Episode #278 – Trucking and Transportation Litigation Defense Roundtable

Guests: Shane O’Dell, Trucking Attorney – Naman Howell & Larry Hall, Trucking Attorney – Chartwell Law

Trucking defense attorneys Shane O’Dell and Larry Hall join hosts Bill Kanasky, Jr., Ph.D. and Steve Wood, Ph.D. to talk through several topics in trucking and transportation litigation. They begin by discussing the devastating illegal U-turn trucking accident in Florida resulting in multiple fatalities and the political fallout due to immigration issues with the driver. The group talk about how to address this horrible accident in jury selection and how to solicit honest perspectives from jurors about the trucking industry in order to identify biased jurors. Next the group discuss the need for the defense to be less reactive and to become more proactive and how to help clients see the value in starting early.

Shane and Larry talk about the benefits of conducting early jury research, even pre-suit, and how finding hidden and unexpected vulnerabilities early is incredibly valuable in figuring out how to handle the claim or case. They also share how jury research is highly useful in protecting the defense team from confirmation biases that may be clouding their perspective on the case. Lastly, the group discuss the complexities in litigation when there are multiple defendants, how the attorneys manage co-defendants, and the best ways to conduct jury research when you have co-defendants.