Damon Hudson

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Damon Hudson: I liked being on offense. I liked being in control and dictating the pace… I thought that was the end of it and I, shortly thereafter started my firm and recently they called me. I got a text message and it was a picture of the two of them in front of Mount Rushmore and it was like this perfect bookend… My wife during COVID, I think she has summarized how I am and she’s like, your job all day is to pester people….  

Narrator: Welcome to “Celebrating Justice” presented by the Trial Lawyers Journal at CloudLex, the next-gen legal cloud platform built exclusively for personal injury law. Get inspired by the nation’s top trial lawyers and share in the stories that shape our pursuit of justice. Follow the podcast and join our community at https://www.triallawyersjournal.com. Now here’s your host, editor of TLJ and VP of marketing at CloudLex, Chad Sands.

Chad Sands: Welcome back friends to “Celebrating Justice.” In this episode, we hear stories from trial lawyer Damon Hudson. From fraternity recruiter to tax law to defense counsel, to hanging his own shingle, Damon’s journey into personal injury law was anything but ordinary. To get to the stories I asked him, why did you want to become a trial lawyer?

Damon Hudson: So as a kid, I remember my dad asked me at a younger age what I wanted to be, and I wanted to be a football player or a lawyer. Probably no cognition as to what either undertook. My body did not grow in such a way to allow me to be an NFL player, nor my skillset. And then when I went to college, I didn’t think about being a lawyer again. I had, my godfather was a lawyer, but nobody else in the family was. I went to school, like, I guess there were two times a kid I like. Once my football team almost didn’t get to play in a game due to an injunction, and so we had to go to court and we got like ment about what happened at court. So it was like probably one of the first times I ever dealt with court. But like I didn’t go go to college, graduate. I wanted to get out, wanted to go close to home, but I wanted to get out in four years. And so I did that. And then I moved to Chicago to be a fraternity consultant, which was mostly a chance to travel the country on somebody else’s dime. And I did that. 

Chad Sands: So, you were like a recruiter for your college fraternity or something?

Damon Hudson: Whatever they think it is, they’re a hundred percent right and a hundred percent wrong. It was mostly just telling young men to stop beating each other up, but it had no, like, I didn’t feel like I was actually doing anything. Like I didn’t feel like I was actually making any impact. So I went back to get a master’s degree.

So I moved back to New Mexico from Chicago. It was a lot of fun. I get a master’s degree and I hated it. And so I was halfway through the Mastery program thinking, he’s like, what do I want to be? And I was like, what did I want to be as a kid? And I thought back. To tell my dad about what I wanted to be, and I remember thinking, I was like, clearly not going to go to the NFL at this point.

I’m already passed my prime, if there ever was one. So I spent the summer preparing to go to law school. I loved Nebraska law, but it’s not the plaintiff’s haven that some may imagine it to be. Every classroom was named after some defense firm, so I didn’t meet plaintiff’s lawyers in Nebraska until I left, and so I wanted to be a tax attorney or an employee benefits attorney, and I did two summers doing that or defense work.

Both times I don’t think I realized I hated it. And then I went to work at a defense firm doing defense work and I hated it. Then I stumbled into, and I was in a job interview, because I was just trying to get out of this other job and they did more general work, but they did plaintiff’s work. And they asked me, “Why do you want to do plaintiff’s work?” And I was like, you know what? I guess I didn’t think about that. I’ve never tried it and clearly this isn’t working out. And so when I went to the plaintiff’s side, shortly on I was working with somebody more than anything. It’s like a person’s lawyer, like a personal injury, like the personal part I think is important to help somebody and being like, wow.

That was a shocker. Like I remember my first big settlement, this gentleman who I had only ever talked to on the phone or on Zoom, we met in person, him crying, and me, of course, I’m tearing up over what we had been able to get for him and seeing the resolution and how something. He would’ve never asked for this outcome, but what we could do and change for him. That was the stuff that fills my heart and makes his child worthwhile. 

Chad Sands: Did you see something when you were at that defense firm that made you go, “This isn’t for me?” 

Damon Hudson: I guess the first thought is, which one? Because I did defense two summers and at a big firm, and I remember the only time I ever thought did I make a wrong choice being lawyer, was that that defense firm. I never felt like I could figure out what I needed to do or I couldn’t do anything. Like I couldn’t send an email without 10 people’s permission. And so I remember doing that and then like at a certain point too, it’s like I’m not helping anybody. I’m not, I’m helping insurance companies save money and like I had no human connection.

I couldn’t talk to anybody. And it was like, yeah, maybe in five to six years, which is kind of where I am now, which is funny. Maybe you’ll be doing depositions and maybe you’ll be doing these things. I’m like, I would just be starting out. Whereas I went the other path and I’m going to own my own firm now. That would’ve never been something I would’ve thought of on the defense side. And so probably the sign of the lack of personal relationship and no contact with people. That was what I didn’t want. 

Chad Sands: And then you made the jump to the plaintiff’s side, and then when did you kind of go out and hang your own shingle and start your own law?

Damon Hudson: Six months ago, next week, not the type two, like people, like “I always wanted to do this,” or “I always knew that I’d be…” — my parents were teachers. Nobody was a business owner. It was just kind of something, but I was bringing in clients and I was doing the math. I was like, well, I think I can do this for me and spend more time with my kid and be at home more. And I mean, I’m in my office right now, like at home I get to do this awesome thing and get to help people and then also still get to make it work. For myself, I get to hire an employee. So, I get to help. I get to have somebody on my team who it’s bizarre to be like, she’s mentioned things. She’ll be like, oh, I want to help you make this dream a reality.

Damon Hudson: And it’s like such a bizarre thing to think about years ago, I don’t know if I want to do this, but now like getting to build this thing and be able to help people is kind of, when I say Forrest Gump, I stumbled into this, like I feel like this was a bunch of fortuitous mistakes and a bunch of like me not kept applying to things that didn’t work.

Chad Sands: Forrest Gump, you also played football. Uh, what? He was good though. He was, he was very fast. Yes, he was. What position did you play? 

Damon Hudson: I was left guard. The crowning gem was, we went to the state championship my senior year and lost, but I think after that I realized that nobody was looking for a 200 pound six-two left guard. And that was the last time I through on my helmet. Never put on one again. That was fine. 

Chad Sands: I’m just kind of curious, was it like a heartbreaking loss, like senior year of high school or was it a blowout? 

Damon Hudson: It was a close game. I will tell you at the time, humongously heartbreaking. Looking back on it now, it’s more funny than anything. Now, maybe I would’ve been a bigger jerk had I won it. And so maybe, maybe that losses, but I, I’ve gotten over it. Chad, maybe if that’s what you’re asking. I have gotten over my state championship loss. 

Chad Sands: I assumed you have, and you’ve had some other losses probably in the courtroom that stuck with you a little bit more. Isaw on your website you have a little headline that says We’re not a billboard firm. Is that what makes you unique in New Mexico or how do you kind of stand out from the other firms? 

Damon Hudson: I don’t know if that’s what makes me unique. because I’ll say that my boss and I left my last firm and they were part of a bigger firm and we’d left amicably and have cases together.

Damon Hudson: But he said he told the other partners and who are out of the state, he said “New Mexico is just a place that has a lot of solos.” There are a lot of solos. I won’t pretend there are folks that I think are great. The thing that I try and set myself apart on is that I try and make it as convenient. I think a lot of older school lawyers want you to come into the office and make you wait in the waiting room for 15 minutes to show you how important I am.

The thing I think about from sports that I liked, I liked being on offense. I liked being in control. And dictating the pace. I’m in a fight right now with defense counsel in the case because they are like, well, we don’t have a scheduling order. We don’t have to set a deposition. No, no. You do have to. My wife during COVID, I think she summarized how I am and she’s like, your job all day is to pester people. And it kind of is, I think about it a lot in the sense that like I’m just trying to push the, what’s the Frank Sin Object song? Anyone knows an ant can’t move, a rubber tree plant, but I got high hopes. And so as you keep plugging along and I’m just pestering people, Hey, we gotta do this, we gotta do this.

And sometimes, right, if I don’t, they will happily let a case sit for two years. I remember early on having a boss who we settled a minimum limits policy case for a woman who’d been severely hurt, minimum limits available. That’s all that’s available. It took three years to file the case and another two years to resolve the case. Knowing what I know now, it’s not malpractice, but it sure as heck is not what you owe to your client. And it’s like, so I try and press the ball if I can get you somebody a resolution. This year, that’s a whole lot better to your life and what you can do to move past this than me letting it drag on New Mexico. Some people call it the land of manana, and I try to not let things slide by the wayside. I try and be persistent and I think with that it’s, I do it because I want somebody to be able to put this behind them. I love. The resolution. I had a client recently. She’s like, I’m going to take this money and buy a house.

Damon Hudson: I didn’t ask her. She’s like, I’m going to buy a house. And I said, okay. I only want to know about that if you do me one thing, it’s you tell me when you do and so I can send you a housewarming gift, right? Like that resolution and taking something that is awful and making it something better. He’s like, I get to pay off my house and make it 80 accessible and live comfortably and not have to worry about that.

Damon Hudson: That’s the kind of stuff that you don’t get to do in a lot of other professions. 

Chad Sands: Maybe a little bit like an offensive guard, right? You’re kind of like harassing the defense and you’re always there, always on top of them. You’re versus kind of in the glory, but you’re in the trenches. 

Damon Hudson: Yeah. And I think that the goal, yeah, is not to get the glory.

Damon Hudson: There are plenty of great attorneys who have these giant verdicts. My best cases have come from a case that somebody else didn’t want. My best case, really smart attorney in town, and Morgan and Morgan turned down. Because they knew better. He said only a small case and helping a client be in a good position.

Damon Hudson: It all depends on the circumstance, who comes to me and what happened. But yeah, I guess that maybe the, where the persistence comes from, I guess, of just fighting through something 

Chad Sands: interesting to hear. Your best case came from another firm who didn’t accept it, didn’t think it was good enough to go to trial.

Chad Sands: Obviously you’ve had a lot of cases throughout the years. Share a story about one case that had a significant impact on you. 

Damon Hudson: This is the one that kind of led to a lot of big steps in me realizing I need to go out on my own. And so I get a call from this person and she had a name that was a very close name to me, right?

Damon Hudson: She didn’t know that, but it just, as soon as the call happened, I was like, I felt something. And she was describing what happened to me and I was like, in my head I was like, why is no one taking this case? She had severe injuries. The person doing this was being incredibly dangerous. She told this story.

Damon Hudson: In the context, they were on a trip to Mount Rushmore and they were coming through New Mexico. In the context of coming through New Mexico, they were driving and they took a left turn. Somebody was coming at them, they didn’t know how fast. We later found out they were going over double the speed limit.

Damon Hudson: So like effectively 90 and a 45 collide with them. And my client, she remember seeing light twice in the next few days. She has to get airlifted back to her home in a different state, her significant other’s in the car, and they break their leg. And they need a type tight name rod. And they’re like, so all these contexts, and they’re telling me about the story.

Damon Hudson: I was like, okay. And so we set it up and we’re able to get a, the conversation came, it was like, do you want to take this to court? Right? Do you want to have that big trial verdict? This is one that dangerous. And I think the reality came down that they said, well. I want to be able to live my life now and put this behind me.

Damon Hudson: Right? I think that the thing that comes out of like a lot of the right, you see those big trial verdicts and people talk about that and that sometimes my goal is if your attorney’s not going to listen to you, and like if I’m telling you, “Chad, you gotta take this case to trial, you gotta take this case to trial.” And sure there’s context when you can give people a reason why and explain it to them. I tell people all the time, I never walk a day in your shoes. And so you need to be comfortable and happy with this. And my job is to lay out the options for you. Sure. I’ll tell you. I told them this is a good opportunity, and however, at the same point, if you’re wanting a resolution this year, this is the only way to get it. So we were able to resolve it and it was in a good position. They were very happy with it. I got the privilege of going to travel to where they were. I flew the checkout to them. I thought that was the end of it. I shortly thereafter tried my firm and recently they called me. I got a text message and it was a picture of the two of them in front of Mount Rushmore, and it was such a cool bookend to have that relationship. In my head, that’s like one of the biggest wins I’ve had. It’s less about the resolution we got for them, and it’s more. About the relationship, right? We’ve still kept in contact after the fact. That picture just was like, filled my heart, right? It was. I got it on a rough day, on a Friday. I was like, nothing’s going to knock this day down. So it was just, it turned everything around. 

Narrator: At CloudLex, we understand the unique demands and opportunities that personal injury law firms face every day. That’s why we’ve built a comprehensive platform, designed exclusively for personal injury law. Our seamless case management, AI engine litigation support and record retrieval solutions empower you at every stage from intake through settlement and beyond helping you stay productive, organized, and focused on achieving successful outcomes for your clients. Explore what’s possible at www.cloudlex.com. Now, here is this episode’s “Closing argument.”

Damon Hudson: I listened to your podcast with my buddy, Sharif Gray, who I met because of LinkedIn, and then at a conference texted Sharif. I said, man, I wish I wouldn’t have listened to you on that show before I got on there. But I was feeling intimidated because I was like, well, do I have enough to share? And I think that to some degree that kind of aligns with a lot of what I’ve dealt with going out on my own or being in the context of that sometimes I always have to remember myself that I have to have confidence to keep going. So much of what we do is confidence and so much of standing up for people is confidence. And that doesn’t mean that there aren’t moments you’re afraid. I remember times of a defense attorney, if you don’t do this, we’re going to do X. And to some degree, I, I guess you’re maybe playing a little bit of chicken, telling them, yeah, stop me.

But at the same point. Being able to put yourself out there. And that’s the thing I’ve been like proud of myself on. I look back on the scared young man who started at a bigger law firm and didn’t know what the hell he was doing for the whole time he was there doing defense work. And I wish that I could tell myself there’s something better up reality, but B, that it’ll come like it very much feels there’s nothing you can do to put things in a better context and it can very much feel hopeless. But at the same point, what the thing I like about most about knowing, looking at myself six years ago when I became an attorney. How scared I was and how far I’ve come. Right? I’m impressed by that. The thing that’s most exciting to me about that is if I’ve come that far in this time, six years down the road, where am I going to be?

My goal is to kind of double the growth in that timeline and, and find ways, right? The listening to podcasts or bettering myself. And the reason it comes down to is, is kind of first off people. Number one, it’s taking care of my family. My wife and daughter mean the absolute world to me. And being in a position to support them and care for them and help us have a, a nice life is invaluable. To get to do that, to, to be able to do that, I get to help people through the worst moments of life. How are you doing? Trying to ask people, how are you doing? Because Right. They’re calling because things are bad. And so getting to help people, whether it be some big beautiful story or something that they were able to get better and they had some guidance and support the best thing to overcome and, and deal with what they had to deal with or to pay for the cost they had.

That means as much to me. And I just am so gratified to know, having that confidence from when I started to where I am now, that when people call me. They’re appreciative of seeing somebody who’s willing to put the work and knows what to do. I look back on the, the context of, of texting Sharif as feeling scared, and it’s just more that sometimes, and doing this and putting yourself out there for people is a constant battle of overcoming fear. I tell my daughter, being brave isn’t not being afraid. It’s overcoming that fear. It’s having the ability to stand up when things get hard. As much as every story feels like a straight line. When you, when you stand up and, and go through some of this stuff, maybe you’ll feel like a case was so clear at the end, but at the start, sometimes you’re pushing things along and hoping that you can find a path for somebody to get them a resolution of something awful that happened. I’m just so grateful to get to do what I get to do and to know people like Sharif, like, uh, people that I can be impressed by and look at where these people are at their point in their career. I can only get better and I can only get to help more folks.

Chad Sands: That was trial lawyer Damon Hudson. Thanks for sharing your stories. To learn more about Damon and his firm, visit HudsonInjuryLaw.com. Alright, I’m Chad. Sands. Thanks for listening. See you next time. 

Narrator: You’ve been listening to “Celebrating Justice” presented by CloudLex and the Trial Lawyers Journal. Remember, the stories don’t end here. Visit https://www.triallawyersjournal.com to become part of our community and keep the conversation going. And for a deeper dive into the tools that empower personal injury law firms, visit https://www.cloudlex.com/tlj to learn more.