How Empathy Is Reshaping Personal Injury Law: A Conversation With Lem Garcia
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Hello, this is Richard Jacobs with the Finding Genius Podcast. My guest today is attorney Lem Garcia. We're going to talk about how empathy can and is reshaping personal injury law. Lem is the founder of Lem Garcia Law. So welcome to the podcast, Lem. Thanks for coming. For having me on. Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about your background. What got you into personal injury law and then how did your approach to it change over the years? Well, I opened my practice just by myself in 2014. I

Now he was accepting all kinds of cases to start, but then the first, I guess, big case settled after maybe six months to a year. And it was a decent settlement, $30,000. And I thought from there on, just, you know, let me focus on personal injury cases. That's where most of the calls were coming from after my time was most efficient. And I decided just to focus 100% on personal injury and just focus on getting the reviews for personal injury. Don't do anything else. Just get really good at that one thing. And

And since then, it's just been going up, like just getting a lot of clients, getting more reviews, getting more business. And it's just been a nice ride so far. Well, what part of personal injury do you focus on? Auto accidents or MedMal or workers' comp? Well, we handle mostly car accidents. I would say 95% of our practice is car accidents. We handle some slip and fall, some dog bites. Don't do any MedMal. So mostly motor vehicle accidents. Okay. Okay.

So what have you noticed about the condition of the people that come to you? So all the attorneys I've seen in personal injury, they're always focused on the amounts, the compensation. Let us get you the compensation you deserve. I've gotten over a billion from my clients, that kind of thing. Is the money...

the number one thing that clients want when they come to you or is it something else? The money is, of course, very important. We don't want to lose sight of that because their compensation is what they're there for. But they're also there for to get taken care of. They want to have someone guide them from start to finish, letting them know that

everything's going to be okay, that they're in the right hands and so that they have peace of mind that just from beginning to end that they're going to be taken care of, that if they have any concerns, any questions, that we're happy to answer them and that we make time for them and we're always available to just give them that peace of mind that they're looking for. Do you have clients ask you for things that you'll say, oh, I'm sorry, that's not in my scope of practice, such as I'm having these problems with my car since the accident and

I don't know how to deal with the insurance and blah, blah, blah. I've heard a lot of personal injury attorneys say, well, you know, the car part, you deal with your insurance and all that. I don't really deal with that part. I deal with the medical side and those injuries. You know, is that what you do in your practice or do you try to do like an overall approach where you help them with everything going on with their case? I would say that we help them with everything going on in their case as far as the property damage. So in the car accident case, the property damage is a bodily injury, right?

And the property damage claim, we're not always representing them for that portion, but we're there to answer any and all questions that they have so that they can make sure that they get their car fixed or get compensated what they should. For some of the clients that really need...

our help and they don't know what to do and they can't navigate it on their own. We do handle the proper damage claim also, but I think a lot of times it's just easier for everybody if they handle that portion. And then the bodily injury claim, that's what we focus on. But we're there to answer questions. We make the time.

And give all of them, give everyone our energy so that they can get the best help that they can. Yeah, you talked about bringing empathy to the process. So did you feel like the process was not empathetic to your clients or did they voice concerns earlier on? Like, how did that come onto your radar? I think just at the very beginning, it was my idea to,

to bring that compassion and that empathy to clients from the start. When I opened the practice, I wanted to deliver a service that was essentially better than what was out there. I thought, you know, I'm starting out. I have to do something better than everybody else. And so delivering that client service, giving them the time, the energy, and really just talking them through everything was the focus. Deliver the service and then

the results will come after that. So I think empathy from the very beginning was a huge part because ultimately client service and getting results comes down to really being empathetic, really not just feeling, I mean, I wouldn't say feeling bad for them, but really just sharing their problems with them so that you can best help them. Because if you really understand what they're going through and you feel that with them, then you can really answer the question, what is it?

Yeah, you know, we have an answering service we run for a while and I can see a lot of the attorneys just default to interrogating the person. It's like personal injury, they'll call, oh, I was in an accident and this and that happened and now my back hurts me every day and I can't sleep. And they're like, okay, what's your name? What's your name? What's your insurance? You know, it's just, it turns into like, I don't care about what happened to you. Just give me the information and I'll get you the attorney. And the whole process kind of, you know, I guess the best way to put it, there is no empathy. It's just like, er, er.

or fill in this form and they're not addressing the personal situation. What are your thoughts on that kind of treatment? Is that what you've seen when you say that you try to do better? Yeah, that's what I think that I saw back when I opened up. The firm that I had exposure to, they were just like, well, if we can't take their case, we don't want to help them. We want to turn them away. We don't want to advertise that. Hey, oh, give us a call. If we can't help you, we'll still give you advice and give you direction. I spoke to other

law firm owner to other attorneys and about their marketing. And I said, hey, why don't you market that way and say, hey, like, we'll just be here for you as a resource if you have any questions or concerns. And a lot of times they would just tell me, well, we don't want to waste time with clients that we're not going to represent. And I thought, you know, that's that's really unfortunate because people really need help and they're not all going to be clients. So I saw that as kind of a way to have an in on the market and really help people out that way is like, hey, give

Give us a call. We can take your case. Great. But if we can't, we'll still help you as much as we can and give you advice and the information that you're looking for. Because the way that you mentioned it, it just sounds like it's so transactional. And the clients ultimately, I don't think are really looking for that kind of interaction with their attorney. They want to have someone that really that really listens to them, that really cares for them and really is looking out for their best interest rather than how big their case is.

Yeah. I had an issue with, uh, you know, my neighbor and the fence and I called a bunch of, you know, property or real estate attorneys and spoke to them. And one guy I spoke to, I'm telling him stuff and I'm kind of like, you know, getting angry at what's happened. And he goes, can we just get through this? And I was like, seriously? And at that moment I was like, all right, never hiring you. We're done. You know, because he just didn't care about like, I wasn't sitting there bending his ear for an hour, but the two, three minutes I wanted to tell him, you know,

you know, what I felt, what I felt. And he was like, nope. So I was like, all right, not hiring you, finished. So I think that may be a good example of, you know, from the other side, from the client side, what it may feel like if someone's not treated well with, again, with zero regard. Yeah, I think that happens far too often where an attorney just sees what they're doing as strictly as a business. Oh, can I, can this person become a client? Can I,

make some money from this person versus how can I help this person? How can I be of service to the public? And when you're a business owner, I think there's a balancing act with that. You don't want to spend too much time where there's not going to be a return. But then also, I think there needs to be more of a focus on just being a

a place where the public can turn to for help. And I think, you know, attorneys are really are in a great position to provide that service to the public. Have you had people, you know, you've been nice to them, empathetic and all that. I'm sure you've had some that have gone away and never hired you, but have you had some that have come back? You know, now they go to other attorneys or they spend some time thinking that they come back to you and, you know, has that happened? And if so, what do people say? Yeah, that's a good point. I think that's really how the office was built was authorized

off of phone calls like that where people had cases where I couldn't take the case, but I still listened to them and I gave them the advice or help and information that they were looking for. And they just really had someone that would listen to them. A lot of times people would call and say, well, you know what, you know, I wish you could take my case, but I really thank you for hearing me out and giving me some information or even just, you know, giving me the number of someone else that could help. It turns out that a

even give referrals out to other attorneys that they know that could help or once they know that they can't take the case they just either I mean I've heard it they just hang up you know they just oh we can't help and then hang up or you know just really abrupt action I mean I get it attorneys are busy and have a lot to do but at the same time people are coming to you for help and when people come to you for help you have to show up

I mean, have you seen a significant number of people come back? Maybe some... Oh, right. Your circumstance and, you know... Yeah, absolutely. So the people that I do help, by just giving them information, I've had several clients at the beginning where they would say, you know what, I really enjoyed our conversation when I spoke to you. I don't know if you remember, maybe six months ago or a year ago, and I saved your number. I saved your number in case I ever needed your help. And you said that you had an accident, and here I am, I was involved in an accident, so, you know, can you help me out? And that's happened...

numerous times. So you really have an opportunity with every phone call to make a connection with a person. If you make that connection, then they'll remember you and then they'll save you to their phone. And then if something does happen to them, they'll give you a call so that they can get the help that they're looking for.

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No, that's really great. That's excellent. So you've gotten referrals. I mean, we've gotten people coming back after X number of months and now they're hiring you. Have you gotten referrals from it where they told a friend or a family member or someone and that person hired you? Yeah, that has happened quite a few times as well. They save their number or save our number. And then when someone they know needs help, they say, you know, I spoke to this attorney. He handles accidents. You should give him a call. Person calls and they say, hey, this person will give me your number. And

It turned out that we helped them out or just gave them some information and they're happy to get our services because they know that, you know, that I was so helpful on the phone with them when I knew that they didn't have a case that we could take.

If it doesn't even lead to a referral or them calling in as a client, a lot of times if you just talk to people, hear them out, give them any kind of advice, they're so thankful. They want to do something, so then they'll leave a review online or even multiple reviews. Oh, you've gotten positive reviews from people that haven't even been your client. Yeah, absolutely. They're so thankful and they feel indebted and they want to do something. They say, well, you gave me 15 minutes of your time. Let me do something.

and then they leave a review. And some of their reviews are probably the most, you know, like, sparkling reviews online. That's really cool. Have you, I don't know if you do a newsletter, but

But have you thought about asking people if they're okay to be sent your email newsletter, for instance, like once a month? Because that might be something if you add it in, it could be another way to just keep reminding these people that, you know, if they know someone in their life that needs help, maybe it'll increase your referrals. Yeah, a newsletter that really provided value to the client would be a great idea. We have emails that go out and this kind of just a quick email that gives them a tip or some kind of,

friendly greeting at a holiday, but I think a newsletter that really provides them with some value and it's nice, quick, easy read could provide tremendous value to the firm. You know, what I like about what you're doing is you're monetizing people that aren't even clients. It may take time, but every call you take that leads to some kind of consult that sounds like has a chance, a much higher chance now because of how you've treated people of bringing money back to you in the future, you know, through referral, direct, you know, case with them, positive review, you know,

which will get more people to call you, et cetera. It seems like a really great virtuous circle just because you have empathy. Yeah, I think so. I really believe in you reap what you sow. And if you're out there just giving advice and helping people out, like the more people that you help, the more seeds that you're planting and those seeds will eventually grow into something positive. Who sees you do this besides the potential clients? Like, I don't know if you have staff that sees you acting this way or not.

Other attorneys you speak to, maybe you've told them about this. Like, you know, who have you, again, seen, who has seen you do this or you've spoken to about it? And have they given you any feedback, positive or negative? Yeah, the team, my staff over here, they're 100% behind it. And they do the same thing because I'm not talking to every potential client that

There's other attorneys here that speak to them or staff members that provide them with information. And they do the same thing from top to bottom. Anyone that answers the phone, we're all friendly, approachable, and we help out where we can. And if we can't help out, then we give a referral to somebody who hopefully can help. When I talk to other attorneys about what we do, they say, wow, you guys have the time to do that. And I just tell them like, yeah, like, wow, you don't have the time. You should make the time to do it.

Oh, so you give referrals occasionally to other attorneys that can help the person when you can't? Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. We have a list of other attorneys that handle other types of law and we just, you know, make sure they do good work and we refer them out. You get reciprocity from the other attorneys that you refer to? Like, do they tend to refer more to you? I think we probably more refer out than keep.

Here, we get a good number of potential clients in all areas of law and we make it a point to provide. We really are proud of being just kind of a hub of information to people in the area so that they know they can call us if they need any kind of legal help. I think generally speaking, the public, they don't really know what kind of lawyer they need. They just know they need to call a lawyer and then figure it out from there.

So people, if we're friendly and nice enough to them and helpful enough, they'll save our number and remember us so that we can be, I guess, a directory for them and get them in the right direction. Oh, that's great. How much do you feel like this has contributed to the growth of your firm? I think if we didn't do this, we wouldn't be where we're at today. And we're at a good spot. And I, you know, we've gotten a good number of clients and referrals and, you know, it's just like a branch of a tree just keeps on building out. So it's been huge. It's

Is there any, I don't know, competition amongst the attorneys in your firm? Like who can get the most or not necessarily show the most empathy, but are there some people in the firm that just seem to be a lot better at this than others? I think we're all really good at it. We all make it a point to help out. Are there people that are better than others? Yeah, I mean, I think just generally speaking, people, yeah, some take more time than others to give help. But I think that just comes with their nature that some people...

are more thorough than others or more, some are more direct than others, but just overall, I think everybody here does a great job of just providing assistance as best they can. So what's next in your plan? Where do you want to take this with your firm? The next step, you know, the growth isn't as important to me as providing good service to clients. And I think I've noticed that the more we expand, the more difficult it is to continue to provide the same level of service. So,

I think where we're at right now is good, but if we can continue to expand maybe to Central California or Northern California, that would be nice to see. But the focus is going to stay just making sure that the clients that we do have, we provide the best service possible and we just continue to find ways to make our service and results the best. Okay. So what areas do you serve, by the way, for listeners of the call? Where in California do you help? So we're in Southern California. We focus on L.A. County, Orange County.

We do get some clients also like San Bernardino County, Riverside. We have a satellite office in Oceanside, San Diego County. So we're focused on Southern California, but I think with some time we can expand to like Central and Northern, but time will tell. Okay. And last thing, since you are

are empathetic and you provide good service, what's it like for you when you get service from other vendors and other people out in the world? Does it irk you? Do you feel like the level of service in general amongst a lot of companies is good or bad? How does this personally affect your daily living? With my daily living, when I receive bad service, I'm not upset. I kind of have patience with it. I think everybody's going through something. So if I get a bad service from a receptionist or

cashier or waitress, waiter, you know, just be patient with them. They might be going through something and I don't take it personally. But when I get...

get good service from, from anyone, whether it's a service or if it's someone like helping me out at my house or the office and you know, like a plumber or an electrician, I'm very eager and enthusiastic to leave them a good review. Like it's one of my favorite things to do is just leave the best review for these folks because I know how much it's, it helps and I know how hard they work for it. And it just, it's just like, you know, I don't know, maybe if I take like five minutes of my time to leave them a great review, I'm

Like the return on my five minutes is tremendous. I mean, the benefit doesn't go to me, it goes to them. But still, like I'm creating something that is a huge benefit with such a little amount of time. Well, that's really cool. That's fantastic. So it seems like it also just brings you a higher level of happiness than I've seen in a lot of attorneys that just, I know, unfortunately, just seem to have like a negative bent on things. You seem to be more at peace and just, again, a bit happier than a lot of ones I've spoken to.

Oh, well, yeah, thank you. I try to be happy. Right on. Okay. Well, very good. So your website for people to contact you, you know, should they want to, what is it? Let's give them some information. Yeah, my website is lemgarcielaw.com and my email, feel free to email me, lem at lemgarcielaw.com and my Instagram handle is at lemgarcielaw. And lem is L-E-M, right? Correct. L-E-M. Okay. Well, fantastic. Well,

You know, Lem, thanks so much for coming on the call and, you know, spilling all your secrets and everything. And I think it's a really great virtuous thing you're doing. So appreciate you. Oh, appreciate you. Thanks so much for having me. If you like this podcast, please click the link in the description to subscribe and review us on iTunes. You've been listening to the Finding Genius Podcast with Richard Jacobs.

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