Interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH DOUGLAS LANDAU

Douglas Landau frequently tries Personal Injury, Workers Compensation, and Social Security Disability Income cases. You can learn more about his:

· Legal Philosophy

· Top 8 Objectives

· Reasons for Entering the Legal Profession

· Most Rewarding Case Ever

· Thoughts on What Makes Abrams Landau Different

What is Your Legal Philosophy?

Simply put, we aim to serve those who are injured or disabled through no fault of their own. Taking difficult cases, novel issues of law and science, and clients of all backgrounds has placed us in the position we are in today.

We know that we must always be conscious that the firm is dependent upon our clients who have the confidence to bring to us their most intimate and urgent problems for resolution. There is no small or insignificant case to our clients, and each deserves our best efforts.

A law firm has an obligation within our society to set a high moral and ethical standard while at the same time advocating its client’s cause. Attorneys make the judicial system work while being closely scrutinized by the public. We must be above reproach in the example we set.

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Can You State 8 Key Objectives of Your Firm?

To best serve the interests of our clients and their loved ones, we strive for the following objectives and have stated these goals in writing in the press:

1. Reaffirming that every citizen has a reasonable expectation of privacy

2. Requiring the insurer to compensate parents for the death of their child

3. Civil liability for damages for the victims of statutory violations, criminal and intentional conduct (which are barred by the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act)

4. Allowing fair compensation for the men, women and children who have given their hearts, souls and lives on the assembly lines

5. Keeping medical costs down and keeping doctors from refusing to treat injured workers

6. Using the more equitable “comparative fault” standard for negligence cases, not the outdated “contributory negligence” standard that exists in Virginia and almost nowhere else

7. Allowing “bad faith claims” against insurance carriers

8. Licensing, overseeing, and bringing to justice vocational rehabilitation vendors who seek to take advantage of injured workers

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Why Did You Decide to Practice Law?

I started out studying medicine as well as the law. My father who is an attorney, used to borrow my science books for his cases. As I watched him work, I realized that science and law were tied together in the areas of personal injury and disability. The overlap of medicine and law was fascinating and I found myself drawn to learning more about the legal system and how it works.

As I learned more, I saw that law gave me a way I could help people who otherwise would not have a chance. That was all I needed to know and I was hooked. I could use my medical studies and experience to help people who needed an advocate. Presently, I spend much of my time working with physicians, reviewing medical records and explaining their importance to clients, their families, adjusters, judges and juries.

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What Was Your Most Rewarding Case?

The most rewarding case–in terms of validating everything I believe about the work we do–was a Social Security Disability case in Tampa. Ralph Dean was suffering from Berylliosis, a form of metal poisoning, from exposure to chemical compounds during his work developing rocket propellants for the “Star Wars” program.

This exposure had led to the deaths of all his co-workers, and Mr. Dean’s illness, and yet the case was lost at every level because it was “too late” to make the claim beyond six months of illness. His doctor in Colorado, the world’s leading expert, stated that this latent disease takes 20 years to show up. Had he brought the claim in the time permitted, he would have been found not to be injured, and the claim would have been dismissed.

After seven years of litigation at every level, including the Supreme Court, a Federal judge in Florida found in favor of Mr. Dean and awarded his disability claim. In addition, we were awarded attorney’s fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act. This was the first case of its kind to be won in Florida, but of even greater significance was the joy and relief of Mr. and Mrs. Dean at the verdict – their hugs meant more to me than any amount of money.

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What Sets You Apart From Other Law Firms?

We do not fit the standard mold of a cold, imposing law firm. We work out of a 100-year-old house, because it fits our style of accessibility and caring. It is important to us that our clients feel at home with us. Accessibility should be no barrier to their visiting us and feeling comfortable in our offices.

We care about our clients and strive to help them, beyond just their cases. Please take the time to read some of our success stories. We know you will feel as inspired by our clients as we are everyday.
We also do not need to advertise in the yellow pages, television, newspaper or other media so often utilized by other firms. We get our cases the old fashioned way-we get clients from our present and past clients, treating doctors, other lawyers, adjusters (!), professionals and the official bar referral services (VA, FL, Fairfax, NOSSCR).

If you have legal matters that need attention, please feel free to contact us.(link to contact_form). You can also find out whether you have a case by a simple email. We will be happy to give you our initial thoughts, and there is usually no charge for our initial consultations.

We welcome the opportunity to help. Doug Landau welcomes you to watch him in action in court any time. We feel the best way to get to know your attorney is to watch him in action. We know of no other law firm that encourages present, past and future clients to come and observe what we do in court. We will be happy to speak with you about your particular case after a trial near you; you can also speak with other clients about their cases and their experiences with our firm.

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