Roger Dreyer - He Gets the Results
by Charity Kenyon

The Sacramento Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) named Roger Dreyer of Dreyer, Babich, Buccola & Callaham, LLP its trial lawyer of the year for 2000. Mike Conlan, a defense attorney and ABOTA president at the time, is a long-time friend and admirer. He describes Dreyer as "one of the finest plaintiff's lawyers in the state." Yet Conlan is no stranger to the strong adverse reactions Dreyer elicits from some members of the bar -- at one point they did not speak for over a year. Charming to some, and found arrogant by others, there is no disagreement about the fact that Roger gets results.

The results are astounding -- some 14 seven-figure verdicts in the last decade. Add a comparable number of settlements and binding arbitrations in the same range, and Sacramento may have an attorney whose results are unmatched in the state. Each award represents an individual or couple who received Dreyer's undivided attention, tenacity and legendary capacity for hard work. According to partner Bob Buccola, each represents an opposing counsel who would rather not try another case against Dreyer.

And the man had his heart set on being a dentist! Roger's mother, Marge Dreyer, remembers a particularly inspiring (and expensive) trip to the dentist, but somehow the boy who could argue his way out of anything seemed more likely to go into the legal field. Mrs. Dreyer observes, "He likes to fight for the underdog."

The youngest of three "Air Force brats," Roger Dreyer had to "learn a lot of spunk early." Born in Panama, living a tour in Germany, and moving across the country every two or three years, Roger learned to get along with just about everybody. His mother relates that Roger was, and is, tremendously proud of his late father, who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross during World War II. Art Dreyer was a navigator whose plane was shot down and who was a prisoner of war for two years in Germany. Buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Art was a 30-year career journalist in the Air Force who still inspires his son.

Dreyer was still headed toward dentistry when a UOP wrestling coach suggested lawyering. Dreyer told his coach that he thought there were too many lawyers, and he'll never forget the coach's response. "There's always room at the top." That's Dreyer's advice to young lawyers -- "and do it because you care, more than anything else, about your clients."

Turning his intelligence and concentration towards a new goal, Dreyer transferred to UC Davis and then entered Hastings College of Law. His passion for trial work developed early. By the time he had graduated from Hastings in 1980, he had appeared in more than 50 court trials for the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco. He joined the Sacramento District Attorney's Office and loved the work.

Then Mort Friedman suggested Dreyer should come to work for him as a plaintiff's lawyer, a concept foreign to the young advocate. Friedman explained that a plaintiff's lawyer is a "prosecutor for individuals," and Dreyer bit. He learned a lot from the master, not only about lawyering but also about being a boss. It was the little things, giving credit, opportunity, and serving as a true mentor. He tried six cases his first year.

In 1982 Dreyer and Wade Thompson, with associates Bob Buccola and Joe Babich, struck out on their own. Dreyer, Buccola, Babich and Bill Callaham, with Craig Sheffer and Stephen Davids, now head the state's largest firm of plaintiff's lawyers -- in Sacramento! -- six partners and ten associates divided into four teams. Who do they hire? "Quality human beings" who will "work harder than you think is possible." In Dreyer's opinion few lawyers have the gifts necessary to be an excellent trial attorney, and he's working with the best. The vast majority of referrals now come from satisfied former clients.

Partners Buccola and Callaham share with Dreyer the distinction of being certified as civil trial specialists by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Callaham, who holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering, has tried over 130 civil jury trials to verdict. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Buccola was the Consumer Attorneys of Sacramento 1998 Advocate of the Year, and in 2000 he recovered Sacramento's largest pain and suffering verdict, $8 million. More recently, he recovered the second largest gross verdict in the history of Marin County, including $3.5 million for pain and suffering, more than twice the highest previous such award. Babich, the smooth and efficient manager of day-to-day operations, is the firm's fourth ABOTA member, rounding out with partners Sheffer and Davids a formidable team of accomplished lawyers.

Dreyer describes Sacramento's consumer bar as strong and growing. There is real quality here. But he does not mince words. Plaintiff's lawyers include the best and the worst. In significant part, he feels lawyers deserve their negative public image. He would like to see more lawyers giving more back to the community - in terms of time, money and the skills necessary to advocate for legal reform. Too many are living off the hard work of others. "In our bar, that's unforgivable."

An active Democrat, Dreyer is also a family man and a community volunteer. Wife Carol Wieckowski is a trial attorney and fellow ABOTA member. Carol's partner Matt Evans has come to know Dreyer well over the years. Evans feels that Dreyer's outstanding characteristic is his devotion to family. Everyone knows he's an excellent trial lawyer and advocate. He represents his peers, when they need him. Says Evans, "I know the other side of him, the man totally committed to his wife and four children. He has his priorities in line. The children want for nothing in terms of attention, time, and support." The children ranging in age from 7 to 13, benefit from Dreyer's skills as Little League manager and soccer coach. Somehow Dreyer wedges his practice around his family. His law partners echo Evans' sentiment, wondering where the time comes from.

Dreyer also gives generously to the community. He is a member of the Child Abuse Prevention Council Board of Directors and past member of the Mercy Foundation board. He credits an unbelievably supportive wife and understanding family, long-time secretary Gina deHerrera, and his trial team for making all this happen at once. Plus, "when you're asleep, I'm working."

Judge Ford, who remembers one of Dreyer's clients as an all-time favorite, says of Dreyer, "He exemplifies the best in lawyering. He is passionately committed to his cases, to his clients' well-being and to the pursuit of a just result. He can even convince himself he has a good case, when he doesn't. I have rarely seen a comparable ability to communicate with jurors as he has demonstrated in my court."