Legal Solutions for You,
Your Family & Your Business
Find a Lawyer >
Personal Injury lawyers serving Clayton County, GA >
David J. Brauns
Back to Search Results
David J. Brauns
Brauns Law, PC
12600 Deerfield Parkway
Suite 100
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Phone: (770) 783-1388 | Fax: (678) 264-0970
http://www.braunslaw.com
http://georgiapersonalinjuryreport.com/
A Lawyer Who Tries Select Injury Cases to Maximum Value
Legal Topic
Personal Injury
Preferred New Clients
When I decided to open my own firm, I promised myself I would only handle a small, select number of cases at any one time. My philosophy is that the stronger the attorney-client relationship and the more time I have to spend aggressively litigating a case, the more value and justice I can bring to my client. That being the case, I only accept personal injury cases where medical bills exceed $10,000. The time and resources I spend preparing a case for trial simply do not permit me to take the smaller cases. You can read more about my case criteria and my reasons by visiting the case selection criteria page of my website.
Sub-Categories
Personal Injury
- Dangerous Property
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Construction Site Injuries
- Slip & Fall
- Sports Injuries
- Whiplash
- Felony Auto Accident
- Design Defects
- Manufacturing Defects
- Buildings
- Mass Transit - Bus, Train, Subway
- Anesthesia Malpractice
- Birth Injuries and Defects
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Dental Malpractice
- Elder and Nursing Home Abuse
- Emergency Room Errors
- HMO Managed Case
- Lasik Eye Surgery
- Medication Malpractice
- Optometry Malpractice
- Prescription/Drug Malpractice
- Psychiatric Malpractice
- Surgical Errors
- Wrong Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis
- Nursing Home Negligence
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Amputation
- Birth Injury
- Burn Injury
- Head/Brain Injury
Bar Admissions
GA, Nov 2005
Bar Number: 142360
Other Court Admissions
All Georgia Trial Courts, Georgia Court of Appeals, Georgia Supreme Court, and U.S. District Court - Northern District of Georgia.
Association Memberships
Continuing Education
I attend continuing legal education seminars directly related to trial/litigation techniques, skills and strategies. My total hours for any one year usually far exceed the minimum number of hours required because I do not look at continuing legal education as a requirement, but as an opportunity to improve my abilities to help my clients. I also coach my local high school's mock trial team, which earns me a few hours of credit per year.
Papers and Publications
I have authored a paper surveying Georgia's collateral source rule (the rule denying the introduction of evidence that payments have come from another source); a 35-page guide to teach car accident victims about their case before talking to an attorney or insurance company; and an article teaching potential clients how to handle their own case under the right circumstances.
Example Cases
In my prior practice, I represented local hospitals, doctors and nursing homes in high profile medical malpractice cases, which usually exceeded $1 million dollars in value. Now, I actively litigate between 20 and 30 Atlanta personal injury cases at any one time and only those where I know I can bring maximum value and justice to my client.
Education
Degree:
B.A. English with Minor in Business Administration
School:
City:
Clemson
State:
SC
Year:
1994
Degree:
Juris Doctorate
City:
Atlanta
State:
GA
Year:
2005
Honors:
Graduated Cum Laude
Focus and Accomplishments:
Honors in Litigation Workshop; Member of Nationally Recognized Mock Trial Team; Recipient of Georgia Civil Justice Foundation Scholarship; Pupil of Bleckley Inn of Court
Number of Attorneys
1
State Licensed In
Georgia
Firm Focus and History
I established my firm in February of 2008, after spending the first part of my professional career working for insurance companies. You can read more about how this prior experience deeply shaped my commitment and vision for litigating personal injury cases by reading the next section below. My firm also leverages technology in a variety of ways, one of which is having a paperless office. This enables me to run a transparent case - one in which my clients see everything in their case at every step of the way.
I am an Atlanta personal injury lawyer and I dedicate 100% of my practice to personal injury litigation. I only accept a small number of cases each year. I put my entire focus and all my resources behind those cases. I investigate and diligently prepare each case as if it is going to trial from day one. While statistics show most cases settle before trial, preparing a case for trial is the only way to truly maximize the value of your case. Many personal injury lawyers, especially those who advertise heavily, handle many more cases than I do and use generic forms to do the bare minimum to get a case to settlement negotiations. Their business model is to take as many cases as possible. This will not only affect the value of your case, but also the quality of your attorney-client relationship. Work and preparation lead to success and justice which is the focus of my firm.
Previous Employment Summary
Prior to starting my own firm, I worked for insurance companies defending people who were sued in personal injury cases. I was an associate attorney at one of the largest, most well-respected medical malpractice defense firms in Atlanta where I defended cases where millions of dollars were at stake. I learned how these firms spare no expense or resource defending a case. Knowing I would eventually represent the injured, (I was just there to learn my enemy so to speak) I vowed to use the same work ethic, strategies and tactics against my former employers - insurance companies.
Prior to becoming an attorney, I was in the software industry. I helped develop software for a big five accounting firm and several internet products for commercial usage, including one application for which my employer filed for a patent. I am grateful to have learned how to organize, manage, and communicate in a business environment outside of the practice of law. I firmly believe it has made me a better attorney for my clients and a stronger adversary to those I go up against.
Activities and Awards
Head Coach of South Forsyth High School Mock Trial Team; Former Clerk for Fulton Superior Court Judge.
What is your opinion regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?
I am a firm believer in teaching and informing my client about all aspects of their case. One look at all the information on my firm's website will confirm this devotion. An involved, knowledgeable client only makes for a better case and a better attorney-client relationship. My clients will only talk to me, not paralegals or secretaries. They also receive comprehensive evaluation reports at key points in their case. This is something the insurance companies required of their attorneys (when I was one) so shouldn't personal injury victims also have this. The evaluations serve many important purposes, one of which is giving my clients the information to make informed decisions about their cases and lives.
Are you willing to review documents prepared by clients?
I will certainly review documents that are within my area of expertise and practice, such as insurance policies and communications from insurance companies. If I cannot assist my clients with something outside my practice area, I will immediately get them to someone who can.
Are you willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?
I certainly respect a potential client's wishes to represent themselves. Certainly, in small personal injury cases I feel most clients can handle their own case and obtain at least the same amount of compensation as they would after paying an attorney to come into their case. If you are thinking about representing yourself, I invite you to read my article on handling your own case or Nolo's article on the same.
Why did you decide to be a lawyer?
I originally went to law school to become a trial lawyer. I was attracted to the strategy and adversarial nature of our legal system. I devoted my law school experience to learning everything I could about trying cases. After working for insurance companies, my reasons for wanting to be a trial lawyer changed dramatically. The 70-hour work weeks of defending individuals and companies who hurt other people left me broken-hearted and devoid of justice. I simply could not look at my career as only a job in which I had to argue and advocate for the side paying me. It had to be about more. Now I am able to have a professional career that gives me purpose. I leave the office each day knowing I am helping my clients find justice against companies and insurance companies who only care about money, not right or wrong.
What work experience and education helps you be a better lawyer?
As I mentioned above, my career prior to being a lawyer has contributed significantly to who I am today. Many lawyers go straight from college to law school and then learn from other lawyers who have taken the same route, thereby repeating some of the mistakes of their predecessors. Working in major corporations and start-up software companies instilled a whole set of organizational and communication skills I think some lawyers lack by the very nature of their career paths. Task management is critically important to being a great trial attorney, but is hardly discussed. Flawlessly executing litigation sends a strong message that you are prepared and will always result in increasing the value of your case.
Why did you decide on your primary area of practice?
At the risk of it sounding like a cliché, I do what I do because I like helping people. It is not about the money. If I help people and do good work, the money will follow. Also, I have a strong sense of justice and have made it my mission to hold insurance companies accountable. I started my career as an insurance defense attorney - defending those sued in personal injury lawsuits. I told myself I would do it for four to five years and then flip sides to help the injured. I didn't make it that long. One night I was watching a documentary with my wife about the meat packing industry. There was a scene in the movie where a worker was cleaning out a huge, two-story meat grinder using a hose. The surface was wet and he slipped and fell off the machine. The movie cut to the hospital where the man's wife was in the ER waiting room and in tears. All she wanted to know was whether her husband would be okay. Two people in suits walked over to her. One introduces herself as the Risk Manager of the company where the lady's husband was hurt while the other gentleman was a lawyer. They started the conversation apologizing. Then the attorney said that while they are sorry for his accident, they know the woman's husband had a back injury in the past so they were not going to pay him for the unsafe work environment. My wife gasped. I turned to her and said "I am that guy. That is what the insurance companies make me do." I knew from that point on what my true calling was.
What do you like best about your career?
The answer is that I simply enjoy helping people and holding insurance companies accountable for their actions.
Tell us about your law firm:
I am a solo practitioner. All my clients get my cell phone number and will only ever talk to me about their case. I value the attorney-client relationship and my entire practice, from the small number of cases I handle at any one time to having a completely paperless office in which my clients get copies of everything, is set up to honor and fulfill that relationship. The stronger it is, the better your case becomes.
What are your strengths and style?
I am highly organized and an effective communicator. I am driven by the belief I cannot lose if I am prepared. Lack of preparation is a lack of self-respect and reveals an attorney who does not care for his/her client. It is inevitable in the practice of law that you will be confronted with people who are smarter than you. Preparation is the key to prevailing.
Personal Interests:
I enjoy spending time outside with my wife and daughter. I am an avid non-fiction reader and enjoy learning a little about a lot of things. I also enjoy going to the gym.
Fax
(678) 264-0970
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Evening and weekend appointments available
Emergency After Hours
No
Fixed-Price Services and Fees
I only handle cases on a contingency fee basis.
Hourly Rates
This is not applicable.
Free Initial Consultation?
All consultations are free of charge and can be scheduled for the convenience of the potential client.
Typical Retainer
No.
Nolo's Licensing Check
Attorneys have passed a licensing check. Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the applicable bar associations upon joining the directory.
Directory lawyers are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any bar association.
