Build a Career That Doesn’t Break Your Family | Jason Boone (Civil Defense Lawyer)

Civil Defense Lawyer Jason Boone shares his personal experience of making sure he maintains the right work/life balance for him and his family.

In a conversation of frankness and authenticity, Jason talks about how lawyers of all stripes can, and should, find a balance that works for them.

There are the years when you need to put in the time to learn the profession, and get the reps. But then there's knowing when and how to scale that back, to ensure you have more balance to your time, and become an even better lawyer as a result.

Meanwhile, understanding how the defense side prepares for trial gives you valuable insight in framing not just your arguments, but your preparation.

Do defense attorneys share the same sense of collegiality and camaraderie that often exists amongst plaintiff lawyers? How do they approach valuation? Do defense lawyers make use of focus groups, and in the same way?

"As a young lawyer, that's where you really need to put in the time learning, shadowing, finding a great mentor. To get to the point where, later in your career, you can say, 'I'm done at 4:30. I'll be back on in two and a half hours, if I need to be.'"

In this episode, we discuss:

◼️ How you have to be intentional about spending time with family.
◼️ The evolving culture within the legal field, particularly post-COVID.
◼️ How to do your prep, and stop taking notes during trial.
◼️ The nature of nuclear verdicts: large awards that are not supported by the facts.
◼️ How valuation of cases can vary significantly based on location and circumstances.
◼️ Why grades matter, no matter what anyone tells you.

Chapters

00:00 Do Defense Lawyers Work Together?
01:46 Balancing Family and Trial Work
12:24 Being Intentional About Your Time
18:57 Knowing When Enough Prep is Enough
28:07 Is It Competition Between Defense Lawyers?
33:43 Understanding Nuclear Verdicts
38:47 Valuation of Cases from the Defense Perspective
40:08 What do Focus Groups for Defense Look Like?
44:13 Advice for New Lawyers: Grades Matter

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers
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Based out of Richmond, Virginia, Courtroom Stories & Tactics by RVA Trial Lawyers exists for lawyers who try cases to juries on behalf of people. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

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Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki