17-8, 29-17, 54-53, 41-13,
48-13, 15-26, 53-22, 38-41, 20-13, 20-31, 31-23, 31-41, 32-46,
32-41, 37-32, 03-31, 26-37, 26-13, 28-26, 28-40, 28-03, 46-34,
46-44.
This week's
leads focus...
- Barbara
Kollman
- Paul
Kavanaugh
- Denver Johnson
Wayne Unruh was today's Business
Spotlight. He told the group about a new product,
Benissimo. It is a granite tile that comes ready with the
edge. For most it is a do-it- yourself installation.
Best of all, this product costs about 50% less than regular
granite.
And he has
lots of tortoises for sale!
Chris
Curran
Attorney at Law
Chris decided not to do the
personal biography accept to say that he has been married almost
10 years, has two children and came to Arizona because he
got accepted to two colleges and the one in Arizona was the
cheapest!
Chris has been with MABE since
1999. He is the group's personal injury and insurance
attorney but lately he wears many hats. He also sells
title insurance, he's a licensed realtor, and the list goes on.
He started his law practice with
a phone, a chair and a handful of close personal relationships.
He has been in three partnerships and seen several ups and
downs. He has gone from being a one-man band to having a
full-time staff of six and back again. He has gone from a
handful of clients to close to 80 at a time. As for his
finances...revenues are great, expenses suck!
One of the perks of his practice
is that he has seen a lot of interesting cases. He is constantly
involved in new things, a perpetual student. Many lawyers
in town take an area and specialize. That would bore Chris.
Recently in MABE the question
was asked "What do you charge and how do you determine your
price?" Chris works on
contingency. He
attempts to recover expenses and then takes a third of the
gross. He finds that he loses money on many cases but then
makes a windfall on a few.
Chris told stories of two
clients. He compared the cases of two women in different
situations to show how unfair the system can be. One didn't
necessarily deserve the extraordinary amount of money that she
was quickly awarded. The other is a hero that did deserve money
but to-date has been awarded zero. This is why Chris has lost
his taste for this type of work. He thought he was getting
involved with the justice system only to find himself immersed
in the legal system.
Chris wanted MABE's input on a
case he is currently working on. An infant was burned by hot
coffee at IHOP. After many procedures and a couple of years the
scare looks like a birth mark. It you were the jury, what would
you say is a fair entitlement? The demand was $90,000 and the
original offer was $5500. Now they are looking at getting
around $12,500 while professionals tell him a range between
$15,000-$20,000 is attainable.
Q&A
Do you use paralegals to screen
new clients?
I always meet with a client. I have used paralegals for
tasks that are more mundane but I would much rather have a good
legal secretary.
How do you choose a client?
I find out what the client's expectations are. Are they
willing to buy what I am selling? I used to be take cases
because I needed the work. Referrals were important.
|
Christopher Curran
10+ year member
Member since December
1999 |
LAW - PERSONAL INJURY & INSURANCE LITIGATION
Law Office of Christopher J. Curran, P.C. - Attorney at Law
3165 S. Alma School Rd, Suite 29-291, Chandler, AZ
85248
Phone: (480) 649-1700 • FAX: (480) 917-2430
Cell: (480) 628-7772
E-mail:
curran134@cox.net
We provide a full range of legal services to individuals and families
who are victims of negligence and/or the insurance company “run-around.”
We will handle all communications, assist you with your property damage,
and help you find appropriate medical care valley-wide. Working strictly
on a contingency fee basis, and by forwarding all necessary costs, our
office assumes the financial risk associated with pursuing virtually all
recoveries. Member - Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, licensed in all
Arizona state and federal courts.
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