Straight Talk Law: Get to Know the Man Behind it All; An Interview with Jason Epstein Part 1

Tell us about your background: where you grew up, education, and professional background.

I grew up in the Seattle area, a suburb called Mercer Island. I attended Mercer Island High School, and then a small private high school called The Overlake School. I received my BA in philosophy with an emphasis in Logic from the University of Southern California. I then attended Pepperdine University, School of Law and received my JD. While at Pepperdine I received a certificate in dispute resolution from the Strauss Institute of Dispute Resolution. Since passing the bar I have attended the two week long Trial Skills program by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College which is a 3 ½ week program at Gerry Spence’s ranch in Dubois, Wyoming.

After passing the bar in 2001 I have dedicated my career to representing injured individuals against insurance companies, corporations, and the government.

I first opened my own office in Seattle, then took a position with the Law Office of Robert Kornfeld. I later left Mr. Kornfeld and joined another plaintiff’s personal injury firm in Renton, Washington. After that I joined another plaintiff’s personal injury firm in Seattle before being offered a partnership with Premier Law Group. I jumped at that opportunity as I was excited to work in a young, dynamic law firm where I was a full partner.

How long have you been an attorney? Why were you interested in law as a career—and specifically personal injury law?

I have been practicing since 2001. Prior to that, I interned as a law student in a personal injury firm in Los Angeles. The law, and specifically PI, has always been my passion because I want to be able to make a difference in the lives of those who don’t have a voice for themselves. Without me, or someone like me, injury victims would be steamrolled by the financial interests of insurance companies and corporations. Me and my fellow trial lawyers are the last and only line of defense that the public has against these insurance companies and corporations that care about profits, not people.

When did you launch your firm? Why do you call it “Straight Talk Law?” What are you trying to accomplish with your practice that perhaps others have not?

I joined Premier Law Group in 2007. Straight Talk Law was launched in 2009. The purpose of Straight Talk Law was to provide a service that modern lawyers have forgotten about. That is to provide useful and educational material to those in need, even if they are not my clients. Through Straight Talk Law I have authored 4 books aimed at helping consumers who are in need of information about certain legal issues.

Straight Talk Law is different because we are giving our books away to Washington residents as a service to the public. We believe that an educated public will be better served in dealing with insurance companies, corporations, and other lawyers. Our goal is to help people, even if they are not our clients.

At Straight Talk Law we will tell people something that most attorneys won’t, which is that the person may not need to hire an attorney at all. We believe in delivering the message ‘straight’. We don’t sugar coat things and we don’t dance around issues. Our hope is that we can change the way that people who come into contact with us think about attorneys in general.

My partner Patrick Kang is currently working on some books in the Straight Talk Law series, including a book about wrongful death claims.

What do you do exactly—in general and also on a day-to-day basis?

We are a full service law firm for those cases we choose to accept. We don’t take every case because we are not a settlement mill like some PI firms are. We believe in maximizing every case by understanding our client’s stories, and figuring out how to best present those stories to a jury. Only through engaging in that process can an attorney get full justice for their clients. Only by preparing cases for trial can we get the best settlement offers.

On a daily basis, I research the law, speak to clients, insurance adjusters, and other lawyers about my cases. We prepare cases for trial and attempt to negotiate favorable settlements. I frequently meet with my clients to better understand their stories, what they have gone through. I want to be able to show the whole person to the jury.

A lot of my time is spent on the phone negotiating some aspect of people’s cases.

What’s been the secret to your success?

I believe that part of my success has been my availability to my clients. When someone hires me, they get me. I don’t take every case so that I can devote the necessary time to each of the cases I choose to accept. Additionally, as mentioned before, I don’t beat around the bush or give lawyer speak to the people I talk to. I try to tell it like it is. I give straight answers to questions, and if I don’t know something, I’ll tell you.

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