But in the legal world, answers are rarely simple and quick.  If you are involved in a legal dispute, it is crucial that you receive careful, accurate, complete legal advice.  If you have a question about a provision in a contract, you should expect that your attorney will take the time to analyze the relevant language in light of all facts and circumstances involved.  If you are contemplating litigation, you should have a full and candid discussion with your attorney about all the legal issues¹, the risks of litigation, the costs and time involved, and the potential outcomes.

It is very important that you slow down, understand the problem, and make the best choices for yourself, your company, your family, and your future.

Please call Harris Sarratt & Hodges, LLP today and allow us to help you find the proper path forward in a complex legal world.

In addition to serving as an adjunct professor at UNC, Sarratt has spoken to student groups at the Wake Forest, Duke, Campbell and Elon Schools of Law, and has been a speaker at the UNC Festival of Legal Learning every year since 2004.

More recently, John has received recognition from the Chief Justices’ Commission on Professionalism for “meritorious and extraordinary service … by providing sound and consistent leadership, guidance and personal assistance to countless attorneys, judges and legal personnel.”  This year he was recognized by Legal Aid of North Carolina for “singlehandedly raising over $1,000,000 for Legal Aid of North Carolina.”  In January, John will be awarded the CLE Volunteer of the Year award by the North Carolina Bar Association for his “exceptional dedication and service” in speaking to groups of lawyers as part of the continuing legal education required of each lawyer.  Over the years, John has made CLE presentations to well over 50 groups of lawyers across the state.

John has also volunteered his time and energy outside the legal community, serving among other roles as President of Burning Coal Theatre Company in Raleigh, and as Senior Warden of his church, St. Mark’s Episcopal.

John’s efforts over the years to improve the quality of legal services provided by all lawyers, and his commitment to public service, is a reflection of the values and priorities of Harris, Winfield, Sarratt & Hodges, where our motivation comes from a desire not only to achieve the best results for our clients, but also to uphold the highest standards of the legal profession.

The Depuy ASR Recall applies to hip replacement surgeries using Depuy ASR products performed in July 2003 and thereafter.

If you or someone you know has had hip replacement surgery in the last seven years and suffered complications, please call Clay Hodges at 919-546-8788 for a free consultation.  Our law firm can determine if you have the defective Depuy ASR hip components, and if so, we will work hard to protect your legal interests relating to this unfortunate product failure.

Such inquiries are not rare, but they represent a misunderstanding of civil litigation and the adversarial judicial system.  By definition, litigation involves a dispute, and disputes are often saddled with animosity, hurt feelings, even rage, among the litigants.  But, however much animosity exists between the parties, trying to intentionally humiliate or “go after” the other side is not an effective litigation strategy. In fact, such attempts often backfire and hurt the client’s case.  And the goal of litigation is not to humiliate or abuse, but to win the case.

With good trial lawyers, the best legal work often occurs in quiet and unspectacular settings.  One of my partners recently took the deposition of the opposing party in a contentious lawsuit among emotional litigants.  But rather than verbally attacking or abusing the deponent[1], my partner instead spent a full eight hours methodically asking question after layered question, eventually inducing the individual to admit to several facts which, ultimately, destroyed the deponent’s case against our client.  If you were sitting in the conference room when it happened, you may have missed it.

Judges virtually never permit “pitbull attacks” in their courtrooms.  The histrionics we see on television are almost never allowed in a real courtroom, and for good reason.  But the most important reason for the client is this:  it doesn’t work.

At Harris, Winfield, Sarratt, & Hodges, we are committed to representing our clients zealously and to achieving the very best possible results in every case.  We never shy away from a fight, but we leave the “pitbull tactics” to television actors and bad lawyers.

– Clay Hodges

[1]  A deponent is a person being asked questions, under oath, in a deposition; a deposition is the taking of a person’s testimony outside a courtroom for the purpose gathering evidence and relevant information in a civil action.