Hiring a Lawyer

July 26, 2018

We Hate To Disappoint People, But We Do. Everyday.

At The Law Offices of John Day, P.C., we have two intake specialists, Penny Whitaker and Lauren Bates. When people call into the offices for a free consultation, Lauren and Penny take the basic accident information for a free review by one of our award-winning attorneys. Let me say, Penny and Lauren do a great job; they understand that when people call our office they are often confused about their rights and options, scared about what the future may bring and looking for help. And, we desperately want to help. But all too often, we can’t and that is where the disappointment comes in. This is never truer than when someone did do something wrong and injuries or death resulted. Let me explain. Continue reading

March 8, 2018

What We Do

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Last week, John and I were in Arizona for a meeting of the American College of Trial Lawyers. We were fortunate to get to hear a number of great speakers including FBI Director Christopher Wray who left us all assured the Bureau was in good hands, and Professor Goodwin who opened our eyes to the collateral damage of the so-called War on Drugs. But the two speakers we enjoyed most were: John Q. Barrett, the author of Justice Robert H. Jackson, Trial Lawyer at Nuremburg and Jason Schechterle, a retired Arizona police officer who was horribly burned from an on-duty accident but displayed a resilience and optimism that few can imagine let alone embrace. While these two speakers and their topics were incredibly different, both had a similar underlying message: the work that trial lawyers do is incredibly important Continue reading

October 17, 2017

A Few Bad Apples

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

In any line of work, there are always a few that embarrass the rest of the profession whether you are talking about lawyers, plumbers, car salesmen, contractors, teachers, accountants, etc. Unfortunately, some of the bad apples tend to come out after injury accidents, so here is what you need to know. Continue reading

June 23, 2017

The Measure of Success

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

The Law Offices of John Day, P.C. could not be more proud of our very own Brandon Bass. Brandon was recently recognized by the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association as “Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year”. This is a tremendous accomplishment and one that Brandon richly deserves for his work on behalf of injury victims and their families. Brandon (along with John Day, Joy Day, Laura Baker and Liz Sitzgreaves) was also recently named a Mid-South Super Lawyer again this year. Only 5% of the lawyers in the Mid-South receive this recognition.

And while we love receiving these types of awards, we know that awards are not the true measure of our success. Instead, Brandon would be the first to tell you that the true measure of our success is a fully satisfied client. A client who has been successfully shepherded through the litigation process. A client that has had their questions answered and concerns addressed. A client who receives prompt responses to phone calls and emails. A client who feels like their lawyer truly understands their situation and sincerely wants to help them. A client who is so happy with the legal services we provided that they refer a friend or family member who needs help after an accident. A client who will take the time to write a Google or Facebook review or just send us a nice thank you note or give us a call simply to express their gratitude for our work on their behalf. A client who speaks highly about their lawyer to others. And of course, a client who receives the compensation their case deserves.

This is the type of success and recognition we strive for every day. Of course, the happy irony is that Brandon (and our other lawyer’s) conscientious commitment to our client’s satisfaction is what produces the results that win awards. Pretty simple really: hard work and talent usually get recognized in the form of awards. Although awards can help injury victims decide who to hire to help them when they need it, awards are not the only consideration. There are lots of factors you should keep in mind when deciding which lawyer to help you with your injury case.

May 8, 2017

Beware of the “Lawyers”

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Recently, I have seen two instances of people posing as lawyers and engaging in unscrupulous behavior. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery is now involved in one of the cases, and criminal charges are pending against the other. So what exactly are these posers alleged to have done and what can you do to protect yourself? Continue reading

April 7, 2017

Cuba: Coffee, Cigars, Che and Good Lawyers

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Since President Obama began trying to normalize relations with Cuba, my wife and I have wanted to travel to the country, but the United States still bans general tourism to Cuba. Visitors must fall within 12 officially authorized categories. So we were thrilled when the Nashville Bar Association organized a People to People educational trip to Havana from April 1^st to April 5^th. During our trip, we enjoyed a performance by an incredibly talented youth orchestra, heard lectures by some very bright professors on Cuba-US relations and the Cuban economy, toured Hemingway’s home, went to Fusterlandia, visited a Cuban art museum, had a great walking tour of Old Havana and much more. Here are some tidbits and one very important take-away from our trip: Continue reading

March 28, 2017

Breaking News: Litigation is Expensive

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Last week, Slate reporter Emma Copley Eisenberg did a piece on the “astronomical price” charged by court reporters for trial transcripts. Eisenberg was stunned by the “outrageous fees” charged by court reporters when she wanted to investigate a case involving a farmer who had been convicted of a double homicide. When Eisenberg went to the courthouse to obtain a copy of the criminal trial transcript, she learned it would cost her $2400.00 to obtain a copy of the transcript. (Notably, it cost the farmer nearly $7,000 for the original transcript.) Eisenberg got a quick lesson on something trial lawyers have long known: litigation is expensive. Why is that?
Continue reading

December 26, 2016

Advice From a Lawyer on the New Year’s Resolutions You Should Make

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

As the New Year approaches, many start to think about improvements they want to make in their lives for 2017. At The Law Offices of John Day, P.C., our work involves helping people who have been injured in accidents and, since most accidents are preventable, we thought we would give you some New Year’s resolutions that can help protect you and others. The best part of these resolutions is, for the most part, they are easy and painless to implement (unlike that weight resolution most of us make). Here are our recommendations:

Check your auto insurance and make sure you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. I can’t tell you how often someone calls our office with significant injuries from a car accident who cannot recover any money because the driver who caused the accident did not have insurance and the client did not have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. We have written a number of posts about uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and you can find them here, here, here and here. But, our number one piece of advice to protect yourself would be to purchase uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage with as high of limits as you can afford. You will truly be surprised at how cheap it is and it can mean the difference between receiving compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and injuries and receiving nothing.
Wear your seatbelt. They save lives. Period.

November 3, 2016

Litigation Fatigue

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Let me begin with a disclaimer. This is not a political article, but it was prompted by some political news. Earlier today, I was reading an article about the litigation Donald Trump currently has on his plate. Mr. Trump is currently involved in 75 active lawsuits ranging from spats with pageant contestants to allegations of fraud to multi-million dollar real estate lawsuits. But, it was not the number of lawsuits that prompted this post, because in fairness, there are companies with larger litigation dockets. Instead, what caught my attention was this portion of the article:

August 30, 2016

It Never Gets Old

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Our 9 year-old daughter loves telling jokes and pulling little pranks. When she finds one that really hits the mark, she will tell it over and over and each time she will giggle and say: “It never gets old”. Something else that never gets old is receiving a compliment or an award. And we are pleased to announce that for the 25^th year in a row, John Day has been selected by his attorney peers for inclusion in the 23^rd Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. And, for the 10th year in a row, John was honored in five separate categories: Continue reading