Enthusiasm for Trial Drives "Maverick" Attorney

Enthusiasm for the practice of law is one thing that has not changed about Clay Arnold since he hung up his shingle 26 years ago. A Sacramento native, Arnold graduated from Christian Brothers High School. Drafted into the U.S. Army, he served in Vietnam, and attended college and law school on the G.I. bill, while working full-time.

After receiving his law degree from Lincoln University in 1975, Arnold opened up his office as a sole practitioner. He knew from the start whose interests he wanted to serve.

"I have always wanted to represent plaintiffs, and have done so since day one. And even after 26 years, I can't think of a more interesting life than that of a trial lawyer. I see plaintiffs very much as individuals who might be friends or neighbors. I love trial preparation, working with the best experts in the world in accident reconstruction, machinery design and manufacture, and medical causation. This provides extraordinary challenges and rewards every day. I don't believe this work can be matched by any other career."

Asked what kinds of cases he likes best, Arnold's answer is unequivocal: "I love product liability cases." At heart, Arnold speaks as a trial lawyer: "Trial is the only way an injured party can get a fair result. Without trial, it simply boils down to who negotiates best. The jury trial is the great equalizer in life. Where else can someone who is hurt, someone who lives from paycheck to paycheck, come up against faceless government agencies, giant corporations and powerful law firms, and have the chance to tell their story and show how their lives have been affected. I've found that jurors everywhere, when presented with the compelling facts, will make fair awards."

Arnold describes plaintiffs' attorneys as "mavericks" and speaks with pride about some of the accomplishments of Sacramento Consumer Attorneys (SCA; formerly the Capital City Trial Lawyers), to which many of these mavericks belong.

"We've gathered together to create our own infrastructure. We've put together deposition banks and developed sources for experts, including critical information about defense experts. For the past five years, I've run monthly problem-solving clinics, in which lawyers discuss situations that schools don't address, from insurance coverage questions to bio-mechanical problems to cogent presentation of financial losses. Through participation in SCA, we learn from each other. That way we benefit not only from our own experiences (that's why they call it practicing law), but also from others. I personally don't know what I would have done if I hadn't done this sort of networking over the years."

The ability to form business alliances grows increasingly important, in law as in every other field. It wasn't always that way. "Upon getting my ticket, I immediately started practicing law. That would be tough for a young lawyer to do today. It's not only the rising cost of litigation, the growing complexity of cases, and the spiraling time and effort necessary to handle cases, it's also the ability to manage the cases back in your office while you're busy in court," Arnold observes. In order to minimize such pressures, his office is organized to run smoothly as a well-oiled machine, with four attorneys, a full-time investigator, secretaries and legal assistants. "Everyone's been cross-trained. We have in-house education programs, so that each of us knows what the others do. Everybody carries their own weight. We work as a team."

Office policies are designed to keep things running smoothly, whatever the workload. "We're in this for the long haul. We don't expect to work until a certain age and get out. We enjoy what we're doing tremendously, and we pay attention to working efficiently. It's crucial to have time for both personal and professional activities away from work." Why? "You have to be able to feel what your clients feel, and then communicate that feeling to the jury. You can't relate to people very well on the human level if you're working all the time."

Of course, overwork often leads to burnout, something that Arnold's business philosophy is designed to prevent, and his achievements seem to reflect the soundness of his approach. He continues to pursue bigger challenges with great enthusiasm. Plans are now in the works for a merger with two other firms, that of Daniel Wilcoxen and Gary B. Callahan, to create a large firm capable of handling mass tort litigation. Arnold, who becomes president of SCA in 2002, has received a variety of accolades over the years, including membership in ABOTA and recognition as SCA's 1997 Trial Advocate of the Year-the year he tried seven cases to verdict.

High commitment to family, friends and community generally helps Arnold maintain a more-balanced life. Part of that balance involves strong family ties. He lives in nearby Rio Linda, with wife Lisa, daughter Cleo (15), a student at Loretto, and son Perry (13), who attends Carden School. "This area is a well-kept secret," Arnold chuckles. "Good neighbors, room for horses, ten minutes from the courthouse. What more could I ask?"