W. Douglas Easton

Why settle for less when you can have a top-rated, award-winning legal team who achieves Proven #1 Highest Settlements for their clients?

At Easton & Easton, we are paladins of the legal profession — determined advocates of noble causes. When you hire us, you don't just get one attorney — you get our entire family. With more than 100 years of combined experience, we have recovered more than $500 million for our clients, including more than $75 million last year alone.

I founded this firm on the philosophy that courtroom advocacy is only as effective as the research and investigation leading up to trial. This approach has been shared by my sons Brian, Matt, and Travis, who jointly set the firm's strategic direction and are best known for their unique ability to resolve complex and high-stakes matters that initially seem unwinnable.

We look for the human story behind every injury or wrongful death. We prepare our cases for trial, reaching out to the jury with the most compelling evidence possible for the best verdict possible. Insurance companies know this and come to the table prepared to negotiate in good faith.

Clients most often ask: "Will this cost me anything?" and "What is my case worth?"

Our answer to the first is simple: No fee unless we win. You pay nothing upfront. That is why our expertise and judgment are so important: we don't win unless you win.

The second question requires more discussion. Every case is unique. Before we take a case, we must be convinced that your rights have been violated and you are entitled to compensation. But once we are convinced, we are zealous in our advocacy and aggressive representation, viewing your cause as noble, just, and deserving of our utmost effort and skill.

We also help clients understand that we handle everything: medical bills, insurance companies, car repairs, and all the paperwork. Our job is to give you peace of mind so you can focus on getting better.

One of my most memorable recent cases was a medical malpractice wrongful death trial that I had the special opportunity to try alongside my son Travis.

The case involved a doctor who violated the standard of care while performing a relatively simple lung procedure, which ultimately led to the death of a wife and mother. The defendant doctor made no settlement offer prior to trial despite his clear negligence — he had recently received a defense verdict on another malpractice case and felt confident. The defense attorney who represented him had not lost a case at trial in more than 10 years.

Nonetheless, after several weeks of trial, the defense conceded they were likely to lose and ultimately settled for a confidential amount that exceeded our pre-trial offer by a significant amount.

Trying that case alongside my son — watching him grow as a trial lawyer, strategizing together — embodied everything I built this firm to be: family working together for justice.*

*Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own merits.

Medical malpractice cases are very difficult — much harder than an auto accident case, for example. They require a lot more skill and a lot more knowledge about medicine.

Each case has its own unique aspects of medicine, and you have to learn about them to figure out what it was that the doctors did wrong. That's one of the things I've really enjoyed over my career — the intellectual challenge of mastering the medicine in each case.

Beyond medical malpractice, the most challenging aspect of personal injury law is that we're almost always fighting Goliaths — large insurance companies and corporations with unlimited resources. I spent the first 6 years of my career on the other side, defending insurance companies. I learned their tricks, stratagems, and defenses. For the past 47 years, I've used that knowledge to defeat them.

I've wanted to be a lawyer since the fifth grade. We had civic lessons by holding mock trials for students who violated various rules of the school. One day I was asked to defend a student — and I got him off. That feeling stayed with me.

It was only after I got older and gained more experience that I learned lawyers really can help people. My first six years were spent representing insurance companies, and while I felt good about the job I was doing for them, it did nothing for my soul. I was using my skills to deprive people of money they were entitled to.

For the past 47 years, I've been doing plaintiffs' personal injury work and helping people recover the money they're entitled to. Let me tell you — it's much more satisfying to get $50,000 for an individual who's been hurt and really needs it than to save $50,000 for an insurance company that doesn't need it.

Most of my time outside the office is spent with my family. I have seven children and over 20 grandchildren. I really enjoy reading, but find that I have little time to do it these days.

I'm especially proud that all five of my sons are Eagle Scouts. Family has always been central to everything I do — it's why I built this firm around my sons and why we work so well together.

The best part of my job is working with my family. I'm closer to 80 now than 70, and I would be retired but for the fact that I have three sons who are lawyers that work here with me, two daughters who are paralegals, and my wife who manages and runs everything.

When the client is happy and satisfied with the result we have obtained for them — sometimes after a lot of litigation, sometimes before any litigation is commenced — that's when I know we've done our job. Our primary goal is to make the client happy about the outcome they have received. If we've done that, if they're happy and pleased at the end of the case, then we're happy and pleased. We've done the job we set out to do.

I built this firm on a simple philosophy: let our family help yours. That's what we do every day.

Let Our Family Help Yours — Because Family Never Settles For Less