I have been exclusively representing plaintiffs as a trial lawyer for thirty years. My practice has allowed me to work with some of the most well known lawyers from around the country. For years, I have taught at the Trial Lawyers College, as well as many other trial skills programs throughout the nation.
In my law practice, I have never allowed myself to become pigeonholed to any particular type of case. Over my thirty years of practice, I have represented clients in cases ranging from medical malpractice, collisions, workplace injuries, defective products, insurance bad faith, business disputes, real estate, and even copyright. The injuries have ranged from death, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, amputation and disfigurement, to soft tissue injuries and financial losses. Additionally, I have personally represented thousands of families and businesses in mass tort cases, including families who lost everything due to preventable wildfires.
I have recovered over a billion dollars on behalf of my clients.
As my practice has evolved, I have become more focused on specific cases to which I dedicate the majority of my attention and skill. Along the way, I have learned that there is no substitute for a focused strategy for each client and implementing it as early as possible. Doing so maximizes the value of the case while preserving time, energy and resources.
I started CaseVision™ to help other lawyers develop and implement strategic thinking, visuals, and presentation of their cases.
I work with lawyers from every field of law and at every stage of their careers. My work with with young lawyers has been no less gratifying than my work with those at the very top of the profession. Because of my busy litigation practice, I am very selective about those with whom I will work, but I welcome you to reach out to me to explore whether your case is one with which I can assist.
AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- America’s Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement
- National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers
- Northern California Super Lawyer since 2010
- Sacramento Super Lawyers Top 25 List
- Northern California Super Lawyers Top 100 List
- Sacramento Business Journal Best of the Bar since its inception in 2014
- Sacramento Magazine Top Lawyers since its inception in 2015
- Martindale-Hubbell AV-Rated Attorney
- CCTLA Mort Friedman Humanitarian of the Year Award 2013
- Faculty Teacher at Trial Lawyers College since 2008
- Appointed Abogado Consultor, Consulado General de México
- Former President and member of the Board of Directors, Sierra Forever Families
- Former President of the Board of Directors of Capital City Trial Lawyers Association
EDUCATION
- JD, University of California, Davis, 1993
- Trial Lawyers College, 2004
- Pepperdine Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution: Litigating the Mediated Case, 2022
- Stanford University Graduate School of Business: Influence and Negotiation Strategies Program, 2022
MEMBERSHIPS
- The State Bar of California
- National Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
- Insurance Bad Faith Trial Lawyers Association
- President’s Club Member Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
- President’s Club Member American Association of Justice (AAJ)
- AAJ Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group
- Capital City Trial Lawyers Association (CCTLA)
- Former member of the Board of Directors, Brain Injury Association of California (BIACAL)
Visual Strategist Taryn Smith
I began working with Eric in 2010, focusing primarily on marketing and business development. Eric quickly recognized my skillset in graphics and video and I began developing visuals and micro-documentaries for his practice.
My background in performing arts, writing and video editing was a perfect fit for the way Eric approaches his cases. Eric is a highly creative person with a talent for identifying the story behind his clients’ injuries. My passion is communicating stories as powerfully as possible, be it through visuals, the written word, music or performing arts. Although I have yet to find a way to incorporate music and performing arts into Eric’s cases, I find the visual storytelling we do on behalf of our clients deeply gratifying.
My skillset added another set of tools to build upon Eric’s practice and tell our clients’ stories in the most impactful way. Over the past 10+ years we have refined our visual strategies and developed highly effective methods for visual storytelling. Our videos and graphics have made six figure differences in case negotiations. Eric has been told personally by insurance representatives for the defense that they were convinced of our side’s arguments and compelled to action by videos we produced. Lawyers we have worked with have shared that our methods saved them time and resources and added tremendous value to the outcomes of their cases.
Above and beyond the graphic and video work, I bring a juror’s point of view to case strategy. I do not carry the weight of a law library in my brain to burden the critical thinking skills that speak directly to the range of everyday people who comprise a jury box. My goal is to cut through to the heart of the matter and communicate with strength and precision.
As an artistic leaning personality, I never imagined myself enjoying the legal field as much as I do. But I have found our process thoroughly engaging and–dare I say it–fun. The learning, strategizing, and creating that we do infuses each case with a new sense of purpose. Our eye is always on the end goal, but the victories are won in the process. To me, that is the most exciting part and what makes CaseVision™ so effective.