Bostwick & Peterson partner James Bostwick, one of America’s top 100 trial lawyers, was interviewed by Authority Magazine, “On How To Grow Your Business or Brand By Writing a Book.”
He spoke about what it’s like to be an experienced trial lawyer, his defining moment as a young lawyer, and gives us exciting news about what is next for his novel Acts of Omission.
James explains the challenges involved in selecting cases involving medical malpractice or other catastrophic injuries to represent, as they involve a significant emotional and financial investment. While lawyers want to help as many people as possible, it just isn’t economically feasible to take on every case.
Back in 1984, Bostwick was a young lawyer working on a challenging case, seeking justice for a teenager who had been rendered quadriplegic by radiation she received while being treated for thyroid cancer. At that time, it was extremely difficult to find experts in what was then a new and specialized field of medicine. Moreover, medical malpractice recoveries had been capped at $250,000 in California since 1975. Overall, it was a real David versus Goliath legal battle.
Despite all the obstacles, the trial ended with a record jury verdict of $7.6 million, the largest in U.S. history at the time. This victory put his firm and himself squarely on the legal “map,” garnering international recognition and an appearance on the six o’clock news with Walter Cronkite.
James has continued winning record settlements and verdicts for victims of personal injury, legal, and medical malpractice.
“I am passionate about helping people in need, have an affinity for medicine, I speak the language, and have a great respect for the field - that is what drew me into the area of specialty law.”
He is currently working on a case involving a very sophisticated treatment of a neuro-endovascular problem that went wrong, also a sleep apnea surgery with devastating results, and several cases involving injury to children at birth.
He is also the respected author of a legal thriller, Acts of Omission, inspired by his real-life 1984 San Francisco case. His debut book was nominated for the 2020 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and is currently being made into a movie, of which Bostwick is co-producer.
You can read the full interview here.