Philosophy

Go over and above.

We don’t win every case, but we give it 100%. We go over and above for our clients. We strive to give them more than what they paid for.

Respect our clients.

Clients are not a nag or an annoyance. They are the reason we are in business. They feed our families. They put shoes on our children’s feet. We are here to serve them and do the best job we can do for them, both legally and ethically.

Get to know our clients.

Sometimes the feelings and the emotions are more important than the so-called facts. By getting to know our clients, we understand them. That helps us to tell their story in a more compelling way. We understand that their case may affect not only them, but their entire family.

Give clients updates about their case.

Who wants to be in the dark when it comes to their case? Our clients get calls out of the blue regarding what is going on with their case. For instance, what is the status, when is the next court date, do they have to show up, are there any problems or legal issues? Sometimes, they get a call for no reason at all. No updates to speak of. Just to touch base.

Teach & exceed continuing legal education credits.

Yes, the Florida Bar requires credits every few years. Many times, the CLE credits obtained far exceed what is required. Why? Because we like to stay on the cutting edge of trial work to help our clients. Recent seminars include death penalty, car accident/wrongful death, and being a speaker at a CLE, teaching other lawyers about evidentiary issues in violent cases. We learn a lot from teaching as well. We strive to get better all the time.

Return phone calls.

Groundbreaking. I know. It’s amazing how many lawyers don’t do this.

Investigate.

Many cases are won by doing more work than the other side. This involves a thorough investigation in every case. Leaving no stone unturned. Having persistence and a strong will.

Take depositions.

Depositions are an opportunity to win the case before trial. Witnesses are served with a subpoena. They show up. There is a court reporter present, who takes down what everyone says. We have prepared themes and theories for the case before depositions are taken. The questions will be based on those themes and theories. We hope to uncover weaknesses in the other side’s case. We don’t just talk with witnesses at depositions. The themes, theories, issues and questions are planned out ahead of time.

Prepare for trial and get results

Preparing for trial involves reading and studying psychology, business and persuasion books, studying stand-up comedians, musical performances and watching movies and documentaries. Trial work is 90% theater and 10% law. I perform in a band singing and playing guitar. There are many similarities to performing music and trial work. Timing. Phrasing. Pitch. Tone. Themes. Theories. Stories. Each performance I strive to be better. Same thing with trial work.

Although I have tried over 100 jury and non-jury trials to verdict, few cases are actually tried before juries. However, virtually every case should be prepared like it is going to trial. Better results happen (at mediation or a plea agreement) through understanding, hard work, empathy, love, dedication and persistence. Those attributes are important for trial work.

Motions in limine, motions to suppress, and other motions are typically filed before trial. Some may be so strong that the case may be won before trial – just based on a pretrial motion.

If the case does go to trial, I do my best to memorize every person’s name in the venire. The venire is the first panel that comes up from the jury room. Typically, there will be at least 24-30 people in a simple case. Depending on the type of case, there may be many more.

We use “strikes” to get rid of people on the venire that are bad for our client’s case. This is where those psychology books come into play. I am a student of human nature. It is fascinating to me. After the jury is sworn, opening argument is next.

Opening argument is memorized. When I was a child, I memorized vast amounts of bible verses. This helps me memorize things today. Trial is theater. Story telling. This is where studying stand-up comedians come into play. Richard Pryor. Chris Rock. George Carlin. This is no joke. They are experts at timing. Silence…to make a point. A weird face – to make a point. Universal truths about human nature. Also, the books on persuasion help because the opening argument is critically important. All the jury research shows us that most people make up their mind about the case after opening argument. Note I say argument, not “statement” for a reason. Opening argument is always executed without the use of notes. There is eye contact with each juror.

Cross examination themes are written out. Questions are not. Why? Because I am looking directly at the witness and listening to the answer. When they answer, I will respond with a question that I already know the answer to. The witness should just say “yes”. That is one of the fundamental rules of cross examination. The question will typically be related back to my theme or theory of the case. I’ve seen many a lawyer murder a cross examination by going down a list of questions. A great trial lawyer listens. Then, asks follow-up questions based on what the witness said (or tried to avoid).

Any documents, prior testimony under oath at deposition, etc. on cross are set aside and marked. For important points on cross, I have the page and line number ready to impeach the witness if they say anything remotely different at trial.

Special jury instructions are requested when the standard instructions are not adequate for the client’s case.

If the client loses, appellate rights are preserved. A notice of appeal is timely filed along with a motion for new trial. Although we try to win every case, we don’t win every case. But, we give it everything we’ve got.

We give it everything we’ve got because we treat clients how we would like to be treated.

-Grey

West Palm Beach, Florida board certified criminal trial lawyer and personal injury attorney Grey Tesh handles criminal and injury cases all across Florida. A trial lawyer based out of West Palm Beach, Grey can handle cases all across Florida.