True Life Solo Adventure
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Name and Location:
Margie Searcy Alford,
Birmingham, Alabama
Nickname:
Years ago I was nicknamed the "Queen of Toxic Torts" and
friends all over the country call me this. (Note: No representation
is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is
greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.)
Area(s) of Practice:
I handle serious personal injury matters with a special concentration
in toxic torts.
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One of My Life-Changing Moments:
Eleven years ago, I headed a practice that included five other attorneys
and over 40 non-attorney staffers. I was flying all over the country
handling multi-million dollar toxic tort cases and had offices in
two states.
Then one day, I was rear-ended by a drunk, drugged driver involved
in a high-speed chase with two sheriff's deputies. I was later told
he was going about 100 miles an hour when he hit me. My neck was broken
in multiple places and my hands were paralyzed for ten days and uncoordinated
for several years. I also suffered intermittent paralysis in my feet.
I was forced to drastically scale back my practice for two-and-a-half
years - not an easy transition for a Type A workaholic. But during
my recuperation, I spent a lot of time thinking about how once I got
back to my practice, I'd work smarter. Instead of putting in 18 to
22 hours, at least six-and-a-half days a week, I'd make time for more
fun in my life. When I slowed down because I had no choice, I knew
I had to either learn how to have fun "smelling the roses" or go crazy.
Today I make a lot more money, have a much lower overhead, have
a lot less stress and enjoy life a lot more. I know how to work
smarter.
Personal Path to Success:
The first case I ever handled was a toxic tort case that started in
1974. I experienced a favorable outcome. That success led to another
toxic tort case that led to another that led to another that led to
another... After that, other lawyers started referring toxic tort
cases to me - and that was back when men lawyers didn't usually refer
cases to women lawyers, especially young women fresh out of law school.
Back then, though, no one else was handling toxic tort cases with
the exception of asbestosis or black lung cases.
Pretty soon, I was getting referrals from all over the country.
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"One of my life goals has
been to help make the world a cleaner and healthier place..."
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I was also being invited to speak at seminars
and trial lawyer meetings and to write for various local, state, and
national law and trade journals. I quickly realized there was no way
I could fill all the needs, so over the past 28 years, I've spent
a sizable amount of time recruiting and teaching toxic tort lawyers.
One of my life goals has been to help make the world a cleaner and
healthier place by handling toxic tort cases and by helping recruit
and teach a lot of other lawyers to be toxic tort attorneys. I am
proud of the part that I have had in inspiring so many younger lawyers
over the years.
In the early 1980s, I started thinking about writing some books that
would help others handle toxic tort cases. Then, around 1982, I took
my idea, along with a draft outline, to Matthew Bender®, where it was
favorably received. I was soon knee-deep in recruiting contributing
authors and reviewing manuscripts, and within two years and ten months,
my books had become a reality.
But my greatest joy is whenever a lawyer comes up to me and tells
me I inspired him or her to become involved in toxic torts. I believe
strongly in "bringing others along" and in being as helpful to them
as possible in preparing their own cases. To be considered influential
in a field with so many life-changing possibilities is not only an
honor, but a responsibility as well. I take that responsibility very
seriously.
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Bona Fides:
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University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., 1974
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Two-time National Chairperson of the Women Trial Lawyers Caucus of the
Association of Trial Lawyers of America; two-time National Chairperson of the Environmental,
Toxic and Pharmaceutical Tort Law Section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA)
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Principal author and editor-in-chief of the four soon to be five-volume
set of law books published by Matthew Bender® entitled
A
Guide to Toxic Torts; contributing author to Matthew Bender's
four-volume set entitled
Drug
and Product Liability; author of hundreds of other published
articles on legal topics
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Most Rewarding Case:
I can't say there's one in particular, but one of the things I'm proudest
of is that I was one of several attorneys who won what I think was
the first Agent Orange case ever won. It was for the use of Agent
Orange in the US. I also won what I believe was the first multiple
chemical sensitivity case. I was involved in numerous lawsuits that
culminated in the decrease of spraying rights-of-way in Alabama with
herbicides and I did a great deal of lobbying in Washington, D.C.
that helped to get chlordane off the market. I did not do this alone
but I have worked on cases that resulted in verdicts or settlements
that have totaled over a billion dollars.
Honors and awards:
Most Outstanding Young Career Woman in Alabama
(Alabama Business and Professional Women);
entries in Who's Who in
the World,
Who's Who in American Lawyers,
Who's Who in Finance and
Industry,
Who's Who in American Women,
Outstanding Young Women of
America, and
Outstanding People of the Twentieth Century.
The "honor"
I cherish the most is being "Who's Who" in my husband's life.
Your Hardware/Software of Choice:
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Power Point for non-courtroom
presentations such as talks and seminars; |
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PowerPoint and Trial Director
for courtroom presentations; |
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Microsoft Word for word
processing. |
Most Useful Legal Books:
I consider my four-volume treatise, A
Guide to Toxic Torts, very useful. These books are basically
cookbooks for toxic tort cases. They contain sample forms and checklists,
basic science for a wide variety of toxic substances, and tips for
building an effective case. I'm excited to report they've been top
sellers in the field.
I also highly recommend Drug
and Product Liability, not because
I'm a contributing author, but because the information in those books
is invaluable to anyone dealing with any kind of drug-related case.
The Mealey™'s Reports are great at getting information out quickly.
Courtroom
Toxicology is very useful.
Favorite Legal Research Tools:
I find the online health materials on LexisNexis™ very useful. I
also use MDConsult.com and The University of Alabama Medical School
Library. Inter Library Exchange is very useful for ordering the
text of scientific articles we are unable to find in our local medical
school library.
ATLA and its various sections offer wonderful research tools through
their websites. The ATLA Exchange Plus is very useful. You can save
a lot of money if you use it very much by joining one of the discount
membership programs such as the gold membership that gives you a
lot of the briefs and so forth at half price. The new exchange is
so much easier to use now that you can search it online and only
pay for what you want. You not only have access to publications,
but you can get information on meetings, seminars, and links to
other useful sites.
State lawyer organizations are also good sources and you may also
want to consider the variety of e-mail exchange lists you can join.
These are especially useful when searching for experts. You can
e-mail a query and have a number of recommendations in a short time.
Would You "Go Solo" Again? Why?
Absolutely. I love what I do and I plan to keep doing what I'm doing.
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Start-up Tips for New Solos? |
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Find a niche, something
you're really interested in, and become as informed as possible
in that area. Become an "expert" in that field. Read all you
can about it; attend all the seminars possible; talk to any
expert in the field who will talk to you. (Hint: Choose a field
that not many others have chosen. Once other lawyers learn of
your special expertise, referrals will follow.) |
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Volunteer to teach classes
at local community schools regarding your chosen field. |
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Serve on faculties of
legal seminars. |
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Write articles for local
newspapers, law journals, and any other pertinent publications. |
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Take a PowerPoint class.
Learn how to use PowerPoint projectors. You will save a lot
of money on courtroom exhibits. |
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Volunteer to speak at
civic organizations, schools, or anywhere else that offers you
a public forum. |
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Find the best mentors
you can find. Take time out from your practice to go watch him/her/them
try cases. That is an advantage you have being a solo. You can
take the time out to go watch some one who is really good try
cases. |
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Be selective. You will
be a better attorney and you may make more money concentrating
on a small number of good cases rather than spreading yourself
too thin on a large number of mediocre cases. |
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Some of the best networking
in the world occurs at trial lawyer meetings, defense lawyer
meetings, legal seminars, civic clubs and other community meetings
or gatherings. |
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Cultivate good relationships
with other attorneys whose practices complement yours. For example,
there's a particular lawyer to whom I refer workmen's compensation
cases and social security cases. She, in turn, refers toxic
tort cases to me. I know what she's good at and she knows what
I'm good at. Those kinds of relationships are good not only
for the lawyers, but for the clients who receive a higher quality
of representation as a result. |
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Achieve a balance between
your personal life (family, church, fun) and your practice. |
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