Oil Spill Lawyer Says Honesty, Not Slickness, Is Best in Court
Name: Randall H. Scarlett.
Name of firm: Brown, Monzione, Fabbro, Zakaria & Scarlett.
Location of firm: 900 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 91133.
Law School: Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, CA.
Affiliations: Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Consumers Attorneys of California; and San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.
How long practicing: 8 years.
Type of case: Medical malpractice, personal injury, environmental, product liability and civil rights. Scarlett maintains an international practice, with current cases pending throughout the United States.
Key to success: Randall H. Scarlett believes strong preparation in any expert based case is a must. "Preparation begins before the complaint is filed and flows throughout the course of discovery and pretrial proceedings." says Scarlett. "A lawyer does a disservice to his client by being unprepared and shooting from the hip. The trial lawyer must know an expert's subject matter as well as the expert." Of equal importance, however is presentation. Scarlett believes a lawyer must be thorough, but also humble and unafraid to admit weaknesses. "Juries sense honesty," says Scarlet. Scarlett attempts to make every trial interesting for the jury. He is convinced that juries remember much more of what they see and hear than what they hear alone. In virtually all cases he uses demonstrative evidence extensively. Blow-ups, models, computer re-enactments and other visual aids allow Scarlett to guide a jury through dry subject matter. Scarlett's philosophy is to be prepared, to keep it interesting and to be oneself.
Case in focus: Wright v. St. Rose Hospital, ET at / H168012.
Favorite trial moments: About three years ago. Scarlett successfully tried a three-week federal case in Las Vegas. Scarlett's client had sustained a serious back injury in a fall necessitating a fusion at the LS-S1. The plaintiff contended he was permanently disabled as a result of complications to his back. Defendants sought to establish otherwise. They paid a private investigator to follow and video the plaintiff, in order to establish that plaintiff was not disabled. Unfortunately for the defendants, much of the videotape taken was not of the plaintiff, but another gentlemen who looking strikingly similar to the plaintiff. While the plaintiff realized this fact almost immediately, it became apparent to everybody when the look-alike began loading a very expensive automobile with multiple bags of groceries. The plaintiff had never set foot in such an automobile. The case was subsequently resolved.
Personal: Scarlett and his wife, Mary Anne, have two children. Randal Alexander, age 3, and Christina Marie, age 1 ½. The most important aspect of Scarlett's life is his family. He loves to ski in the winter and is an avid golfer whenever time promises. This year his 3 year old son will be skiing with him.
What other litigation professionals say about this attorney: Richard Gerry of Casey, Gerry, Reed and Schenk (San Diego): "I have known Randall Scarlett for several years and observe his work and demeanor in the Exxon Valdez oil spill Agitation and in other cases. It does not surprise me that a trial attorney of his tenacity, imagination and empathy for his clients achieved the result in his recent case. I would expect many more such verdicts from him in the future as he moves into his rightful place as a leader of the plaintiffs' trial lawyers' bar."
