When I started the Robert B. Lipman law firm over 35 years. I felt I was very fortunate to have found my niche which was a perfect fit for my personality and my professional goals. The Robert Lipman firm focused on representing people from all walks of life and not large corporations. I knew I could relate to anyone from the dregs of society to CEO’s of large companies, and being very competitive all my life truly felt I could do a better job than most of my competition. Insurance companies came to recognize and understand that they could pay Robert Lipman’s firm’s clients thru either settlement or trial, but either way they would eventually pay top dollar commensurate with the injuries. I am very proud of the fact that I never had a mentor but developed the Robert Lipman’s firm’s reputation on my own, from which many associates over the years branched out and became very successful lawyers on their own taking with them the knowledge and experience learned during their employment with the Lipman firm.
The Robert B. Lipman practice continued to grow to the extent I needed to hire a partner/associate to help give the quality of service promised to each of my clients. For the first time I wanted to brainstorm legal strategies with an experienced personal injury trial lawyer which really made the practice fun again for me. After an exhaustive interview process in early 2005, I met and hired Jay Drew who for 20 years had been one of State Farm’s hand-picked regional litigation supervisors on a national scale. In recognition of his skillful and productive contribution I changed the name of the law firm to Lipman and Drew.
Tri-Mountain Retreat became a reality in 2010, and quickly started to compete with my time and dedication to the Lipman and Drew firm. My philosophy was when the practice became more stressful than fun and rewarding, given my desire to continue to develop and advance The Retreat, it would be time to sell my practice and retire in order to prioritize this new chapter of my life. The marriage to my practice ended in 2013 as I sold my practice to two very capable attorneys who I knew would preserve my legacy built over 35 years. I am pleased to also relate that after leaving the firm in 2013, Jay Drew has rejoined the law firm now recognized as Rickard, Drew and Nix.
It is very difficult to choose my most memorable and/or favorite cases, as it is similar to choosing one’s favorite child which is virtually impossible. However, five cases out of the 14,000 cases I handled over my 35 years really stand out for different reasons; two involve trials against large corporations where significant injuries were sustained from falls on their premises; one involves a dui car wreck case; one involved a tractor trailer case; and perhaps the most memorable case received national television recognition as the lead story on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer.
With the exception of the last case mentioned above, the other cases shared two things in common: (1) complete denial of liability and therefore no offer of settlement prior to trial: and (2) significant surgical cases resulting in permanent injuries. I will elaborate on these cases at a later date.