Sharif Gray is a dedicated trial lawyer with extensive experience in the courtroom, having served as a United States Army JAG Officer, a Drug and Vice Prosecutor, and now as a personal injury lawyer. He is known for his meticulous preparation, persuasive advocacy, and a strong commitment to achieving justice for his clients.
A valedictorian from the Virginia Military Institute and a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Sharif has a proven track record in securing significant verdicts and settlements. He also holds a master’s degree in trial advocacy from Temple University and has completed the renowned Gerry Spence Method for trial lawyers.
Outside of work, Sharif enjoys spending time with his family, playing guitar, participating in kickball, and staying active with CrossFit.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharifgray/
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Interview Transcript
Peter
What’s up everyone? My name’s Peter Kerlin. I’m the host today on our Lawyer Mastermind podcast where our goal is to help attorneys who are serious about growth learned strategies to really supercharge their firm. And today we’re honored to have with us Sharif Gray. He’s a Virginia personal injury lawyer. Sharif is also the co-host of a podcast called RVA Trial Lawyers, and he works as a personal injury lawyer at a local firm. He’s going to talk to us a little bit about that here shortly, but looking at our conversations that we’ve had as well as just websites and stuff, I’m very excited about the conversation that we could have today. I know you served as the United States Army Jag Officer and a drug and vice prosecutor, federal judicial law clerk. Man, you’ve worn tons of hats inside of this field, and so super excited to chat with you. Thanks for joining us today, Sharif.
Sharif
Yeah, thanks for having me. I’m excited. So this is going to be fun.
Peter
Yeah, one of the many character traits that really has stood out to me just in our conversations and then digging deeper in your bio and stuff like that is how you’ve been able to take, it seems like take a lot of your training from the army and success of serving our country and utilizing those and the different facets of the practice that you have now and the ones that you’ve had in the past. So let me first start off by saying thank you so much for your sacrifice for our country and I’m just really looking forward to hearing about your story today. So before we dive in deep, can you tell our listeners a little bit about maybe your journey into personal injury, your journey into being an attorney and just a little bit about you?
Sharif
Sure. Well, let’s start with me versus how I got into personal injury because personal injury in some respects has been somewhat of an accident, but it’s been a happy accident. So I’m from Virginia, grew up mainly in the northern Virginia area, DC area as a kid. Lived in Egypt and Lebanon for a few years. I’m half Egyptian, which is where Sharif comes from. And then for school, went to VMI went to UVA and then I was an Army JAG. Enjoyed the experience, a lot of criminal defense work. Got deploy to the Sinai a couple times, once for a trial, clerked for a couple of federal judges, tried my hand at big law, didn’t care for the work, did some prosecution and then happened into personal injury. And I’ve come to really love personal injury trial work. To me, it’s like being a prosecutor, but you’re not putting anyone in jail.
You’re able to give the victim money and there’s a lot of creativity that goes along with presenting a good personal injury case. But the biggest benefit I got early on is the trial experience in the Army. I tried a lot of cases in the army both under the UCMJ and then in the administrative setting. And at the time I don’t think I realized how lucky I was to get that experience. I thought it was just kind of a norm. That’s just what lawyers did. But looking back and especially kind of seeing my peers, I mean the amount of cases that I had the opportunity to try and the responsibility levels I had just far surpassed a lot of people at my age and level of experience. And that has helped me significantly. And one of the issues we see a lot in personal injury is that if you’re coming out of law school and you get into personal injury, especially on the plaintiff’s side, it’s very difficult to get that trial experience because most cases, who knows what the number is, but upwards of 90 some percent of these cases settle for good reason.
And to get trial experience, you actually have to go do the thing. And to help your clients out, you need to have the confidence to be able to go the distance. So I really lucked out and I mean it lucked out in the sense that I was able to get a lot of trial experience in the criminal setting in the army and then with prosecution and other things that I was able to use and translate over to the personal injury work. So now I certainly have tons to learn and will always have tons to learn about how to try a case, but I’ve got my sea legs, I’m comfortable in the courtroom. I’ve screwed up many times to the point where I’ve learned from my mistakes. I’ve had some great successes too, which has been all that I can rely on, and that helped give me confidence to know that I can go and repeat results. So that is what’s helped me significantly, at least in the personal injury practice. And that’s kind of the niche I’ve been trying to build the last few years is that I’m the guy you call when the case needs to get tried. And it’s been a lot of fun for me. I genuinely enjoy it and I think I’m able to add value. Yeah,
Peter
I’m glad you generally enjoy it. I mean, that’s all what we really want in life is doing something every single day that we enjoy. I can imagine that is a differentiating factor for you and the fact that when your clients call you or go to your website and inquire about your help, they have that confidence in knowing that trial isn’t something that scares you, you want the best result for them. Talk to me a little bit about maybe one of your most memorable cases or maybe what made you stand out in your career that set you apart.
Sharif
Sure. So probably the most memorable cases I’ve had were some that were in the army. I had the real pleasure and privilege of being at Fort Bragg at the time. I think now it’s called Fort Liberty, and that’s where Delta forces is there. I don’t think they’re called that anymore, but special forces are there, 82nd Airbornes there. And I really got the privilege to represent a lot of really just great soldiers, fallen on hard times or been overly charged or wrongfully accused. And those are the cases that I think really stand out. One in particular, there was a guy, senior officer, by all accounts, an exceptional officer, deployed numerous times, saw some very, very, very serious combat and really struggled as a result, wasn’t getting the help that he needed on the medical side of the house and almost took his life a few times.
And there was an incident in which it made national news, and I don’t want to go in too much detail, but there’s a local mosque that he had left something at and then had firearms with him. And in some ways it was almost a blessing in disguise because it was that incident that ultimately got him to get the right treatment, but it was also that incident that led to the military trying to separate him. And so I was able to represent him, help him make amends with the mosque, and then also be able to over the course of a three day trial, be able to paint a picture that this officer wasn’t defined by that one incident, but really by his service for at least, gosh, I think he was up almost close to 20 years at the time. And to get a great result to where he ultimately left the military with an honorable discharge in a medical retirement that really has meant the world to me.
Tons of significant, I mean, I think your question was two parts, and the second part was like a case that’s really helped me. Me and one of my former partners, Ben Rand last year tried a case, a difficult case, a trip and fall case in Virginia, and we got a 1.5 million verdict. And for all the plaintiff attorneys out there that Virginia is a contributory negligence state, so 1% at fault, you’re barred. And so it ended up being not just one of the highest verdicts in Virginia last year, but after doing a little bit of research, we learned that it was one of the higher verdicts in the last decade or so, if not longer, for a premises liability trip and fall case because they’re hard cases and they’re just not tried that often. So that has helped me significantly reputation wise to show that yes, I can go do this and at a young age get good results, but in terms of the ones that it’s going to be hard to ever forget about, it’s really some of those soldiers I was able to help and have the privilege of doing. So me and the world,
Peter
Yeah, you’re the type of lawyer that seems to be inspired by their work and it’s not just chasing the next office or next verdict or next dollar. And I think that’s one of the reasons I very much like speaking with you because part of growth comes with its challenges. There’s not get smooth sailing all the time. So for all those listeners out there who are like, I’m a personal injury lawyer, I’m trying to build this thing. Obviously you’ve been through some challenge. What are the biggest challenge that you faced in personal injury law? What did you do to overcome that challenge?
Sharif
I think everyone will say it’s getting cases right? I mean, that’s always a huge challenge. I’ve been fortunate enough in the last couple years to get a decent amount of cases and certainly it’s always a challenge, but I’ve also been pretty good about putting myself out there, meeting people, trying to have a good digital presence. What I think I found most challenging, at least in the recent past is developing systems and having the necessary support to handle the cases. It’s something that I learned is that it’s one thing to be a good trial lawyer. It’s certainly another thing to make sure you have a sound business and a sound process with adequate support and resources to handle the cases. I don’t believe that a good trialer can do everything, at least now. I certainly don’t. I mean technology’s helped us out a ton, but I think that’s been one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced lately and it’s been a big reason why I’m where I’m at.
I teamed up with a military or veteran owned personal injury group a few months ago and we’ve got the support, we’ve got some great lawyers and we’re doing really good work and it’s allowed me to really focus on what I enjoy most, which is the actual trial, the litigation. I have come to enjoy the marketing aspect as well. So it’s allowed me the freedom to focus on the things that I think I enjoy most. And so ultimately I think I’ll do the best at without having to worry about making sure the rent check’s paid. It’s been a really, really great move and I’m super happy where I’m at.
Peter
Yeah. One of the things I’m thankful that you said, and we hear it all the time, is we’ve got to get that foundation. A lot of the analogies that we hear, you’re building a house and you just start with the walls and the roof, eventually it’s going to collapse and you got to get that foundation strong first. And I think it’s exciting to hear that. You’ll learn that you wear two hats, you have the lawyer hat and then you have the business owner hat sometimes, and it’s the challenge to balance both of those things and then keep your goals and your passion alive and all of that. You mentioned systems a couple of times in that last little segment there. Are there one or two systems that you’re just like, Hey, if you’re a personal injury lawyer and you don’t have these systems set, these are the maybe top two or three, is there something that jumps out to you?
Sharif
Well, got to have a way to move cases and you have to have others helping support that. So I don’t necessarily know if there’s any one particular technology or anything like that that you have to have, but there’s tons of different varieties on everything nowadays, which is great. But I do think it’s really important to have a system in which a case comes in and you’re able to pass off that case and then someone else is able to help you do all the non-lawyer things, do the letters of representation, start requesting the medical records, the bills, initiate the investigation, figure out if there’s any liens or will be any liens in the case. Stuff that isn’t difficult but can be tedious and does take up significant time. And so that’s something that I think is just incredibly important because if you’re going to be a good trial lawyer, you have to have a good support system behind you.
And that’s actually one of the pieces of advice I got last year that really influenced the decision I made a few months ago to switch from being, doing, wearing all the hats to being more just a trial lawyer. And it was like you just got to kind of pick a door. You need a good trial lawyer that needs a great organization as support. And there are a lot of examples out there, and I’ve come to really believe that because personal injury is a tough business. I mean it is expensive, it’s competitive, it requires a lot of behind the scenes work and much more than what you just see the trial lawyer do. And also people, I think these cases require human capital, I think less so nowadays and maybe 10, 20 years ago with technology, but it still requires a team.
Peter
I love those points and the reality of it takes a whole community of people to advance these cases and really genuinely help your clients and set you apart from everybody else. You said personal injury is expensive and it’s competitive, and we hear that all the time. And when we talk about growth, what would you say were some of the growth goals that you set? Obviously every lawyer says they want to grow, every law firm says they want to grow, whether that’s numerically or financially or were there particular goals that you wish you wouldn’t have or ones that you did set and you’re like, this is what really elevated us in terms of goal setting and vision.
Sharif
I wanted, and actually I’m very proud of this goal. I wanted a million dollar verdict and I got it. And so that was something really helped me out. And then I was proud to have made that a goal and to get it within two years of being a personal injury lawyer. So most of my goals have been trial lawyer focus, wanting to try different types of cases, wanting to co-counsel with others. A goal I have right now is to really improve my deposition skillset. I’m a unicorn in the sense that I’ve got far more jury trial under my belt than I do depositions, which is unheard of, right? Normally it’s the opposite. And so I’m really focusing now on reading about depositions, taking courses upon depositions, and I’ve learned everything. I mean, there are ways to do it well and there are ways to not do it well, and so I’m trying to learn as much as I can because I think it can make a big difference.
Peter
Yeah, sounds like you’re always digging in your craft and trying to get better and better, which is not only admirable, but I think that may be another differentiating factor for you with your clients, the people that you want to work with.
Sharif
Yeah, I mean, selfishly I also enjoy it, which I am lucky to. I mean, I remember there’s a guy named Chris Finney who I follow on LinkedIn and he’s become somewhat of a friend, and I remember a while ago, maybe it was a podcast or on LinkedIn, but he talked about investing in yourself, and I’ve really kind of taken that to heart. So I did the three week Jerry Spence method course. I’ve done an LLM in trial work. I’ve read tons of books. I listen to the podcasts. Now granted, I like it, so it’s not a chore for me, but my thought is I’m just going to kind of double down on what I enjoy and hopefully it works out and it’s been scary. I remember I was at one of these big corporate firms and a good firm or great firm, good pay benefits, all that, but ultimately the work just wasn’t what I was interested in.
And so I parted ways and I remember kind of looking in the mirror and thinking, you know what? I want to be a lawyer because I want to try cases, and so that’s what I’m going to do. Yes, there’s all this talk about the trial dying and not being as prominent as it once was, but screw it. I’ll see if I can double down on it, and maybe if there aren’t as many people doing it, well then I can be one of those few. And so it’s worked out so far and it’s kind of my goal going forward is I want to be the trial guy, so I’m going to keep working at it
Peter
For all those that are listening and maybe trying to figure out in this crowded space of personal injury, so many different personal injury lawyers out there. I think what we can potentially glean from Sharif here is he’s looking for his niche. He’s looking for the thing that isn’t just profitable, but it sounds like actually brings him joy. But my guess is is that you had to go through some cases you didn’t want to do, right? Personal injury is massive in the sense of there’s so many different types of cases. Sharif, what’s the case that you’re like, I don’t don’t want to take it. I don’t want to do it. Is there, is it dog bites? Because some people don’t want dog cases.
Sharif
Well, sure. So this is actually, it might be somewhat of a different answer. So I like system failures, and I learned this from a good friend at a prior firm, and I like cases in which there are other prior incidents of bad conduct. So for example, I currently have a case involving a client who was knocked unconscious by a bouncer at a bar and client was severely injured. But the thing that makes that case, one of my favorite cases, is the fact that two months prior to that incident, same bouncer, same bar, knocked out another guy. It’s on video just like the one case that I currently have. And so to me, that’s a safety issue. It’s a public safety issue. This is a corporate defendant who clearly has not taken safety seriously. And as such has not just put my client at risk of serious injury.
Well, not just at risk. He did suffer serious injury, could have killed him, put someone else, suffered serious injury as a result of this corporation’s unwillingness to take safety seriously. And so who knows what else could potentially happen if something’s not done. So those are my favorite types of cases. I feel like I can affect change and make things safer by bringing a case, an event case, a single event case is also, I mean, not that I don’t like those cases, sure, they’re just not as exciting for me. But no, they’re still very important. I get to ask a judge, a jury to recognize the full and fair value of what was taken from my client’s health and quality of life. I get to basically ask a jury to recognize the value of human life. I find that very empowering. I mean, I don’t like cases that I lose, but at the same time that’s happened and it’ll continue to happen, right? There isn’t one category of cases that I don’t like. I’ve dabbled a little bit in medical malpractice, and even sometimes they look great at the outset. And then as we go on and spend money that I wish I didn’t spend, I realize that there isn’t much there. They can be very difficult. So those are cases I’ve kind of avoided lately. But yeah, I don’t necessarily have a case that I don’t like.
Peter
That’s great. No, it’s good to know. It helps differentiate you, but it also helps define what your cases you’re going after. And if we can zoom down into the firm work that you’re doing right now, talk to me maybe about what are the success metrics for you and your firm if you know them over the next 12 months? What are you really pushing for right now in terms of growth for your firm?
Sharif
So I don’t know if I can speak on behalf of my firm and we’re definitely, we’re a small firm and we’re growing. The cool thing about us is all three lawyers are military, actually former military lawyers, the owners army, former army JAG. The other lawyer is former Marine JAG. I’m also former Army JAG. So we’re definitely growing and that’s very exciting and I think the firm is going to try and continue to grow. What I have for myself is I want to get into court as much as often as I can. I think I’m at the stage in my career where for the next five, 10 years, I just want to try cases and I’m going to lose some, I’m going to win some, but I just want to continue to get better and better and better and develop my niche, which I’m hoping will be to be the trial guy to someone that you call to come in to try the case if needed. And I’d recommend others kind of follow it as well. I think it’s fun, and I think to differentiate yourself in personal injury means that’s huge. There just aren’t that many lawyers out there who do this type of work, who really go out and are willing to try the case. And I think that makes a big difference
Peter
With your drive to be in court, as you said, as much as you possibly can. How big of a caseload is too big for you, generally speaking?
Sharif
Sure. So now cases obviously differ in terms of how much work they require. So for example, the case I mentioned about the balancer, and I put in hundreds of hours already and we’re only partway into the litigation. I don’t think there’s any one number. I’ve heard a mentor of mine, Sean Claggett, say once that if you have any more than eight or 10 cases in litigation at a time, then you’re doing at least some clients a year as a disservice. And I think there’s definitely truth to that. I think the answer is it depends. I think long as you’re able to do a good job by your clients, then you’re doing the right thing. I think there are also different models of personal injury. I mean, there are firms who will have 150 cases to a lawyer, and I think that’s probably too much, but it also just depends on what that firm’s goal is. And then also the client’s expectations too, right? I mean, the client just wants to get in and out, and that’s one thing. But if the client wants really close attention to detail, then that’s another thing. And I tend to enjoy being the lawyer who provides the latter service.
Peter
And if you remember from the very beginning, we say part of the heart behind this podcast is growth to learn growth strategies to supercharge your firm. And the thing I loved about our conversation today, Sharif, is growth can be both financially and numerically in quantity of cases. But what I hear you saying is growth can also be quality. It can mean actually caring for your client. It can mean doing something that you’re passionate about. And so finding the balance between those two things is what I think, at least what I’ve gleaned has been what the secret sauce, if you will, of your success and your future success in terms of really helping people with whatever they bring to the table. So in closing, thoughts, anything else that you’re just like, man, I want personal injury lawyers or attorneys in general to know just from you in your experience as we kind of wrap up?
Sharif
Yeah, the big thing is just, it took me a while to do this, but to really find something that you enjoy doing in the law. And once you find that, double down on it. I’ve tried a handful of things and I’ve been very fortunate to have those different experiences, and I’ve found that I’ve had my most success personally and financially when I’m doing the personal injury trial work. And it’s because I enjoy it, right? And so if you find what you enjoy doing as cliche as it is, it ends up not feeling like work. And you tend to do a better job at it. And I think there’s a lot of lawyers who get stuck in a certain career field. Maybe it’s because student loans force them into that career field or that practice area at the start. I’m a big believer if you’re doing what you enjoy, the money will ultimately come and knock on wood, I hope that’s accurate. But I think it
Peter
But I think it is, man, it’s been a pleasure talking to you today, and I know you well enough to know you’re not going to pitch anything that you’re doing, so I’ll do it for you. But if this helped you today and you’re a lawyer out there that’s looking for some more, visit rvatriallawyers.com. It’s got some great podcasts out there that could really help you really kind of maybe glean a little bit more from this conversation. But it’s been a pleasure, Sharif, getting to talk to you a little bit. We’ll get this out to the world to kind of see, and I look forward to hearing more and more stories of the people that you’re helping and the growth of the firm. And it’s been a pleasure.
Sharif
Thanks, Peter. Yeah, it’s been fun.
Peter
Alright man, we’ll talk to you soon.
