I am originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and attended college in Nashville, Tennessee at Vanderbilt University followed by law school at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri where I was the first law student to argue in front of the Missouri Court of Appeals. I am licensed to practice law in Colorado, Missouri, Illinois, and Federal District Court of Colorado and of the Eastern District of Missouri. In 2008, I started my career in Missouri as a public defender with the Missouri State Public Defender, representing indigent people accused of crimes. That practice was very hard because, even though our legal system states that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty, in reality, each person accused of a crime already appeared guilty to the local public. This conception can only change after extensive, rigorous litigation and trials. This experience is not entirely different from people who are discriminated against by a boss or co-worker or people who are injured by the wrongdoing of others.
In my experience, insurance companies and corporations appear to have unfortunately and deceivingly convinced much of the public that injured people or people discriminated against are frauds. In trial, when I ask potential jurors if there are too many lawsuits, many jurors raise their hands convinced that injury lawsuits are fraudulent. Many jurors blame the hot coffee case or television attorneys for their misconception of the very real claims of wrongdoing. Insurance companies seize and promote this idea. For this reason, I file lawsuits, litigate and try cases. It is a conception that must be spotted, examined, and rooted out. I left being a public defender to move closer to my now wife and broaden my ability to make a difference.
In 2012, I entered private practice where I represented employees fired or otherwise illegally discriminated against by their employers, people injured by the negligence of others, as well as employees injured on the job. In 2016, I relocated to Colorado because my wife who is involved in renewable energy needed to be closer to one of the best scenes for renewable energy. I chose The Sawaya Law Firm because it reflected deep and fundamental principles that I had always had and further developed in my practice. At The Sawaya Law Firm, I am not limited in my ability to try cases nor my ability to attack those companies or institutions that constantly are in the wings, eroding the safety and security of each of us. Here, I represent people injured by the negligence of others resulting in slips and falls or car wrecks. I also represent people on a mass scale who have been harmed by companies in lawsuits called class actions. For example, if a property management company illegally withholds security deposits from 10,000 tenants, that lawsuit would be a class action. If a large hospital system illegally asserts an ability to collect money from injured patients' settlements or judgments, that is a class action lawsuit.
I am a member of the following associations based on my work: Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, and the American Association of Justice.
When I am not spending my working days and moments working, thinking or strategizing about your case or another case, you will find me on the hiking trails with my wife and two young children. If you see me, don't be a stranger.