Jeremy Citron

[Theme Music Plays]

Jeremy Citron: I’m the best Jeremy Citron I possibly can be in trial… and literally, go try this case, go try this case. And I tried case after case after case on the criminal side… I was inspired by Leslie Nielsen’s umpire in The Naked Gun movie… The case came to me, quite honestly, after the statute of limitations had run out….

Narrator: Welcome to “Celebrating Justice” presented by the Trial Lawyers Journal and 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 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 Jeremy Citron, founder and partner at The Hurt Boss. Jeremy shares his journey from baseball umpire hopeful to high-impact trial lawyer. To get to the stories, I asked him, why did you want to become a trial lawyer?

Jeremy Citron: I wanted to be an umpire for baseball. Like, I wanted to go to umpire school, work my way up through the minor leagues, and eventually make it into Major League Baseball. I thought it was going to be great at the time. As stupid as this sounds, I was inspired by Leslie Nielsen’s umpire in The Naked Gun movie.

So my dad and I were talking after I graduated from college, and he was like, “That’s a great idea. Why don’t you also take the LSAT as a fallback?”

Chad Sands: Did you umpire high school games before you went to college?

Jeremy Citron: No, I was just fascinated by baseball at the time. I really liked it. I wasn’t even really a baseball player in high school or anything along those lines. I just liked the sport. It was back when the Braves were winning an awful lot. We were every year in the playoffs. It was after Sid slid us right into the playoffs. So it was a big thing in Atlanta at the time. And I just thought it would be fun. I thought it would be a fun career to travel, to be involved in sports, really just to be active — all sorts of good positives for it.

My father finally looked at me and goes, “Well, just take the LSAT. Let’s see if this is a backup. You’ve been naturally good at like legal mind, thoughts, that type of thing. And honestly, Jeremy, by the time you get to the major leagues, you might be a partner in a law firm anyway, making more money.”

And so I started thinking back and forth. I took the LSAT that summer and then I went to law school. And for me, law school was like the first place it really clicked. In high school, I managed and excelled in getting what we call gentlemen’s B’s. So in a Jewish household, those are like Jewish F’s. But in a prep school in the South, gentlemen’s B’s — you show up, do your work, you get gentlemen’s B’s. In college, it’s more like gentlemen’s B-minuses, C-pluses, or whatever.

I went to Tulane. I joke with people — when you go to Tulane and you major in alcoholism, you’ll go to any law school you can get into. I got into law school and it clicked. The first six A’s that I made were the first six classes that I took. And so I knew I was kind of onto something. I had the mindset for it.

Then I got a job working for one of the largest law firms in the country, Holland & Knight, as a summer associate. I really did well in the summer and really enjoyed it and went back. The challenges were good, but the life of a defense attorney — or corporate defense attorney, I should say — just wasn’t it for me. I wasn’t going to court as much as I thought I would.

They did give me an opportunity, and this was very career-changing, to be a fellow at Atlanta Legal Aid. I spent nine months working there while being paid by Holland & Knight. The people that you meet when you do work like that — it’s perspective-changing.

Eventually, George Stein, a great mentor of mine, said, “Jeremy, we’re diversifying the firm. I want to make you a partner in what’s now Steel Horse Law, a motorcycle personal injury firm.” I got really involved in the marketing and the case-building of complex civil litigation cases for people who can’t speak for themselves. That’s when I really found the passion.

For me, that’s where the law school passion clicked in with why I’m doing this. And ever since then, it’s just been something that I really enjoy doing. That’s the blessing — because if you can be passionate about what you do, you’re going to be successful in anything.

Chad Sands: So in a lot of ways, the big law defense firm showed you the light when they were still paying you but you were working at that legal aid foundation.

Jeremy Citron: Oh, it showed me the light for a lot of reasons. Legal Aid was different. When you deal with people that have nothing — and I mean nothing — and then you go back into a world where they’re billing you out ridiculous amounts for an hour and sending you to Akron, Ohio…

I was on the Firestone tread separation team at the time, and I would go to Akron for ten days in a row. It was a lifestyle choice. It just wasn’t what I wanted. I’m incredibly appreciative of the time and training I got at Holland — some of the best lawyers I’ve ever worked for, great friends, great mentoring. It just wasn’t my place. And that’s important too — to recognize where you’re supposed to be. That’s part of the journey.

Chad Sands: And so you were seeing the signs along the way, then you worked and got your trial experience on the criminal defense side, and then finally found your true calling in personal injury.

Jeremy Citron: For about four years, I was also the prosecutor for one of the local municipalities in Atlanta. That was a part-time gig every other Wednesday. It was fun — a nice way to give back to the community. But that was also tremendous experience in prosecuting cases quickly and thinking on your feet.

All of it together has gotten me to this point. But the real first trials I had were in Atlanta Legal Aid, because it was an organization that had no choice but to give me full responsibility. It was great experience that grounded me when I moved into criminal defense. That was humbling — because you go from helping people at Legal Aid to helping criminal defendants, and those are difficult cases.

Chad Sands: From aspiring Major League Baseball umpire to criminal defense, then into PI — after all these years, what makes you unique as a trial lawyer?

Jeremy Citron: I’m not sure that I’ve got a good answer for that — that’s a lie, I do. What makes me unique as a trial lawyer is the ability to stand in front of a jury and be a trial lawyer.

Every one of these people who really tries cases — not just lawyers, but trial lawyers — is unique in their own right because you somehow become a communicator. For me, I think I’m an effective communicator, especially in group settings. I can translate concepts well, make emotional connections quickly.

The most unique thing about me is that I’m just willing to give it a shot and go out. Nobody is expecting perfection in a trial. They’re just looking for a human presentation — someone who can get the client’s perspective across and engage the jury.

For me, I’m the best Jeremy Citron I possibly can be in trial. That’s my goal. You should be the best Chad you can be while interviewing me. From a uniqueness standpoint, it’s my personality and the way I approach things. Other than that, I’m just a skilled lawyer like an awful lot of great lawyers out there.

Chad Sands: After all these years, I know it’s hard to choose one, but if you could share one or two stories about a case that had a significant impact on you.

Jeremy Citron: It’s not hard for me to choose one. I’ve got the case — without question — that I was made to be a lawyer for. Not that I’m a tremendously spiritual person, but there’s a way that this case cosmically got to me. It’s still pending, so I can’t tell you everything.

We have a quadriplegic client who came to me after being rendered quadriplegic in a motor vehicle accident. His prior attorney didn’t handle the case right. The case came to me, quite honestly, after the statute of limitations had run. But there were technical loopholes we could work — and we did.

We’ve now filed four different lawsuits related to this case. My client was stopped on the highway when he was hit by a driver in a stolen vehicle. The driver had never had a license. His girlfriend, who owned the car, knew that and would still let him drive. When he didn’t bring the car back fast enough, she’d call the police to motivate him.

We obtained police bodycam footage and a statement from the passenger confirming he was a permissive driver. That solidified our case. The client’s family just wanted the truth — that kernel of justice.

My client has an economic damage profile of about $20 million, before life-care planning and pain and suffering. It’s devastated his family. But for me, the base satisfaction comes from knowing we uncovered the truth. That’s the case that reminds me why I became a lawyer.

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.”

Jeremy Citron: I think I’m really blessed to have found this spot where I’m supposed to be. Using my skills, my confidence, and my passion to help other people — that’s what we’re doing here. Trial lawyers help people who will never be able to speak for themselves because the system isn’t designed for them to do so.

We have that skill set. We can make a difference for individuals and society. If you can harness that passion and engagement, the sky’s the limit. Along the way, knowing you’ve made a difference for people — it’s everything.

We, as trial lawyers, are underappreciated champions for people who can’t speak for themselves. It’s time we rebrand ourselves and appreciate who we are and what we do.

Chad Sands: That was trial lawyer Jeremy Citron. Thanks for sharing your stories. To learn more about Jeremy and his firm, visit www.thehurtboss.com
. All right, 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 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 www.cloudlex.com/TLJ
to learn more.