My last two posts (introducing Tim and what he loves about personal injury law) discussed Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA)’s recent profile of our lead litigator Tim Williams in its “Sidebar” publication. Here are some of Tim’s responses to the prompts OTLA gave him about his work with OTLA.
Why I give to OTLA’s Guardians of Civil Justice program:
I give, and give heartily, because only through the Gaurdians program can we successfully defeat bad legislation (caps, limits on attorney fees, etc.) To put it quite bluntly, without this program, there would be no OTLA, as our membership would be pressed out of business. It’s a serious job that only the Guardians’ dollars make possible.
What I’d like colleagues to know about OTLA is:
Our organization puts consumers and those in need before our own interests. We are about championing the rights of the injured and underprivileged. We are NOT about simply lining our own pockets. The camaraderie and selflessness of the organization is vast. Without OTLA, we would not have access to civil justice and the “justice” that we would be left with would be slim to none.
Growing up I thought I would become:
A surgeon. No really, I wanted to be a surgeon from a young age. I was always playing “doctor” as a kid, so it was a natural progression. (To clarify, I was only diagnosing ailments and pretending to operate on my stuffed animals.)
Why I didn’t:
Because I quickly realized that I didn’t want to deal with other people’s blood. Plus, the stuffed animals, while promising in the beginning, never paid the amounts charged for the services rendered. It was mainly the blood thing, though.
What advice would you give to a new lawyer:
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Also, don’t get involved. I don’t care if it is with OTLA, AAK, your local bar association, or any other civic group. Not only will you cultivate referral sources, you will quickly learn that most of us are way more giving and generous than you might think otherwise. Also, don’t be afraid to let your individual personality shine. You may find that others will appreciate you more once you come out of your shell. If nothing else, they will remember you for you.