Trial Lawyer View Podcast
Kyle Wright
Kyle Wright, Partner │ Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers
When an Ohio truck accident or car accident turns your life upside down, you need a personal injury attorney who is not afraid to go to trial. Kyle Wright has represented injured Ohioans since being admitted to the Ohio bar in 2010, and he holds the first and second largest verdicts in Sandusky County history — securing back-to-back six-figure jury verdicts in his only two trials. Most personal injury lawyers avoid the courtroom. Kyle embraces it — because that is what gets full value for his injured clients.
Going deep in a narrow niche: how Kyle Wright built a trucking practice in a small Ohio market
Kyle Wright practises in Sandusky, Ohio, roughly halfway between Toledo and Cleveland, and he holds both of the six figure verdicts in his county’s history. He got there by narrowing his practice rather than widening it, and by paying for his own visibility before his firm was willing to.
Starting in a smaller county forced a choice. In Cuyahoga County the competition for injury cases runs to hundreds of firms, so market share is slow and expensive to win. In Erie County the field was small enough that Wright could take meaningful share, and small enough that he could afford to specialise instead of taking whatever walked in.
What specialising in trucking actually cost him
He committed to learning the freight industry at a level most trial lawyers never attempt. That meant attending every trucking seminar he could get to, joining industry groups to understand the federal safety regulations from the operator’s side, and co-counselling with established trucking attorneys to learn how they build a case.
He also flew to Montana and drove a semi truck for the first time, because reading about the physics of an eighty thousand pound vehicle and feeling it are different things. When you represent someone paralysed in a head-on collision with a tractor trailer, understanding the stopping distances, the driver training standards and the points where a safety culture fails changes both how you see the file and how you present it.
The cases that made him narrow further
A tractor trailer wins against a passenger vehicle every time, so catastrophic injuries happen at speeds people assume are survivable. What pushed Wright deeper into the work was how avoidable many of these crashes were.
He kept seeing companies that already had the safety tools in place, with telematics, electronic logs and speed alerts all running and flagging dangerous driving. The data was collected and then nothing was done with it, so the driver was never retrained and the behaviour continued until someone was hurt.
Raising the bar on case selection
Early on Wright took lower-value cases and worked them hard regardless of size. As the practice grew he deliberately moved toward catastrophic cases where he could concentrate resources, which meant raising the bar on what he accepted and building a team of litigators who genuinely wanted to try cases rather than settle them.
He budgets fifteen thousand dollars a year per attorney for continuing education, and thirty-five thousand for himself. His associates go to programmes like Trial by Human in California, with flights, hotels and course fees covered. Few firms carry that as a line item, and the return shows up in how carriers negotiate once every lawyer on a file can independently drive case value.
Preparation as leverage
Wright’s firm settled a catastrophic case involving a paralysed minor for five point seven million dollars at policy limits, before a complaint was ever filed. The work was already done: video evidence preserved from a neighbouring building that confirmed the driver crossed the centre line, a life care plan, a day in the life video, and expert reports all completed pre-suit.
The carrier understood the position that put them in. Litigation was ready to launch, so the limits were paid rather than defended. Firms that develop that material slowly, and only after filing, hand the other side room to argue the value down.
Funding his own brand
Wright built a personal brand called Make It Right and paid for it out of his own income, before his partners were willing to back it. Almost half his caseload now arrives through attorney referrals from lawyers who trust his results on catastrophic files.
He works inside a multi-practice firm where colleagues handle criminal defence, workers’ compensation and estate planning, and the personal brand has not created conflict there. It drives referrals both inside the firm and outside it.
Software that staff will actually use
Wright is building custom workflows with engineers to automate the menial work, so intake summaries land in the case management system, fee agreements populate themselves and preservation letters generate on their own. Human review stays mandatory at every step, because the software speeds the work up and the people verify it.
He learned the hard way that this only works when staff are brought into the change before it lands. Systems imposed from above without buy-in get worked around, and the firm ends up paying for tools nobody uses.
Where he thinks the next three years go
National firms are now competing for cases that used to stay local, and carriers are using their own technology to argue case values down. Wright’s answer is to invest in three things at once: trial and litigation capability, branding and marketing, and the technology that makes the first two efficient.
His view is that trial lawyers won’t be replaced by AI, but that lawyers who never distinguish themselves through real trial work and hard case preparation will feel the squeeze. For a firm in a smaller market, the instruction is to go deeper rather than wider, build a reputation on results, and prepare every case as though it’s going to trial even when it settles.
We get into all of this on the episode. Watch it on YouTube, or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Full transcript
Automatically transcribed and reviewed. Speaker labels and timings are approximate.
Kyle Wright00:00:00
There wasn't a six figure verdict in Sandusky County until a half million dollar verdict a couple of years ago We just got another six figure verdict Just a about a month ago So there's only two six figure verdicts in that county's history it just happened within the past couple of years
Jason Lazarus00:00:15
That's Kyle Wright, partner of Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers and the attorney behind the first two six figure verdicts in Sandusky County history. He self-funded his make it right brand even before his firm officially backed the idea. He proved that visibility built a strong trial reputation and a strong reputation drives referrals.
Kyle Wright00:00:36
a budget $15000 for classes for each attorney In my practice I budgeted $35000 annually for myself for training So we just build that into our budget
Jason Lazarus00:00:49
In this episode, you'll learn why self-funding your personal brand can build a referral pipeline before your firm is ready to invest. How a $35,000 annual training budget can help create the trial record that drives attorney referrals, and why using personal income to fund visibility can reduce partner conflict and keep the strategy moving. I'm Jason Lazarus and this is trial lawyer view. you built your trial practice and Sandusky, Ohio, not Cleveland or Columbus. What did the smaller market choice forced you to figure out about case selection, marketing, and reputation that perhaps firms in a big city, might never have to wrestle with?
Kyle Wright00:01:36
I'm fortunate, frankly, that I started this in us a smaller county. So I'm in Erie County, and, you know, we're halfway between Toledo and Cleveland, right on Lake Erie. My main office is in Sandusky. And, you know, the the competitors or the competition here for, injury cases is it's much smaller. It then you know, you would encounter in Cuyahoga County or Lucas County. So I think, you know, to start, it's easier to gain a foothold and grab a market share in a smaller area. And then, you know, if you fill your cup here, then you can, you know, you've got the capital to, double down and try to reproduce and different markets. So that's kind of where we are right now.
Jason Lazarus00:02:32
Well, and interestingly, you you've had this concentration in trucking and, you know, most personal injury firms out there seem to chase volume across different case types. But you end deep there. Can you kind of walk through with me how you made that decision and what you had to give up to to go that route?
Kyle Wright00:02:56
really, I made the decision, to spend some time, a lot of time to invest a lot of time and and learning as much as I could about, you know, the CSA, or the federal monetary safety regulations. I went to every seminar I could go to, trucking. I joined the trucking groups. I read all the books. I initially co-counsel with, some trucking lawyers that I really respected. I went to Montana and got behind you know the wheel on semi trucks and Boy that was kind of a shocker You know I got there in Montana and you know within the first two hours I was there at the seminar I was at I got in the front seat of the semi truck a brand new tractor trailer And you know the the coach handed me the keys and she said are you ready to go? I said go where? She's like we're going out on the track I said well look I've never driven before I don't know if it's you know my first time to do this is probably right on in a semi truck but but I did And so it was it was it was a lot of fun Learned a lot Really learned a lot from from that experience
Jason Lazarus00:04:32
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Kyle Wright00:05:56
Yeah. So, you know, we learned a lot. I mean, it was sober 3 or 4 days. You know, we learned about, how to properly secure load. We learned about, you know, all the pretty checks, that you are required to do. You know, and just learn the mechanics of of a tractor trailer. How it operates, how different it is than, just a motor vehicle, a regular car on the road, and, you know, it it gave me a. Yes. Really good insight. Into how important it is to really follow the safety rules, to make sure that we're, you know, truck drivers are our are safe. And, hauling loads, safely across America. So it's, you know, it's a big responsibility, for the truck driver, and it's, even bigger responsibility for the trucking company to give their drivers, the tools that they need to be successful and to be safe. And for the trucking company to put training in place, to help these drivers, you know, it's it's it's important to just do ongoing training just like it is for us as lawyers, you know? Just the ongoing calls that we do, how important it is. They've got an important job, and, it's critical to do things the right way.
Jason Lazarus00:07:25
Yeah. I gotta imagine, you know, for those that are driving these rigs, and I only talk from my own experience of trailering my my own car, because when I go to the track, I trailer a. And what I see oftentimes is on the roads, the drivers don't quite understand how much harder it is to stop a vehicle that's longer and more weight and don't give enough room and you know all those things. But then also, you know, they're there as an operator of a vehicle like that, you start to get a feel for, oh, this is something, you know, different than when you're just driving around. And, and a passenger vehicle. I'm curious in terms of the training that you're talking about, how much of it actually occurs. That helps to avoid the types of catastrophic outcomes that can happen when somebody is behind the wheel. Doesn't have the proper training and expertise on operating a vehicle like that.
Kyle Wright00:08:30
I mean, I think it just starts with, culture of of safety, with the trucking company, you know, every business has its own personality you know starts from the top And you know if there's a culture of of safety and training you know that's gonna make its way down to the the drivers they're going to understand what their priority is and their priority is to safely transport their load wherever it's going And it starts starts with the company And you know the good trucking companies really care about safety They care about the safety of their driver. They care about the safety of others on the road, and they care about, the load that they're hauling. So, I think it starts at the top and I think it's a culture thing. And so, you know, I think they're really good companies take a lot of pride in that. And they do a lot of training. And, you know, just enforce that culture on on their drivers.
Jason Lazarus00:09:30
For you, what is it about those types of cases that, caused you to hold those companies accountable when they don't do the things that you just talked about and, and hurt someone that you end up representing?
Kyle Wright00:09:45
so here's the way I look at it is, you know, if there's a collision with a tractor trailer, and a in a regular car on the road. Yeah. Just a basic physics of that size of a of, vehicle versus a smaller vehicle. The tractor trailer is going to win, right? And so it doesn't take, the same amount of speed, right, to cause the kind of injuries that, you know, may happen with, a higher speed or a lower speed collision with, just a regular car. So, I've seen and been involved in, in many cases where there's just catastrophic, outcomes to people that are hurt, you know, in a, in a tractor trailer collision, you know, and the goal is, is that, to prevent those crashes. Right. So, every crash is preventable in some way. So, you know, it's we ultimately like a, you know, it's the job of the trucking company and the truck driver to prevent crashes. And I've just seen so I've been involved in so many different catastrophic cases that are just clearly preventable. If there was, a culture and a directive from above to follow the safety rules that are in place to prevent, these kind of crashes because the outcomes are, are catastrophic generally, in comparison to a normal, you know, car v car crash. So, I am moved to, help those people that are negligently hurt, I live with the families, you know, I see the pain that they're, they're going through, and, I spend a lot of time with them, and I see what's going on. And when you see that over and over and over, it's just, you know, that, there's kind of a calling there to help people, and that's that's what I do. I really enjoy it.
Jason Lazarus00:11:41
And I've seen some of the most catastrophic outcomes in those cases. And it's it's really heartbreaking when you know that there, there was something that could have been done to avoid it and simply wasn't done, usually because profits were put ahead of the safety of those around those types of vehicles, which, that's where you guys come in and hold them accountable.
Kyle Wright00:12:07
You know what? I think what you see is what we end up seeing a lot is, you know, some of the, you know, a lot of the companies, you know, they have different telematics and, and, safety alerts, that, they're made aware of when their truck driver is speeding. Or, you know, they're electronic logs or whatever it is, you know, that the, the companies put on notice. And the question is, what did they do with that information? Right. So you can have all these you can have all the bells and whistles in place quite on What are you doing with that information to correct the driving To for additional training to coach and work with the drivers so that you can prevent a crash So that's what that's what I see a lot is like there's there's all this there's safety in place but they're just not training and using that information to to make their drivers better That's that's what I see a lot
Jason Lazarus00:13:11
Yeah. It's unfortunate reality. So you have, two of the top verdicts in Sandusky. And I'm curious, what does that statistic say about how you prepare for trial and how you decide which cases belong in front of a jury.
Kyle Wright00:13:31
so it's in Sandusky County. it's a smaller county, here in northern Ohio. And, you know, it's been a historically a very difficult county to try cases stop and favorable to, plaintiffs. There wasn't a six figure verdict in Sandusky County until we had, a half million dollar verdict a couple of years ago We just got another six figure verdict Just a about a month ago So there's only two six figure verdicts in that county's history and it just happened within the past couple of years One of the benefits, I would say, of trying cases in some of these smaller rural counties is that the judges are surprised when, the plaintiff's attorney is willing to go to trial and they're kind of, like, excited, to see it actually happen, you know, because people are afraid to take a swing. They're, and, you know, it allows me to kind of cut my teeth and get good trials. And, I think sometimes it's harder to get trials in the bigger counties. Yeah. You get kicked over and over. There's a huge docket. But in the smaller counties, you you get, I think more of an opportunity to try cases which which I'm grateful for.
Jason Lazarus00:14:49
You have achieved a, $5.7 million pre suit, partial limited settlement, which is unusual. I'm curious when I saw that about what made the carrier come to the table that early without you needing to to file.
Kyle Wright00:15:07
it was a catastrophic case. I mean, it was, head on collision where, a minor was paralyzed. And so if there ever was a case for that carrier to pay their limits, that was the one. Right? So, I give the carrier credit in that case for doing the right thing and, and, getting it resolved early, for this child, because he needed the care that, that Solomon's been able to provide him.
Jason Lazarus00:15:38
Yeah, but it's still unusual to see that because, you know, over my career, I can't tell you how many times I've seen those types of cases where they've been drawn out much longer than they should have.
Kyle Wright00:15:50
Yeah, it was a matter of, frankly, getting all the extra reports, getting everything lined up so that, you know, they knew that if the money wasn't paid, that we were ready to go. in litigation, I mean, we had a a life care plan we had a Dan Life video done We were ready to go So that message was I think received loud and clear And that got the attention of the carrier And ultimately you know when they plan on it they they made the right choice to get that thing done
Jason Lazarus00:16:24
So you did all of that in, basically as as you onboarded that case, meaning because it was pre suit. So you were doing all of that very early on.
Kyle Wright00:16:35
Very early on. I mean, we, we found out that there was video on one of the neighboring buildings on the roadway So we got the video and it was clear that the driver went left of center So you know we eliminated any liability arguments just by way of having the video preserved And sharing that with the adjuster early on And then we ran and once we had to have we got all the expert reports that we needed we had an excellent life care planner that spent a lot of time with my client at their home getting an understanding of the injuries clearly laying out a life care plan that he'll meet And then we had the day in the life so it was ready to go early on
Jason Lazarus00:17:21
great result. And obviously, you know, that's not a situation where that money, because it's tendered early can make a difference in terms of the how that person gets to live and what type of recovery they have and what resources they have. And having worked with disabled clients, my entire career, that is such a huge thing for, the client not to have had to wait years and years for the money to finally be paid.
Kyle Wright00:17:52
Absolutely. No, it was huge. Very happy for the clients, you know, under the circumstances. Awful situation for that family. But, you know, we, with the settlement, we were able to really deliver, the best kind of quality of life and provide him with the resources and tools, that she needs to maximize, the quality of life that he was left with. So I would say that's huge to me.
Jason Lazarus00:18:21
So, specialization is as much a business decision as a crop decision. I'm curious about your filter on which cases to take in which to pass on has changed over the years, and what mistakes you made early on in your practice.
Kyle Wright00:18:37
I would say earlier in my career, I was more willing to take risk on, lower value cases. that starts to change, as your practice grows. And I went through that just natural growth curve. You know, I worked cases hard, no matter the size of the case. Early on. And, it's ultimately it's it's worked out. And, some of the cases, like, you know, I've developed, practice now where I just basically I'm working on the catastrophic cases. So I have a, a watch all our, caseload, that I spent with a, just a phenomenal, associate that works the case is hard in litigation that truly wants to be a litigator that, you know, handles high end discovery, that, you know, does research and writing and, takes depositions. And, you know, we work cases up, differently now. You know, especially the catastrophic cases, we're able to just throw a bunch of resources, added that, you know, I wasn't able to necessarily do earlier in my career, and we can move them a lot quicker, too. So, yeah, it's kind of a blessing in that regard.
Jason Lazarus00:19:54
Well, it's good segue into what I was gonna ask you about next, which is a must personal injury firms or many avoid the courtroom and your firm doesn't do that. And I'm curious, from your perspective, how do the carriers knowing that you guys will try a case and getting it prepped early on like you did in the case that we were just discussing where you got a, you know, a policy you want to precede demand. How does that change what they offer you on files? And was building that reputation a deliberate choice on your part?
Kyle Wright00:20:29
Yeah, it was a deliberate choice. I mean, it was just a total, philosophy change. I mean, I started with, focusing on how to, resolve a case, pretty soon and by way of settlement to maximize the case and really understanding that and, you know, ultimately, look, if you're a personal injury lawyer and you're not trying cases you're not getting the full value And I just that didn't sit with me Right So I refocused my practice Trial And you know I honestly just put myself in as many uncomfortable positions as I as I could Practicing in front of groups attending seminars where I'm on my feet You know I'm I'm doing this work I'm prepping it and I'm doing focus groups you know practicing an opening I'm practicing cross-examinations doing it live getting feedback You know reading all the books studying the best of the best frankly and CVN I mean that's an incredible resource for any trial where you can at any time if you pay you know a thousand bucks a year to CVN you can go a log into CVN and watch the best of the best How do they craft their opening? How do they cross-examine, expert witnesses? How do they do the draft of the client, the damages witnesses? How are they framing damages and closing? You know, so I, I just spent I spent a ton of time just researching that, everything I possibly, I could do, you know, and I love it. It's it's not work to me. It really isn't, because I enjoy it. I, you know, every time, every day I get up, I'm happy to get to the office. I don't feel like I'm working. You know, when I'm home or working out or walking on the treadmill, I can throw CVN on. I didn't watch an opening statement. catch whatever I want to catch. And, you know, I'm always trying to study. What, the best of the best out there is doing and and pulling what works for me and and applying it to my own cases.
Jason Lazarus00:22:49
Well, another good segue, because from doing my research, my understanding is, is that you invest in trial training for the lawyers at the firm, and that's something that's a little less usual, because, you know, the reality is, is a lot of cases settle on, don't go to trial. I'm curious, what's your business case for that investment and what does it actually look like for you in terms of the lawyers in your practice?
Kyle Wright00:23:18
So I have, you know, a budget $15000 for classes for each attorney In my practice I budgeted $35000 annually for myself for training So you know, we just build that into our budget I tell all of them that they're required to put to work the best of the best training seminars, wherever it is in the nation. It doesn't matter to me. Two of our associates just went to, California to do the Trial by Human seminar. not cheap to fly to, Hollywood and stay in a hotel and, you know, pay for flights and do the advanced training. But, you know, you the return on investment is huge, right? Because, I want to work with people, or lawyers that are interested in what I'm interested in. And what good does it do if I'm the one that has all the knowledge and the resources? Because I'm, you know, investing in myself. You know, what does it do if I have all that knowledge? I'm not working all the cases. Right. They need to get up to speed and get that same knowledge so they can apply it on their cases and get the best values that they can. You know, historically, I think firms would take a position that, look, we're going to retain all the information, and the resources at the top so we can, you know, maintain control. Right. You know, so that I think there's a fear that people might leave if they learn, you know, the, the tricks of the trade. But, that hasn't played out in, in my practice. they're grateful for these opportunities. So, you know, I just, I looked at it differently and so far it's working.
Jason Lazarus00:25:10
Well, I would imagine you upskilling and everyone around you upskilling is a very positive thing for the firm as a, as a practice, because that just means client experience or client results or are improved. And that's really in the end, what's going to continue to drive more and more, work for you guys is, is that for sure?
Kyle Wright00:25:37
No, it's it's a huge part of my practice. I would say so right now, almost close to 50% of the cases that I generate are attorney referrals. So it's just over 40%. you know, if, if, you are able to get high value, significant cases, then, attorneys are going to refer their cases to you. You know, that's that's really where we've gone. That wasn't necessarily my intent. As far as, like how I wanted to grow my practice, but that's what's happened.
Jason Lazarus00:26:16
I wanted to ask you a little bit about your personal brand, because you've you've got to make it right, which is very clean. It's recognizable. I'm curious about what led you to build that personal branding and how it's worked with your overall branding for the firm.
Kyle Wright00:26:39
that was an intentional decision on my part. I wanted to if I was going to grow a personal injury practice and a brand I had to invest in marketing and myself And you know I think a lot of firms are comfortable with one partner in particular branding their you know their own name and and their own slogan My partners were supportive of it And I made that decision I spent my own income on that I didn't ask for money from my partners to support it but I said this is where I'm going with my practice And they were on board because they didn't have to pay for it I I I you know I spent it out of my own income that I was generating So it was intentional And I'm frankly I'm happy I did it And I think it's really important to brand yourself long term
Jason Lazarus00:27:44
100% agree. I've done it myself. You know, as the founder of this company and an owner, I still invest in my personal brand because it gives opportunities for, obviously, business development, hosting a podcast, writing books that those sorts of things are all things that you know ultimately can benefit the greater organization. I'm curious. You know, with your practice, like how how are you doing that without competing against your own colleagues? I mean, it's it or is it you are still somewhat
Kyle Wright00:28:24
I'm not because we're on a small team area practice and you know so no one I'm not stepping on my partner's toes you know by doing what I'm doing with my marketing efforts it's what I do with my marketing helps the branding of the firm Right? So you know drives more cuz it drives more direct searches It takes a lot of time, but, you know, we are basically firms within a firm, right? So I'm kind of my own siloed budget. So our, my, you know, I've got, we have workers comp, division, we've got criminal defense. We have, probate estate planning, and I get internal referrals. And likewise, they get referrals, from me. So, you know, for us it works. Doesn't work for everybody, but it's it's working for us.
Jason Lazarus00:29:23
Yeah, that's I think the key is when you've got practice areas like that that are, you know, adjacent and, you know, complimentary to some extent or don't overlap as much, then that sort of a set up can can actually work quite well. And I would think to in your kind of market area, given the size and location of it, that that probably helps as well.
Kyle Wright00:29:54
Oh for sure. It definitely does. You know, my partner, Troy Wisehart, you know, he probably, I know that he has the most branded, most searched name, in Erie County, for an attorney. He does criminal defense. He does it, and, a very high volume and has been incredibly successful and in criminal and so, his volume is huge. The amount of intakes that they get, frankly, is more than than I get. And, you know, we get it helps one another. It's it's a good Synergy.
Jason Lazarus00:30:37
Yeah. I'm sure I'm curious. You know, as someone who's who's built a very successful practice, where do you see the business of personal injury law heading over the next 3 to 5 years? Because there's so much changing right now with technology. And, you know, also now seeing some private equity entering into the equation with that, MSOs and the ABS models out of Arizona and some other jurisdictions where they're allowed. What what do you think is the future and how are you starting to prepare for what changes may be on the horizon?
Kyle Wright00:31:18
you know, there's a lot more national competition for the same cases that we're, you know, always there. I'm aware of that. That's why the branding to me is very important. You know, we've all been several remote offices. I guess I wouldn't even call my own. We've opened other locations where, we are adding local lawyers from that community, and, you know, they are we're investing in. And them, we're investing, in each of those markets with people that are actually part of the community, but under our brand. So I think branding is important. And we're just doing it location by location right now. And, you know, delivering incredible customer service to the clients is huge. Right. And how can you do better at that? Well, you need to be more efficient with your workflows. So, I have spent a lot of time and energy on our systems, our processes. I'm working with, software engineers, that are building custom workflows for us that are saving, just saving us tons and tons of time. And we're able to handle our cases more efficiently. And we're able to spend more time with our clients. So that I is is Ben my response to what? You know, I think the future looks like in 3 to 5 years. Yeah. And and customer service, working with AI and software engineers to build processes that are going to make you more efficient, that are going to, help you help your clients, and your personal branding, and that those to me are the keys.
Jason Lazarus00:33:26
I'm curious about how you've gone about road mapping, what can be taken on by technology, that then allows the the greater concentration on the customer experience and freeing up staff time, because that's something that we're very passionate about as an outsourcing partner for law firms, because, you know, for law firms, the time they spend on what is an administrative task, lien resolution takes away from their ability to, you know, deal with another client, enhance the value of another case, get back in touch with a, a client. You know, all those things that take time away from actually interacting with your client or increasing the value of that case. And the firms I've talked to about this that seem to have done it successfully, have really created a roadmap for themselves of what processes are ripe for using technology to ultimately accelerate the practice and improve customer experience. So how do you go about doing that?
Kyle Wright00:34:39
I think the reality is, now that, anything that you can do on a computer or that you do on a computer, whatever process it is, which is which, personal injury is process driven. And in a lot of ways, especially early on, those processes can be automated. So you think about an intake car, start with a, a transcript of the intake, having that intake summarized and automatically uploaded into your case file and into your case management system, generating, automatically populating, for agreement, automatically populating a, a notice letter and preservation letters. And then those things are then reviewed by staff. Right. So you use it as an assistant, to help expedite whatever you're doing on the case. But the key is that, whatever system you develop, it must require human review and human touch and so the processes we're putting in place are we're building with software developers, at each step they require verification and human review. Where my staff is clicking, double checking they're required to in order, you know, before they even can take the next step. So that is what we've done. we're starting to really put in place now. And that's where we're going to go. I mean, that's where we're headed. So, you know, the key is that, you know, getting the menial stuff done, and ready and ready for human review and making everyone's life easier.
Jason Lazarus00:36:38
It's a great point about a human in the loop, because, the technology is incredible. But it has its limits. And, at least right now, I guess we'll have to see where it all goes. But, you know, the the technology we built, we purposely wanted to be human in the loop because ultimately doing not, that validation, especially with people that have specialized expertise like subrogation is is a is an expertise and specialty technology can only do so much when it comes to to that. But leveraging both to me is where the future lies for, you know, law firms. Because, there is something very, unique and personal that ultimately people within the practice bring to that process that needs to, needs to be there still.
Kyle Wright00:37:38
Yeah for sure. So, you know, big thing I would say about what were putting in place, a key is having staff buy in. Right. Because some of these things are scary to the staff. Right. Like they're worried that, maybe they're going to be replaced. So I intentionally bring them in to the process and help them, understand what their role will look like, how it will change, how it will make their job better, more rewarding. They're going to be more efficient. And they actually get to have some, feedback on what's going to work because, you know, we need to know what the staff are doing, and no one knows better than the staff themselves. So you have to bring them into the process. You can't just shop and and listen to all these different vendors and say, we've got this, amazing product that's going to change your practice. And then say, yeah, tell your staff, hey, here's what we're doing. Right? That doesn't work. It does not. It falls flat if you don't have buy in and you don't have them involved in the process. it's not going to work. So I think that's really important to do for firms, you know, because I've I've said, you know, hey, we're going to use this product. We put it in place and we realize, well, it's not really working right for us. And had I had the staff involved earlier on in the process, I would have known that it wasn't going to work. Right. So I've, I've wasted money, on different products that just didn't end up working for us. So that's kind of the lesson that I've learned.
Jason Lazarus00:39:30
Well, since we're talking about technology, I'm curious if you've seen the deployment of technology and the weaponization of it by the other side yet and for example, trucking litigation cases, because, you know, you're dealing with bigger corporate entities who maybe have little deeper and vast resources. Are you seeing changes in the way the defense is approaching cases based on the use of technology?
Kyle Wright00:39:56
I haven't seen it. I think some of my attorneys, have noticed it, through, written email correspondence with adjusters, you know, their, their responses to some of our offers, or their, you know, their arguments are I think I generated they think is AI generated. So that's really right now, the only place I've seen it. you know, I, I think we're going to be seeing more and more of it for sure.
Jason Lazarus00:40:26
Yeah. I had a, a chiropractor on the podcast recently, and he was talking about some of these models that are being fed information, medical information by insurers. And you know, how that's being used to try in lower diminished value cases based on, you know, analysis of of records. So, you know, I'm sure that more and more of that is going to occur. And for me, at the end of the day, it's you guys are are just going to have to continue to fight, that use of technology with, with the facts, you know, because oftentimes that's, that's what combats that is, hey, the record is not accurate or doesn't have this or didn't take into account that, and all of those things that only humans can decide for and argue.
Kyle Wright00:41:23
Yeah. I mean, with Whitney, you know, from from my perspective, we've just embraced technology. And that's what we're going to continue to do.
Jason Lazarus00:41:31
Yeah. I don't think there's really any choice in the matter with where things are going. I don't I don't see it getting less technologically advanced. Everything is moving at such a fast pace now that it's just going to get probably more and more complicated, but hopefully more and more tools to help, you know, trial lawyers continue to fight for people that, you know, need that help. And so, you've been very generous with your time. So want one more question? And it's a very open ended question. I always ask you to wrap up the podcast, and you can answer it however you want. As a trial lawyer and someone who has built in, scaled a very specialized practice, what is your view?
Kyle Wright00:42:17
my view right now is that, we need to be invested in, Trial and litigation. And we need to be invested in, our brand, in marketing. And we need to be invested in technology. ultimately, trial lawyers are not going to be replaced by AI, right? So it's right now, I think is critical as ever, to distinguish yourself, by trying cases, by working them hard in litigation, by doing as much training that you can, trying cases as a team, you know, trying a case so low is a heavy lift. But, you know, I've found trying cases with a team, you know, a couple of lawyers, a lawyer to, you know, reduces the load a little bit. And it's fun. I mean, it's it's fun. So, we actually just are excited about it. About going to trial. We're excited about the work. You know, we're working cases more efficiently so we can work the cases up, and spend more time and, you know, in litigation and getting it ready for trial. I am personally as excited as I've ever been about the future. I think we're, you know, being being invested in, in litigation and, and trial work, is the future, and that's where we're headed.
Jason Lazarus00:43:57
can you just briefly talk a little bit about your firm in your practice areas and areas that you cover, in case anyone listening has a case that they need to refer to? You guys.
Kyle Wright00:44:08
Sure. Absolutely. So, we all handle injury, you know, personal injury cases that general, slew of of cases, auto cases, premises cases. I do a lot of, third party like, construction site injuries because we have a worker's compensation practice. So a lot of times I'll have, dual track case. It'll be a worker's comp case. And then a third party, led case that I handle. So we handle worker's comp and the lead in-house. And, you know, we do trucking, dog bites, you know, just just all the normal stuff. What I don't do and we don't personally do in-house is medical malpractice. That's really about the only thing that we don't do. From a litigation perspective, that may change, but right now, it's really not our focus. You know, then we've got a general practice. We have, criminal defense. We we handle criminal defense case across northern Ohio, and worker's comp, statewide, our injury practice is statewide. So, you know, we're here to help with anything. In Ohio.
Jason Lazarus00:45:20
And what's the best way to get in touch with you, Kyle?
Kyle Wright00:45:22
I would say my, email Kyle at O-H attorneys.com. My personal cell phone, (419) 366-7392. Or, you can visit our website at WW dot o-h attorneys.com.
Jason Lazarus00:45:40
Great. Thanks, Kyle and appreciate you joining me on the podcast. And we'll see everyone on the next episode of Trial Review.
Kyle Wright00:45:47
Appreciate it. Thanks for having me Jason. Take care.
Jason Lazarus00:45:50
If today's episode gave you a new perspective on how your firm operates or sparked a useful idea, consider sharing it with a colleague and be sure to follow the show so you don't miss future conversations with leaders across the personal injury space. Trial Lawyer View is brought to you by Synergy, a strategic operations partner helping personal injury law firms resolve healthcare liens more efficiently. If you're looking to accelerate case flow and allow your team to focus on high level legal work, that moves cases faster, consider partnering with Synergy. I'm Jason Lazarus and I'll see you in the next episode.
