$31,957,424.21 Recovered for Our Injured Clients in 2022
I am completely blown away. I really am. I’d almost say that I’m in shock. Warnken, LLC recovered $31,957,424 million dollars for our injured clients in 2022.
Thirteen years ago, I moved back home to Baltimore from Minnesota, where I had been for five years. I was excited to get out of the cold, excited to work at my parent’s firm, and excited to see what I could bring to the table. My pug Carlin and I got an apartment in Towson and got to work.
I told my Dad that I wanted the firm to move away from criminal law and toward injury work. In 2010, we had maybe ten injury clients. My Dad was resistant. We actually fought over it, among other things. We had a very rocky road for the first three years. Though the firm was actually my Mom and Dad’s, my Dad had been in full control of it for many years. It’s hard to let go.
By 2013, I had the green light to go all in on injury work. We started slowly, first focusing on workers’ comp. We weren’t just about more money and more clients. We were about learning everything, getting better everyday, never getting bullied, and KILLING IT for clients. Volume doesn’t mean shit if you don’t deliver for each client like they’re the only client.
By 2013, my Dad was winding down his criminal practice and we were ramping up injury. With some clever marketing and a lot of great work for clients, the practice grew. Slowly at first, then more rapidly. When I bought the firm in 2015, we were at nearly 100 injury clients.
From 2016 to 2018, our workers’ comp practice exploded and I personally began to take on medical malpractice cases and significant premises liability cases. I even filed a class action case and an important civil rights case. I took on cases that were important to me. I got in a little over my head … especially after my Dad got sick in 2017.
My Dad had a mentor, Judge Basil Thomas, a former Baltimore City Judge who my Dad had clerked for in the 1970’s. I picked up Judge Thomas for one of my Dad’s award events about ten years ago. I asked Judge Thomas to tell me about what my Dad was like in the 1970’s. He thought for a moment, then said, “He always bit off more than he could chew … then he chewed it.”
I thought about that when I had heaps of litigation on my plate. My Dad woulda chewed. I better chew it. Between the willfulness of being unwilling to fail and help from a lot of great people, we chewed it.
Then we added more great people to the team. Day by day, case by case, we moved it forward.
And suddenly, yesterday, I draft a post with last year’s results … 494 cases concluded. $31,957,424.21 recovered for our injured clients. We handle all personal injury now… car crashes, birth injuries, medical malpractice, premises case, products liability, and, of course, workers’ compensation. I can’t believe how far we’ve come.
You can’t boil down success to talking points. Success is doing whatever it takes to succeed, whenever it takes it, while staying true to your values. But a couple of things are important. Our philosophy then, and still, is to get a 5-star review in every case. Case conclusions feed you today. Happy clients feed you for life. Our attitude, then and now, is fuck them. Who is them? Them is people and organizations who hold back money from deserving, injured clients just because they want to save a buck or pass it on to their shareholders.
I am so grateful. So grateful for the Warnken, LLC team. This is not “my” team. I am privileged to be a part of their team, the Warnken, LLC team. Rebecca, Michelle, Matt, Amanda, LaRae, Candice, Angelica, Howard, Phyl, Stephanie, Jim, Vicki, Andrew, Brandie, Jeff. So grateful for you and the work you do for our clients. I genuinely believe our clients are lucky to have us — I believe that because of all of you.
Two more groups I want to thank. First, our clients. We wouldn’t be able to do anything without you to do it for. Thank you for the trust you place in us. You hear about us from a friend or a co-worker or television or billboards or my goofy videos on social media and you take a leap of faith. Are these guys legit? Can I really count on them? And you are patient with us while we prove our worth day in and day out during your case.
Finally, I want to thank my parents. Warnken, LLC was started by my Mom in 1992. My Dad was in charge by the late 90’s. When I walked in, there were virtually none of the kind of cases I wanted, but there was something far more important… a reputation for integrity, fair dealing, dedication to clients, and results. And then, you guys graciously got out of my way, with no instructions. You didn’t need to leave instructions, they were ingrained in me. Put the client first, don’t take shit from anyone, and be honest.
I remember the instructions.
