FIRM PHILOSOPHY
Mr. Tittle’s overriding philosophy is based on a belief in the trial system. “With over twenty-five years in the practice of law, I have come to the conclusion that trial by jury is not nearly the uncertain gamble that many lawyers make it out to be. A lot of lawyers have bought into this type of thinking and believe that a jury trial is nothing more than a roll of the dice. I absolutely do not see it that way. I believe that the facts of a case certainly do matter, especially when they are presented in a coherent, logical and honest way. It has been my experience that people serving on a jury want very badly to reach a just result, and they will gravitate toward the side they believe is telling them the truth. I make certain that I never tell the jury something that isn’t true, and I never try to pull a fast one on them. I expect the same out of the witnesses I call to the witness stand. Juries respect the truth, and will choose the side that brings it to them.”
Because Mr. Tittle believes in the trial system, he is unwavering in those cases where pretrial negotiations have not yielded the result desired by the client. Several of the firm’s largest jury verdicts have involved cases in which the opposing side did not believe that our “bottom line” settlement offer meant exactly that. We stuck to our guns and the juries in those cases awarded substantially larger amounts than had been offered in settlement.
Refusing to settle to be paid off during the Dallas “fake drug scandal”, the firm represented over a dozen Mexican immigrant workers who were falsely arrested by the Dallas Police Department. In that case, crooked informants and false police reports by several Dallas Police officers caused the wrongful incarceration of a number of innocent men. After months of negotiation, and one successful jury verdict, the City of Dallas paid more than $6,000,000 to our clients. The total settlement was the largest amount ever paid by the City of Dallas to a group of civil rights claimants involving the Dallas Police Department.
The above example of success is directly attributable to the firm’s faith in the jury system, and the critical process of case presentation, which must be genuine and honest.
The Process
The first objective in any case is to become personally acquainted with the client. It is that personal knowledge and depth of understanding of the client and the case that drives the process. Preparation of the case, of course, means securing top-shelf support. Mr. Tittle believes in identifying and employing the best experts in a given field. Since the story is told through the witnesses, it is important to hire experts that are both knowledgeable and believable. A “hired gun” is never the way to succeed.
Just as important as top level experts, is a thorough knowledge of the key documents in a case. While it can be a painstaking process, a meticulous approach to the documentary record always pays dividends.
Visual Aids – A persuasive presentation requires visual and demonstrative aids. Whether it is a replica of an accident site, an enlargement of a critical photo, or a 3D interactive model of the human body, a jury will follow the case better when the testimony is supported by a visual presentation.
Mock juries – In certain cases, mock juries are hired to help us better evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the case. By the time we get to trial, we use this knowledge to emphasize those issues that will be most persuasive.
Total preparation – nothing is more important.