Cristina Perez & Sean Simpson: Mastering the Art of Personal Injury Representation

In this episode of Verdicts in Vogue, host Cristina Perez sits down with renowned trial lawyer Sean Simpson at the TBI Med Legal conference, where the two first met years ago. Their conversation dives into the heart of trial work, collaboration, mentorship, and the fight for justice in personal injury law.

The discussion begins with their origin story—meeting at a dinner years back, introduced through mutual colleagues. That chance meeting quickly developed into a working relationship that has since evolved into a partnership on multiple cases, including a high-stakes traumatic brain injury (TBI) matter involving a dangerous Airbnb property. Though confidentiality prevents details from being shared, both lawyers reflect on the importance of site inspections, expert testimony, and jury perception in achieving a favorable outcome.

Sean emphasizes the value of immersive case preparation—visiting accident scenes, tow yards, and clients’ homes—to truly understand a client’s life. Cristina adds that connecting with families and capturing “day-in-the-life” perspectives are essential for telling stories that resonate with juries. They caution, however, against exaggeration or presenting clients as mere victims; authenticity and empowerment are key.

The two recount experiences working together on challenging trials, including one with a difficult jury pool and an underwhelming medical expert. Despite setbacks, they secured a verdict, though it fell short of expectations. Their reflection highlights critical lessons: jurors respond more to likability and believability than technical arguments, and an unhelpful witness or poorly prepared client can derail credibility.

Sean shares insights from his career path, which unexpectedly steered him into punitive damages cases across multiple practice areas—employment, insurance bad faith, fraud, and personal injury. These experiences inspired him to author Punitive Damages: A Lawyer’s Tool for Shaping Society, which underscores the role trial lawyers play in curbing corporate misconduct and holding powerful institutions accountable. He discusses how corporations’ influence over legislation often tilts laws against consumers, making the plaintiff’s bar the “David” to corporate America’s “Goliath.”

Another theme is mentorship and collaboration. Cristina and Sean both stress the importance of younger or less experienced attorneys reaching out for guidance rather than trying to go it alone. Sean recalls his own early reluctance to ask for help, but now advocates for vulnerability and teamwork—arguing that shared resources and expertise often multiply results for clients. Cristina echoes this, pointing to her role in women’s legal groups and national trial lawyer associations where knowledge-sharing uplifts the profession.

The conversation also touches on AI’s emerging role in jury selection. Sean explains how new technology can synthesize data from large jury pools to predict case values and juror tendencies more accurately than ever before. Though the legal landscape is changing, he insists the fundamentals—storytelling, credibility, and human connection—remain irreplaceable.

In closing, Sean reflects on the resilience instilled in him by his childhood, growing up in tough conditions with a father in medical school. Lessons of perseverance, grit, and “fighting until the work is done” shaped his legal career. Both he and Cristina agree that personal adversity often fuels the passion required to take on powerful adversaries in the courtroom.