9 minute read
Lowe Lazar Law, LLP San Diego
A Selective Resource
A Small Personal Injury Firm Positioned to Make a Big Impact
by Dan Baldwin
Lowe Lazar Law is a small law firm making a big impact on their clients’ lives and the legal community at large. “We are very selective on the cases we accept to devote the necessary time and resources to obtain full justice for each and every client,” says co-founder Jeremiah Lowe.
The firm was recently founded on August 1, 2021. Prior to founding the firm, Lowe and his cofounder, Victoria Lazar, worked as a trial team at Gomez Trial Attorneys. During their time as a trial team, they faced many trials, challenges, and successes. Lazar says, “As a team we’ve always been very strong. Jeremiah, who was the lead attorney on our team, made sure that my opinion was heard and taken into consideration. I think that’s important and rare, especially when you have a senior-junior relationship. That gave me a lot of confidence in going into business together.”
Through their time working together as a team, they discovered how well aligned they were with each other’s core values. Lazar says, “We value integrity in the profession above all else. Our slogan is ‘Steadfast Integrity, Proven Results.’ It appears front and center on our website for a reason. Practicing with integrity is our number one core value.” That has led to proven results inside and outside the courtroom.
Lowe recognizes the significance of being a partner in a woman-owned business, and believes women-owned firms are something to be celebrated. Lowe says, “We’re no longer in a senior-junior relationship. We’re equal partners. As a gender-balanced firm, we have a good balance of perspectives. I hope as a society we are moving toward more women-owned law firms. For far too long women have not been given equal opportunities to advance in this profession.”
VALUING AUTHENTICITY, INTEGRITY, AND COMPASSION
Lowe and Lazar have proven to be a powerful team inside and outside of the courtroom. Lowe says, “One word that best describes us in the courtroom is authenticity. We don’t see ourselves as ‘suited-up lawyers.’ We simply see ourselves as human beings who care immensely for our clients, and who can provide a credible and authentic voice in the courtroom. The jury can see we care for our clients and believe in our case.”
According to Lazar, “[their] practice is to treat clients as people, not cases,” which allows them to be more responsive and more tailored in representation than a lot of larger firms. “We attribute that to our smaller, boutique size. We make communicating with our clients a top priority. There are rarely hours that go by when we do not respond to our clients.
Chad E. Irvin, Esq.
— VICTORIA LAZAR
© Bauman Photographers We are also consistently updating our clients. The most common feedback we get is, ‘Thank you. We never had to wonder what was going on with our case. You were so pro-active.’ That level of communication puts them at ease. That’s something I’m really proud of.”
As a team, Lowe and Lazar have had tremendous success in trial. “I would say the trial experiences we’ve had together demonstrate we can handle adversity well and we thrive under pressure,” Lowe says. In addressing his partner’s strengths, he says, “She is an honest and authentic human being. At the end of the day that is what matters most. You have to pick a partner you can trust who has the highest ethical standards, and who will always treat the client with the utmost respect. That’s the number one thing. Treating people well. She also has an unparalleled attention to detail and organization. As a lawyer, often the devil is in the details. You can’t overlook the importance of the details. Victoria has always been exceptionally good about understanding the nuances of the case, which has been instrumental in our ability to get full justice for our clients.”
Lazar says of her partner, “Jeremiah has an innate ability to relate not only to clients, but to everyone else he encounters in the profession from opposing counsel to trial judges. He is an incredibly empathetic person and understands what our clients need, which allows them to instantly connect with him. Jeremiah quickly develops close relationships with our clients and it’s that emotional connection that makes them feel seen and heard, and it makes all the difference.”
A SMALL FIRM HANDLING BIG CASES
Lowe Lazar Law handles catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. For several years they have specialized in spinal and orthopedic injury cases. Over the course of the last five years, they have also developed a niche practice area pursuing wrongful death cases against for-profit residential drug and alcohol treatment providers. Lowe says, “This multibillion dollar per year industry is tainted by fraud and neglect, with companies preying
—JEREMIAH LOWE
on some of the most vulnerable and desperate people in our society, treating patients as commodities rather than human beings. As a result, countless innocent lives have been lost.” Lowe and Lazar have been highly successful in holding these companies accountable. The cases have even garnered national attention, which has the potential to impact an entire industry and lead to improved safety.
Lowe and Lazar have been recognized by their peers for their success in the courtroom. Each has received Outstanding Trial Lawyer Awards for their work on cases together over the years. In 2020 Lowe also received the prestigious honor of being voted as San Diego’s Trial Lawyer of the Year by his peers at CASD. He credits Victoria as being a significant contributor of the success in the courtroom that led to his recognition.
Lowe says an essential part of their model to obtain big results for their clients is spending a great deal of time getting to know their clients and their stories well. The partners of Lowe Lazar Law, LLP are committed to maintaining a manageable caseload, so they have the time and resources to dedicate to their clients and to get to know them on a personal level. This would not be achievable in a different setting with more cases. “We know our cases inside and out. We have the freedom to do that whereas if we had many more cases, we wouldn’t be able to go as in depth as early as we do. That leads to better results because the defense can see that we are all in on our cases. We are prepared from the very beginning.”
A recent case exemplifies how their approach to representation led to a big result. The firm represented a man who was injured in a car crash. The defense never treated him fairly in litigation and argued it was nothing more than a soft tissue injury.
One challenge was that their client worked in construction and continued working in the field after the crash up through the time of trial. Lowe and Lazar said that despite his continuing to work in construction, he had a significant back injury that would affect the rest of his life. Prior to trial they spent a lot of time visiting with the family at home getting to know not just the client but also his entire family. They also spent time getting to know his friends and his co-workers. That experience was reflected in the trial. When they went to trial, both partners believed in their client and were able to tell his full story. “This type of personal connection and commitment is something we strive for with every client. I think the jury could clearly see we understood his story, his injury, and how it affected his family,” Lazar says. Lowe and Lazar obtained a verdict of approximately $3 million for their client.
REFERRAL-BASED PRACTICE
Lowe Lazar Law doesn’t advertise, so a significant part of their clientele comes through referrals. They are often brought in by other attorneys who benefit from the support of a team with trial experience and who can commit the necessary resources to take the case to trial. There are a lot of great lawyers, but they’re not necessarily trial lawyers. Everyone has things they thrive at. When lawyers hit that wall in negotiation, often they benefit from having a trial lawyer step in to take the case to trial because that’s when they’re going to pay full value on the case. Lowe says, “That’s where we come in. To maximize recovery, insurance adjusters must know that when an attorney says they will take a case to trial, they mean it. Insurance companies have already learned that we are not only willing to take our cases to trial, but that we thrive on it. As my mentor, Jude Basile, taught me, the best words for a trial lawyer are, ‘All rise’.”
Lazar says, “We truly want to help. And if that means consulting on a case but ultimately turning down the opportunity to come on as counsel, then so be it. We are honest and upfront about our view of all issues on a case, from valuation to pitfalls. If we cannot add something to the case for both the referring attorney and the client, then we say so. At the end of the day, we want what is best for the client.”
Lazar also notes that often other attorneys come to the firm just to talk through cases or to collaborate. “We value collaboration and working through cases with other lawyers.” Lowe says, “It’s the collaboration with others where great ideas are often formed.”
Nearly 100 percent of the firm’s cases are referred from other attorneys.
While they have only had their doors officially opened since August, they have already managed to resolve numerous six and seven figure cases. It is clear, while small in size, this firm is well positioned to make a significant impact in the legal community. n
Contact Lowe Lazar Law, LLP 402 W Broadway, Suite 1720 San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 878-2725 www.lowelazarlaw.com
REFERRAL FEES PAID
