Trial Lawyers Are Your Neighbors

By Tom Killoren
Partner
KD Trial Lawyers

When people hear the words “trial lawyer,” they often picture television commercials, courtroom dramas, or headlines about million-dollar verdicts. Too often, we’re portrayed as being at odds with small businesses, or as strangers looking for the next lawsuit.

That narrative couldn’t be further from the truth. The conversation shouldn’t be framed as lawyers versus businesses. It should be framed as lawyers and business owners accountable to their community versus corporations accountable to their bottom line.

Before I’m a trial lawyer, I am a son, a father, a husband, a taxpayer, and a coach. The law firm my partners and I run in Spartanburg employs people, supports families, pays local taxes, contributes to retirement plans, and invests in our community. We pay the same property taxes, income taxes, and business taxes as every other small business in South Carolina. There are no special loopholes or exemptions for us. Like thousands of other local business owners, we work hard and hope to leave our community better than we found it.

Some of the most meaningful parts of my career have happened outside the courtroom, coaching church league basketball, organizing an annual March Madness fundraiser for the Kids Clubs of Spartanburg, and supporting various charities throughout the Upstate. I stay in touch with many of my clients long after their cases are over, because they become more than clients. They become friends.

That’s because the people who walk through my office door aren’t looking to attack or punish anyone. They’re real people whose lives have been turned upside down. They come to us after the worst days of their lives, searching for answers, accountability, and a path forward. Most of them never imagined needing a lawyer, but we are always there for them.

As we approach nearly 25 years since the tragedy of 9/11, I think back to how trial lawyers volunteered to handle nearly 1,700 cases of those who were victims of 911. Through their work, around $2 billion was distributed to those who had been hurt and lost loved ones. The lawyers who volunteered received no legal fees. And not once did the lawyers receive any complaints about the services they provided for those in need.

Our justice system exists for people like the victims of 9/11. It gives ordinary citizens a voice when they face powerful corporations, insurance companies, or the government with far greater resources than they have. Without that system, and without trial lawyers willing to represent them, many people would simply have nowhere to turn.

That’s the distinction that matters. The trial lawyers who live and work in the community are your neighbors. The powerful corporations and insurance companies we face in court are not. They do not coach local youth teams, volunteer at our food banks, or invest in our community’s future. They are distant entities that prioritize profit over people, and trial lawyers are often the only thing standing between those entities and the people they’ve harmed.

I’ve seen the headlines framing trial lawyers as greedy, claiming that we’re out to get small businesses and driving up insurance costs. But the reality is that many trial lawyers are business owners themselves, hiring employees, supporting local nonprofits, and investing in the places we call home. We want thriving local communities just as much as anyone else, because our families live here too.

At the end of the day, this profession isn’t about lawsuits. It’s about people. It’s about helping a family rebuild, making sure someone who’s been wronged isn’t left to carry that burden alone, and standing up for our neighbors when no one else will.

So the next time you hear the words “trial lawyer,” I hope you picture something different than a commercial or a headline. I hope you picture your neighbor, the one at the ballfield on Saturday, in the pew on Sunday, and in the office on Monday, ready to help when someone you know needs it most. Because that’s who we are.