Strategy Sessions: Trial Team Roundtables

October 27, 2018

When a McGuireWoods client faced a nine-figure demand and a request for an apology from the president of the company following a fatal accident, lead counsel Sam Tarry  assembled lawyers from different McGuireWoods practices and offices across the country to participate in a “trial team roundtable.” The team met with the client at its corporate headquarters at no cost for a daylong discussion that resulted in a winning trial strategy.

“The team flew from different states to meet with the client and discuss strategies to manage risk, communications about the case and options for presenting evidence at trial,” said Tarry, a Richmond partner. “Our client gained a better understanding of how this seemingly impossible case could be winnable and embraced the opportunity to defend themselves in court.”

“Trial team roundtables bring to bear the collective experience of our seasoned trial lawyers, which better equips us individually to try cases,” said Raleigh partner Mark Anderson, who participated in Tarry’s roundtable. “The roundtables are a powerful resource to proactively offer to clients who are frequently targeted by the plaintiffs’ bar.” Dion Hayes, McGuireWoods’ deputy managing partner of litigation, said the roundtables involve groups of the firm’s accomplished trial lawyers coming together for a day of story development, case analysis and issue-spotting with regard to trial strategy, witness testimony and other issues. “If a client is facing trial, these roundtables are instrumental in finding the best strategy to present a case,” he said. “Clients have even brought us in to collaborate with other outside counsel to advise on trial strategy where the firm was not co-counsel. Clients who have participated in the roundtables love the interactive experience. It’s a great way to expand our relationship with clients.”

Added Chicago office managing partner Christina Egan, another member of Tarry’s roundtable: “Trial team roundtables give our lawyers an opportunity to add value at limited cost to clients and expand our scope of work with them. At the end of the day, it’s about working together to solve our clients’ problems.”