Straight Talk Law: Get to Know the Man Behind it All; An Interview with Jason Epstein Part 3

What are the biggest mistakes people make when they’re involved in an accident?

My auto accident and motorcycle accident books contain the Top Ten Mistakes. Really, there are almost limitless ways to make your case worse, and only a few ways to make it better. Of the top ten, I think the most important ones are that people should get medical attention right away if they need it, they should not talk to the insurance company before talking to a lawyer, and most importantly, they have to be 100% honest with their attorney.

What would most people be surprised to learn about you or the way your industry works?

Most people are surprised to know that the word, ‘insurance’ can never be mentioned in a courtroom. If the insurance company doesn’t make a reasonable offer and we have to go to trial on a case, the lawsuit is against the person that caused the accident, not the insurance company. The jury never knows that any judgment or verdict will be paid by an insurance company and not the poor soul sitting in the defendant’s seat at trial. The reasoning is that juries should not be persuaded to go one way or another simply because there is insurance involved. However, in my experience, it often works the other way. Jurors will often assume that since they never heard about insurance, then the individual in the courtroom will have to pay the judgment out of their own pocket. That perception could not be further from the truth, but I believe it makes juries less likely to give full justice to the injury victim.

What’s the one message you want to send to the public regarding your area of expertise?

We are here to help because we believe in our clients and we believe in justice. We don’t want to see insurance companies and corporations place profits over people any longer. We are willing to do the hard, dirty, difficult work of getting down in the trenches to fight for our clients to get full justice.

What’s the best part about your career? The most difficult?

Unquestionably, the best part is getting justice for our clients. In so doing, we play an important role in their physical and emotional recovery as well. As humans we need completeness and we need justice. By rolling up our sleeves and fighting for our clients we are able to give them that sense of completeness and that justice was done in their case.

What do you see for yourself professionally in the future? Any other goals or projects you would like to tackle?

In the coming months Straight Talk Law will be publishing one, and maybe more, books. We are working on our Wrongful Death book, and we hope to branch into other areas as well. Our goal is to provide useful and interesting resources for those in need.

My partners and I are currently expanding in order to provide top flight representation to those in need whose cases we decide to accept. We wish we could help everyone in need, however since we spend so much time focusing on each case we accept, time simply does not allow us to take too many cases. We never want to lower the level of service and representation we offer, so we are taking on the challenge of how to grow very seriously to ensure that all our clients receive the best.

As a frequent speaker at continuing legal education events for other lawyers, I am excited about increasing my role in within the leadership of the Washington State Association for Justice. WSAJ shares goals in common with us of ensuring justice for individuals. I look forward to expanding my role in that organization so that we can best determine how to help all Washingtonians in need.