Kansas City, MO personal injury attorney Rachel Smith talks about what makes her firm different from others. There are a couple of things that make this Law Firm different from many of the personal injury law firms in Kansas City. The firm always advises potential clients that it won’t hurt their feelings if they choose not to hire them, but they should ensure that whoever they do hire makes a few firm commitments, including attention to the client, attention to detail, and a commitment to trial. This Law Firm considers itself a concierge boutique style firm. They assign two attorneys to every case and send a two-attorney team to every trial. However, everyone who walks through the door is first evaluated to determine if they can add value. If they cannot add value, the firm offers to work for free, give free advice, or act as a resource, but they won’t take that case under contract. If they cannot make a case significantly better, it would violate their core value to let someone pay them to accomplish what they could do on their own. They want to take cases where they can be truly impactful in helping clients achieve full justice, which means investigating all potential recovery sources and being consistently and constantly available to clients in terms of responsiveness and answering questions. They encourage clients to call anytime, reassuring them that it is never a bother to talk. They understand that clients are often in pain, unfamiliar with the system, and frustrated after years of paying insurance premiums and buying into representations that insurance companies are there to protect them. Clients often feel frustrated when an insurance company suddenly claims they didn’t cause the injury, or if they did, that the injury was pre-existing, or that it isn’t as serious as the client claims. Insurance companies often spend most of their time attacking individuals to maintain their profits.

A key differentiator for this firm is their earnest commitment to taking care of people. They genuinely care about their clients, many of whom become lifelong friends. The firm stays in touch with clients to see how they are doing after their cases, but most importantly, they want clients to feel that they are not alone during the process and that they have the right person and the right team in their corner, protecting them and ensuring they understand what is happening and why. They aim to provide as much assurance as possible in a very uncertain process.

Another unique aspect of this firm is its commitment to taking any meritorious case to trial. They conduct regular focus groups, hiring 12 people to come into their office while they present pieces of their cases, which helps both the firm and their clients to identify issues or problems early. If an insurance company adjuster states, “Well, you’ll never get X because of Y,” the firm can run that by a focus group to determine if it is something they genuinely need to be concerned about. If not, they can discount it. This process enhances their preparedness because success comes from being prepared for every part of the journey, especially for trial. Many people and lawyers do not fully appreciate that trial preparation starts when the petition is filed, not just the month before the trial. The firm has a system that includes drafting jury instructions concurrently with the petition and conducting opening statements to focus groups early in the process. This way, they ensure that by the time they stand in front of 12 or six jurors, depending on the court, they know the story and their client well. They also spend significant time with clients in their homes, outside the office, to understand their situations better. The insights gained from this time spent with clients have dramatically changed the way they tell the story to the jury.