A Humble Approach to Personal Injury Success

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A Humble Approach to Personal Injury Success

Dan Baldwin • April 28, 2021

Contact

Lem Garcia

Lem Garcia Law, PC

1720 W. Cameron Avenue, Suite 210

West Covina, CA 91790

Office: (626) 337-1111

Cell: (626) 252-2168

www.LemGarciaLaw.com

Personal Injury Attorney Lem Garcia

Popular media for generations has portrayed attorneys as professionals totally lacking humility, yet personal injury attorney Lem Garcia has found a humble approach is the key to his and his firm’s remarkable success.

Founded in 2014, Lem Garcia Law, PC has grown to a 17-person office including Garcia, three lawyers, four case managers, four case manager assistants, two property damage handlers, one medical records clerk, one graphic designer, and one lien negotiator. Approximately 90 percent of the firm’s work relates to automobile accident cases.

“Humility is a very important key to success that is often overlooked and under-appreciated. Some people might see humility as a weakness, but I see it as a strength. Humility to me means placing others first and recognizing everyone is important. When you practice these principles, it creates a great client experience. It’s especially important for us as lawyers to remember we are servants to others. We should be caring and giving with our time, so our clients receive the service they deserve,” Garcia says.

Taking on a Risky Case

Not too long after opening his doors, a young woman e-mailed Garcia around 1:00 am on a Sunday morning. Her very long e-mail clearly showed she was very worried about her health and her case. She had been hit by a car as a pedestrian and the insurance company was denying her case. She had already reached out to several attorneys who said they couldn’t take her case, or that they could only take the case if she paid an hourly rate. She didn’t have the money to pay an attorney up front.

Taking on the case was risky for Garcia because he had opened his firm earlier than planned. His back was professionally and financially “against the wall.” He had to make something happen right away, but he could not turn down the woman’s plea. He responded and accepted the case on a contingency basis within the hour.

Garcia got the other party’s insurance company to provide coverage, accept liability, and pay out the policy limits. He also helped whittle down her medical bills down because he wanted to make sure she received every single penny that she deserved. The medical providers were under no obligation to reduce their fees, but after pleading the case to each, they all eventually agreed to reduce their bills considerably. Additionally, the woman also needed a good dentist to fix the smile that was ruined by the crash. Garcia made a lot of phone calls for her and found her the right dentist, which allowed her to get her teeth fixed with some of the money that she received from her case.

“I was very happy to put that smile back on her face. Her case, coming as early as it did, helped shape the attorney that I am today. I did everything I possibly could to help that person and it changed her life and she was very thankful for it all. It showed me that we’re making a big difference in people’s lives and making a difference in the world one person at a time. I make it a point that we go out of our way for all of our clients because it benefits everyone. It makes us feel good about making a difference and our clients really appreciate it because they feel taken care of,” Garcia says.

Finding the Best Position to Help People

Garcia says, “I became an attorney because I wanted to put myself in the best situation to help people. When I graduated from college, I had a journalism degree because I wanted to bring attention to injustices in the world, but I realized that I could help more people directly if I became a lawyer. I didn’t know what area of law I wanted to practice, but I knew that I wanted to be an advocate for people that needed help.” He attended Cal Poly Pomona from 2000-2005, graduating with a degree in journalism. He earned his J.D. from the Western State University College of Law, graduating in 2011.

Another motivation for becoming an attorney was his strong desire to break Filipino-American stereotypes. “When I went to law school, I didn’t know any Filipino lawyers. People—especially my family—expected me to become an engineer or a nurse. I wanted to do something that was unexpected, would change how people perceive Filipinos, and would motivate others to break stereotypes too,” he says.

His parents immigrated to the United States in the late 70s. The family didn’t have any connections to the legal community, and he didn’t know what a lawyer did until working as a legal assistant for a lawyer after college. From then on, he was driven to open his own firm where he could serve people best by being his own boss and by handling matters his own way.

“I credit my parents for giving me an amazing childhood and instilling great values and work ethic in me. Without them, none of this would be possible. My parents supported me for my entire life and to this day do whatever they can to help me with the office,” he says.

Avoiding the Missteps of Managing a Law Firm

“In 2014, I was unemployed, newly married, with my first child on the way. I thought this would be a great time to open the office because I was hungry and motivated. I didn’t want to have to decide to open my own firm after I settled into a well-paying job. So, I just went for it even though I didn’t have much experience as a lawyer or running my own business,” Garcia says.

Garcia tried a unique approach in designing his firm’s direction; he made a study of what clients felt was wrong with their experience with other law firms. From that research he developed a core of principles:

Attorneys and staff will treat others how we would like to be treated.
Attorneys and staff will share a good attitude at all times.
Attorneys will make themselves easily accessible to clients.
Calls and e-mails will be returned promptly.
Client fees will be fair and just.
Property damage will be handled for free.
Attorneys will reach out to clients proactively.
Everyone will seek and respond to client feedback.

Clients find the approach rewarding:

I cannot emphasize how blessed I was to come across Lem’s website earlier this year when I was desperately looking for help with my case. I was in a horrid accident where I was severely injured. At first, I tried dealing with insurance on my own and was getting the runaround for a few months. I began consulting with a few firms and everyone I spoke to pushed hard for a lawsuit because I made the naive mistake of agreeing to a recorded statement with insurance before finding representation. I was told that what I said was going to make my case very difficult and a lawsuit was my best option. Of course, I didn’t want that because I had accumulated over $100,000 in bills related to the accident not to mention I still needed treatment for other things. If I lost (which was definitely possible) I knew I’d be stuck with a much bigger problem. As I was about to sign with another attorney, I gave it one last shot and googled personal injury attorneys one last time and found Lem’s website. And when we met in person, he was everything he said on his website.

Garcia explains, “I’ve worked hard, but Lem Garcia Law is also the result of a great team. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for everyone on the team. Everyone at the office provides such a great environment for us to provide excellent service to our clients. Everyone is dedicated to their job and always treats anyone they talk to on the phone with patience and kindness. They all understand that we are in the service business and how important it is that we are compassionate and empathetic.”

Referrals are a small, but growing part of the firm’s business. “We are happy to pay generous referral fees. Other attorneys can refer clients to our firm because they will have peace of mind that their clients will receive outstanding personal service and results, and they will get paid their referral fee timely and without having to chase us down/contact us. Whether it’s a client or a referring attorney, we are always putting ourselves into the other person’s shoes and treating them how we would want to be treated. I want everyone that we work with to be taken care of. I don’t want them to wonder about what is going on or feel like they have to follow up with us all the time. I want to make it very clear through our actions that we are doing right by them and they can rest easy,” Garcia says.

Garcia has been married almost seven years to Therese Garcia, who is an attorney and co-owner of Lem Garcia Law, PC. They have two children, Josephine age six and Simone age three. “I give my wife all the credit in the world for being there every single step of the way to help build the office. Her advice, feedback, support, and hard work have been invaluable to the office and to me. I am truly blessed to have her in my life.”

A self-described basketball fanatic, he was briefly a photographer for the Los Angeles Clippers before law school. He still plays in adult leagues when he has the chance. Garcia also enjoys lifting weights and exercise in general. He was designated a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2020 and 2021. He is a member of CAALA and CAOC.

His plans for the next years include starting a podcast, generating informational content videos on social media, writing a personal injury playbook for clients, opening more offices, and becoming a motivational speaker.

“When you exercise humility, you examine your faults and fix them, you’re determined to learn what you don’t know, you can handle negative feedback and change, you’re more patient with other people, and you’re more giving with your time because you think about others more. It’s a win-win for everyone,” Garcia says.