David K. Cohn

Tell us a little bit about your practice and what makes it unique.

• Our law firm, Chain | Cohn | Stiles, has represented clients from all over the San Joaquin Valley and throughout California for more than 80 years. We concentrate our efforts on protecting the rights of individuals who have been seriously injured due to the negligent, reckless or intentional conduct of another. At Chain | Cohn | Stiles, we pride ourselves on having the reputation and resources necessary to overcome the most difficult challenges while achieving the best possible results for our clients.
  
  I myself handle a caseload of wrongful death, civil rights, motor vehicle accident and other personal injury cases, while also managing four associate attorneys with my three legal partners, and more than 20 paralegals, legal assistants, and other staff. I’ve been practicing law as an attorney for nearly 45 years, all in Bakersfield.

What common questions are you asked by clients, and what are your answers?

• Why choose Chain | Cohn | Stiles over other in-town, or out-of-town attorneys?
  
  We hear many times from clients who have hired lawyers who they believed were based locally, but were not. Later, they contact our office because they never got to talk to that lawyer, never met them, or were dragging the case along, and they want to hire us to take over their case. Many instances we’ll get involved and end up fixing and resolving their case. But there are other instances where the out-of-town lawyer has done things incorrectly on the case, made the case more difficult, or made mistakes where we cannot get involved because those mistakes cannot be corrected.
  
  There is this misconception that if you have a case in Bakersfield, you need an out-of-town lawyer because:
  
  1) Lawyers are in the pockets of in-town legal officials and will not fairly represent you and your case, or;
  
  2) Out-of-town lawyers are better because they are in a bigger city and are better equipment to handle the case.
  
  It’s important for you to know neither is true. Our firm has handled many cases against local agencies and entities time and time again, including police departments and corporations. Because we are here in Kern County, and have been for nearly 85 years, we actually have the upper hand over out-of-town law firms because we are familiar with the people involved in our local systems. We’ve had cases against them before, tried cases against them, taken depositions with them before, and that gives us an advantage.
  
  The other thing we hear is that someone goes out and hires a lawyer, and they never get to hear from them. In our opinion, that’s a terrible way to practice law, which is why we make it a point at Chain | Cohn | Stiles to have our lawyers meet with, and speak to, our clients in person. In fact, on the first occasion you meet with us, you will be meeting with your lawyer. If later you have questions of concerns, or want updates on your case, you get to speak with your lawyer. We’ll be by your side every step of the way.

Were there any particular inspirations (people or events) that spurred your interest in your practice area(s)?

• My late uncle, Milt Younger, a prominent attorney in Bakersfield, showed me the importance of always out-working the other guy, never giving up, and being a strong advocate for those who aren’t able to defend themselves. Helping a client get his or her justice is the most rewarding part of my job. It’s an amazing feeling to see a client or family compensated for their losses as a result of someone else’s negligence, and through that compensation, help them restore their dignity, and in some way, make up for their harms or losses.