Our Approach
Reid Davis employs a unique approach to high stakes litigation. Although many law firms talk about being different, Reid Davis sets itself apart every day in the cutting edge cases we investigate and prosecute, our lean and efficient staffing and management of cases, and our use of creative fee structures and settlement counsel to achieve the best results for our clients. Not only are we highly skilled trial lawyers who are committed to winning our clients' cases, but unlike many of our competitors, we are flexible, innovative, and conflict free - and we will put our money where our mouth is by taking risk alongside our clients in the cases that we prosecute.
We Bring Cases Others Cannot
Many clients turn to large law firms because they do not know there are better alternatives, and in some instances, they believe that only a big law firm can solve their complex business problems. Most of our lawyers began their careers at larger institutions, and we know firsthand the unavoidable consequences of growth: conflicts of interest, gross inefficiencies, and overall sluggishness. Other clients turn to boutique law firms who are either trial lawyers or specialists in a certain field - we offer both. The founding partners of our firm have handled in excess of 100 jury trials. And as former prosecutors and entrepreneurs with business backgrounds, we have particular expertise in the complex commercial cases that we prosecute.
We formed Reid Davis in order to have the flexibility to bring cases that other firms are typically conflicted out of - for example, cases against auditors, lawyers, banks, insurers, and Fortune 100 companies. Because we are not beholden to large institutional clients, we are able to prosecute high stakes cases against well heeled targets who frequently believe they are insulated from liability. As a result, we are always pitted against the biggest and most well respected law firms in the country. And we have the expertise and know how to investigate, analyze, and develop cutting edge claims that others might not see or would turn down without a second thought. In fact, some of our most notable successes in recent years were achieved after other well trained lawyers told our clients that they had no claims. Based on our many years of experience litigating these complex business matters, we know how to investigate and analyze claims, we know and employ the best investigators and experts for each case, and we pride ourselves on being able to develop and bring cases that need to be prosecuted.
We Run Cases Leanly and Efficiently
Our philosophy is to staff and run each case as if we were the client. Through our alternative fee approach, our interests are aligned with our clients, and we therefore think like our clients in making decisions on staffing and other expenditures. Whereas our competitors often have large cadres of associates who are focused on fee generation, our teams are dedicated to preparing our clients' cases for trial. In short, whether our clients or our firm is taking on the risk, we run every case in a way to maximize our resources and efficiencies, and our clients will not be paying for our associates to do "busy work" in a down economy.
We Create Fee Arrangements that Make Sense
Reid Davis is committed to the use of innovative fee arrangements. For many years, Reid Davis attorneys have worked hand in hand with clients to create fair and common sense fee arrangements tailored to the particular facts and circumstances of each case. Whereas most firms apply a "one size fits all" model to every case, we understand that every case and therefore every fee structure is unique.
Although there are cases in which the standard hourly fee model is the best option, we have found our alternative fee approach to be in even greater demand in the current economic climate. In fact, we have found that clients are growing tired of the economic conflict of interest that arises between lawyer and client in the hourly fee context, and we strive to avoid it wherever possible. We also just find it more fun to share the risk with our clients in what are sometimes bet the company cases.
In some of our most complex cases, which often involve tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, our clients first want a full workup and analysis of their claims before deciding whether to file a lawsuit and what fee arrangement makes sense for them. In these instances, we typically charge a flat fee or hourly fee for a complete factual and legal analysis of the claims, which provides the client with the necessary information to choose how to proceed.
In other cases where we are defending our clients against claims or counterclaims, or where our clients want to retain all of the potential upside of a victory, an hourly fee arrangement makes the most sense. Of course, as with our plaintiff side cases, there are ways to craft an arrangement on the defense side that creates a shared risk among the firm and the client, such as a success fee based on the client's potential exposure in the lawsuit.
No matter what the case or what side of the docket, we work with our clients to create a fee arrangement that makes the most sense for them based on the particular facts and circumstances of the case. After all, we believe in our clients and our cases, and we think our fee arrangements should reflect this outlook.
We Use Settlement Counsel to Resolve Cases
Our firm also employs the use of settlement counsel in many of our high stakes, cutting edge litigation. Essentially, settlement counsel is an outside lawyer whose sole purpose and role is to facilitate an out-of-court resolution of a dispute. Although most litigators try to wear both hats - aggressively pursuing the litigation on behalf of their clients while talking settlement with opposing counsel in the same breath - we have found that the best way to achieve a successful result is to separate these roles. By using settlement counsel, we can focus on doing our job of advocating for our clients and pushing forward the litigation, while our settlement counsel focuses exclusively on trying to reach a settlement outside of court where possible. This allows us to avoid the distraction and mixed message that is entailed in serving as both trial lawyer and settlement spokesperson.