Law Office of Steven R. Young

I Have Seen St. Patrick’s Grave. I went to Ireland with a group of lawyers. Our first stop was at Atherton Castle in Cong. One of our trips was to the grave of St. Patrick. I boarded a small boat in the middle of a rainstorm (when isn’t it raining in Ireland) to go to island in the middle of the lake. There is nothing on the island. No buildings. No houses. No people. Just a walking trail into the island forest. We hike through the dense foliage getting wetter and wetter as we go. We arrive at the “spot.” Three small, vertical headstones stand in the forest. Any script long ago chiseled into the stones has weathered away after fifteen hundred years. The stones are rough-hewn - appropriate for their station. Another feature greets us. It is the foundation of a small chapel. It is no larger that my office. I wonder how many places in Ireland claim to be the final resting place of St. Patrick, but that day it does not matter – I am seeing what credibly seems like the place. Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone. I have tried almost 200 civil jury trials to verdict. If I can help you with trial, I am happy to do so. Juryattorney.com 714 673-6500 #GerrySpence #Juryattorney #trialattorney #thunderheadranch #thegunslinger #TLC #GSM #brainexpansion #personaldevelopment #superlawyer #decision #lastminutetriallawyer #jury #trial #fear #truth #greatness #strategy #tactics #loss #trial #initiative #selfstarter #witness #argument #progress #jury #focus #causation #insurance #badfaith #confidence

Do You Enter the Courtroom Confidently? When you are a trial attorney, on a big case, or a not so big case, you are in charge. Make sure you are in control and know what is going on. The secret? Most attorneys get to trial so rarely that no matter how long they have been in practice, they are as afraid as you are. Ninety percent of being in command is making sure your staff completes their tasks. When you assign tasks, get out of the way of the people doing the job, but make sure they know they are accountable for helping to bring the verdict home –?the justice for your client. I have tried almost 200 civil jury trials to verdict. If I can help you with trial, I am happy to do so. Juryattorney.com 714 673-6500 #GerrySpence #Juryattorney #trialattorney #thunderheadranch #thegunslinger #TLC #GSM #brainexpansion #personaldevelopment #superlawyer #decision #lastminutetriallawyer #jury #trial #fear #truth #greatness #strategy #tactics #loss #trial #initiative #selfstarter #witness #argument #progress #jury #focus #causation #insurance #badfaith #confidence

When You Purchase Insurance, What Do You Get? When the Good Hands People, or your good neighbor, receives an insurance claim, the response is not to pay it. This may shock you, but the business of insurance is not to payout money, it is to hold on to as much of the money as the carrier can, for as long as the carrier can. In truth, when you purchase insurance, all you buy is the right to sue the insurance company. I prosecute insurance bad faith cases. If an insurance company is messing with you, I can help you. Juryattorney.com 714 673-6500 #GerrySpence #Juryattorney #trialattorney #thunderheadranch #thegunslinger #TLC #GSM #brainexpansion #personaldevelopment #superlawyer #decision #lastminutetriallawyer #jury #trial #fear #truth #greatness #strategy #tactics #loss #trial #initiative #selfstarter #witness #argument #progress #jury #focus #causation #insurance #badfaith

What’s Focal is Causal ?It is no wonder that we assign elevated import to factors that have our attention. We also assign them causality. Directed attention gives focal elements a specific initial weight in any deliberation. They stand out as causes, which makes them the answer to that most essential of human questions: Why? We allot special attention to true causes that surround us. If we give attention to some factor, we are more likely to view it as a cause. The consequence of focusing on the negligence question in your case is that you may lose on the question of causation. How do you direct focus to the causation issue? By focusing on that issue, giving it attention, which leads to focal conclusion of causation. If you need someone to help you learn how to move forward as a trial attorney, reach out to me. I have been there many times. I can help you. Juryattorney.com 714 673-6500 #GerrySpence #Juryattorney #trialattorney #thunderheadranch #thegunslinger #TLC #GSM #brainexpansion #personaldevelopment #superlawyer #decision #lastminutetriallawyer #jury #trial #fear #truth #greatness #strategy #tactics #loss #trial #initiative #selfstarter #witness #argument #progress #jury #focus #causation

Do you ask the jurors for advice? You should. Saul Bello, the novelist observed, “When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.” The social psychologist, Robert Cicaldi added, “If we get advice, we usually get that accomplice. I suggest that during jury selection, you ask the potential jurors for advice on the issues in your trial. In a science experiment, a group of online survey takers from around the United States saw a business plan for a new health food restaurant called?Splash! After reading the description, the survey asked participants for feedback. The scientists asked some survey takers for any "advice" they had regarding the restaurant, whereas others were asked either for any "opinions" or "expectations." Finally, they indicated if they were willing to patronize a Splash! restaurant. The participants who provided advice reported wanting to eat at a Splash! significantly more than participants who provided other forms of feedback. Giving advice created an increased desire to support the restaurant that came from a feeling of connection with the brand. Another finding from the survey is important to trial lawyers: the?participants rated all three types of feedback as equally helpful to the restaurateurs. It was not that those who gave advice felt connected with the?brand because they thought they had aided it more. The request for advice raised the participants’ feelings of “togetherness.” This primed them before they reflected on what they would say about the brand. If you need someone to help you learn how to move forward as a trial attorney, reach out to me. I have been there many times. I can help you. Juryattorney.com 714 673-6500 #GerrySpence #Juryattorney #trialattorney #thunderheadranch #thegunslinger #TLC #GSM #brainexpansion #personaldevelopment #superlawyer #decision #lastminutetriallawyer #jury #trial #fear #truth #greatness #strategy #tactics #loss #trial #initiative #selfstarter #witness #argument #progress #jury

Perspective Matters. I use to say that I never wanted to get old -- until I thought of the alternative. I am very happy to be getting older, even though much of my time is now taken up with attending funerals. If you need help with trial, come to me. I have forty-five years of doing this. I can help you. Juryattorney.com 714 673-6500 #GerrySpence #Juryattorney #trialattorney #thunderheadranch #thegunslinger #TLC #GSM #brainexpansion #personaldevelopment #superlawyer #decision #lastminutetriallawyer #jury #trial #greatness #fear #truth #greatness #strategy #tactics #loss #trial #initiative #selfstarter #witness #argument #progress

10 YEARS RUNNING 2015 - 2025

Keep Pace: Always Move Forward. Trial is like war. Retreat only for a strategic purpose. Pondering past performance is useful to learn from experience’s teachings. You may regret things you have done incorrectly or failed to do completely in the past, do not dwell on these. It is counterproductive. What counts is, what you are doing now and what you plan to do in the future. While studying history is instructive, using experience to prepare for your future is more useful. You must keep pace with the times and the most current technology. If you live in the past, you will repeat mistakes. The world will not stop turning or slow down just because you are not moving. One must use the most technologically advanced tools available to their fullest capabilities. Never stop learning and never stop thinking of how to use today's tools to win tomorrow's victories. The only things that will change are the technology and tools that we will use in trial. If you need someone to help you learn how to move forward as a trial attorney, reach out to me. I have been there many times. I can help you. Juryattorney.com 714 673-6500 #GerrySpence #Juryattorney #trialattorney #thunderheadranch #thegunslinger #TLC #GSM #brainexpansion #personaldevelopment #superlawyer #decision #lastminutetriallawyer #jury #trial #greatness #fear #truth #greatness #strategy #tactics #loss #trial #initiative #selfstarter #witness #argument #progress

Ready for tonight's Orange County Trial Lawyers' Association's officers and directors' installation gala. The theme is "Nashville Black Tie." This is my second year on the board of directors. I couldn't do it without the support of the most beautiful woman in the world -- my wife.

President Carter and the Watergate Break-in. On June 17, 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate hotel. The metro police arrested the burglars who carried high-end surveillance equipment. Two Washington Post journalists, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, suggested connections between Nixon’s reelection campaign and the burglars. The White House stonewalled, and President Nixon won reelection in 1972. Beginning in May 1974, the Congress and the Senate conducted hearings on the Watergate Break in. I remember the turmoil of the Congressional Watergate hearings broadcast live during the day and commented on every evening on the news. On August 5, 1974, the office of the president released several of President Richard Nixon's Oval Office audiotapes. One of them, recorded soon after the break-in, showed that the President knew of the Watergate burglaries soon after they took place and planned to obstruct the investigation. Nixon's support evaporated after the tapes' release. Two days later, Nixon met with Republican congressional leaders who told him he faced certain impeachment in the House and conviction in the Senate. On August 8, 1974, Nixon resigned. Gerald Ford succeeded to the presidency. On September 8, 1974, President Ford granted a full pardon to Nixon for any crimes committed as president. Nixon’s actions shook America’s confidence in the presidency, and most thought President Ford’s pardon shielded Nixon from accountability for his crimes. The 1976 presidential election saw the first presidential primaries. Before then, candidates were selected at the national conventions. Jimmy Carter stepped onto the national stage and announced he was running for the presidency. America embraced his campaign. He was steeped in small town values and integrity. He wore his faith on his sleeve. He won thirty primary states against twelve other candidates. He won the presidential election soundly defeating Gerald Ford. The voters embraced Jimmy Carter because of his honesty and because he cared for people. He was a navy veteran and loved his country. He restored the confidence of the American people in the office of the presidency. He was the president that America needed when few men could fill the bill. On December 29, 2024, I watched coverage of the death of Jimmy Carter. Each commentator, whether on Fox News, ABC, or MSNBC repeated the line: “Jimmy Carter is the greatest ex-president America has had.” The statements imply he?was not an effective president. None of the commentators are old enough to have experienced the 1970's. If they were, they would recognize that President Carter is one of the more important presidents of the late 20th Century. #GerrySpence #Juryattorney #trialattorney #thunderheadranch #thegunslinger #TLC #GSM #superlawyer #lastminutetriallawyer #jury #trial #Carter #Presidentcarter