Florida Lawyer Enrolls in Truck Driving School, But He's Not Trading His Tie For A CB

Aug. 19, 2012 - PRLog -- When Florida injury lawyer, John Phillips, came home and told his family he was enrolling in a truck driving academy to obtain his Commercial Drivers License, his family was confused.  Had they missed a sign?  Had he had a break-down?  Were they going to have to raise the roof of the garage? No, he just wanted the perspective to better serve his clients, who often are injured in motor vehicle wrecks involving tractor-trailers.

Seventy percent of all freight is moved by tractor-trailors and trucking is responsible for around 7% of the total U.S. oil consumption. The trucking industry logs about 500 billion miles per year.  The legal weight for an eighteen wheeler is 80,000 lbs, well over 15-times greater than most pedestrian automobiles on the road.  One person is injured or killed in a truck accident every 16 minutes, but fewer than 9% of all motor vehicle related deaths involve commercial vehicles. More than 80% of those accidents are the fault of the non-commercial driver.  The sheer weight and speed makes any wreck especially dangerous and often fatal.

"Our desire is to sit in our client's shoes or the shoes of those that harmed them as often as possible," said Phillips, "Law schools are churning out thousands of new lawyers per year and others do not take the time to learn the science and biomechanics of injury cases.  We can never learn or do enough for our clients. We have a former surgeon, who is now a lawyer, on staff. We have an award winning team, but I figured if I can find 300-plus hours to see trucking from the inside, it will help me be a better advocate for decades to come. It's a small investment in the scheme of things."

Fadi Chakour, MD / JD, a lawyer with John's office agreed, "We don't just represent clients and we don't just take cases.  We prove that passion and compassion still exist in the practice of law and will do whatever it takes to be the best because our clients are the best. I can honestly say I was surprised by John's decision, but not his dedication.  That's John."  "I just hope he doesn't decide he needs to apprentice for a year behind the wheel," Fadi joked.

John is expected to graduate from trucking school by December and will continue to work full-time and host his weekly radio show, Courts & Sports.  Those interested in keeping up with his journey can keep up with it on the firm's Facebook page- www.facebook.com/knowthelawyer.