A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE.

The firm utilizes a team approach to litigation. Typically, a partner directs the firm's effort on behalf of the client in a particular case, and handles liaison with the client. An associate may research issues, draft documents and perform some investigation. The paralegal will be responsible for compiling documents, organizing discovery responses and, depending upon the size of the case, provide computer assisted litigation support.

In our experience, litigation has come to a point where it is a process and not always a solution. This firm takes a different approach, and it has implemented two goals which it believes are shared with virtually all of its clients: coming up with a realistic assessment of exposure and creating a budget for achieving the client's goals.

Within 90 days after file assignment, the primary attorney prepares an assessment of exposure and a budget for review and consideration by the client. At this early juncture, the exercise is not flawless, but it does serve some important goals. First, it forces the attorney to think long and hard about his or her case, and what he or she needs to do to get where they are going. For instance, it should be possible to make informed judgments about whether experts might be necessary and, if so, in what particular fields and disciplines. The process also helps the attorney to think through any defenses that might apply, whether they be legal or factual and whether, for instance, extensive legal research may be required or the services of an outside investigator will be needed. This thought process helps the attorney to formulate a strategy for conducting the defense.

Secondly, and more importantly, this information is of vital importance to the client. Too often, counsel comes to his or her client on the courthouse steps and recommends a settlement offer which, when combined with the defense expenses already incurred, is a totally unacceptable result for the client. Several factors contribute to this pattern. First and foremost, the attorney has probably not presented the client with a realistic assessment of the case or a budget for how much it would cost to take the case up to the courthouse steps. Had the client had that information in hand, it might have been inclined to make a more favorable offer to the plaintiff much earlier in the case in the hopes of ridding itself of the matter. Both the client and defense counsel can have very strong feelings about the merits of a particular case and a belief that the plaintiff is entitled to nothing. That is well and fine, but there is a cost associated with vindicating that position, and the client is entitled to a candid and forthright assessment of what it will mean to pursue the matter to its conclusion.

However, if the client is committed to defend its design, its construction or what its employees did or did not do, then the firm commits all of the resources at its disposal to achieve the client's ends. Our trial attorneys combine many years of practice and a depth of experience which is second to none in terms of Alaska- based law firms.

Our practice is client oriented. We want to work as a team with the client and provide the best resolution under the circumstances. We try to keep the client involved in all phases of the procedure and the decision-making process. As a consequence we believe our clients are consistently satisfied with our handling of their cases.