personal injury lawyer is really about finding someone who will fight for you the way you would fight for someone you love, if you had the experience, training, and time to do it.

Here’s what actually matters.

Your Case Deserves More Than a File Number

A catastrophic injury isn’t just a file. It’s your life. Your case deserves attention, not assembly-line treatment, and you can usually feel the difference within the first few minutes. Some lawyers rush the call, while others slow down and ask real questions. Some interrupt, while others listen. Some see only the potential settlement, while others see the human story and the person living it. If it feels like you’re an inconvenience rather than someone in need of help, trust that feeling.

Trial Experience Changes Everything

Most cases settle, but they settle for the right value because the defense knows what will happen if they don’t. A lawyer who never tries cases will always accept less. A seasoned trial lawyer — someone who has stood in tough rooms, cross-examined hostile witnesses, and argued in front of jurors — approaches your case differently from day one. Trial experience is not just a résumé line. It changes how the investigation is done, how experts are selected and used, how the story is developed, and how the value is ultimately maximized. And insurance companies know exactly which lawyers are truly willing to try a case and which ones aren’t.

Clear Communication Is Not Optional

Your lawyer’s job is not to make you feel small; it’s to make you feel informed. Look for someone who can break down liability, causation, damages, timelines, strategy, and expectations in a way that makes sense to you — not in a way that makes them sound impressive. Clarity is a form of respect, and the right lawyer will always speak with you, not at you.

Early Work Determines the Outcome

Good outcomes don’t happen by accident. Strong cases are built early, through careful investigation and attention to detail. That means gathering 911 calls, body-cam footage, surveillance video, and conducting scene inspections before evidence disappears. It means interviewing witnesses while their memories are fresh, obtaining advanced imaging like MRI or DTI when appropriate, and involving experts who can help shape the theory of the case. A lawyer who waits “to see what happens” is already behind. Your case should be built as if it’s going to trial, even if it ultimately settles before then.

Your Lawyer Should Understand Your Injury

Not every lawyer has experience with traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, orthopedic hardware, dangerous condition cases, or low-impact collisions that result in high-impact injuries. And not everyone understands the complexity of advanced imaging like DTI or MRI findings. Your lawyer should understand the medicine well enough to teach it, argue it, and defend it — because if they can’t explain your injury clearly to you, they’ll never be able to explain it to a jury.

Trust and Honesty Build the Strongest Cases

Your case is built on trust. You need a lawyer you can be real with — about your pain, your limits, your medical history, your fears, your life before and after the incident, and even the parts of the story that feel messy. The best outcomes happen when the lawyer and the client are aligned, open, and communicating fully.

Character Wins Cases, Not Billboards

I’ve met lawyers who are brilliant in depositions and thoughtful in trial but barely have an online presence. I’ve also met lawyers who dominate entire blocks of billboard space but haven’t stepped inside a courtroom in years. A catchy jingle won’t help you in a life-altering case. What matters is integrity, calm under pressure, discipline, strategic thinking, and genuine care for your outcome. These qualities don’t appear on bus benches — they show up in results.

The truth is this:

A personal injury lawyer becomes one of the closest people in your life for months, sometimes even years. They will hear your fears, study your pain, meet your doctors, analyze your past, and stand beside you on some of the hardest days you’ll ever face. Choose someone who takes that responsibility seriously. Choose someone who sees you. Choose someone who fights like it’s personal — because for you, it is.

If you want more reflections on personal growth, performance, and life inside the courtroom, you can find me here:

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