We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aaron House a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Aaron, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
My mom and dad divorced when I was 2-years-old. Afterwards, we moved in with my grandparents (my mom’s parents) in Fayette, Missouri. We lived with them for about 4 yers. I don’t know anyone in their mid-50s who would rejoice because their kids and grandkids moved in with them. But, my grandparents never complained, they loved us, and they made their home our home. My grandparents always supported my mother, my brother, and me. They were like parents to me in so many ways. Without their sacrifices, my life would be far different.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My journey in law has been unique because I’ve been able to work in many different settings. After law school, I clerked for Missouri Supreme Court Judge Laura Denvir Stith and then handled commercial litigation for two of Kansas City’s largest law firms for several years. I later taught at the UMKC School of Law. In 2014, I left teaching to began working with my own law firm, House Law, full time. Today, most of my clients are people who have been hurt and who have suffered a traumatic brain injury or concussion. When I started my law firm, I had no idea I would represent people with traumatic brain injuries. At that time, I was really fortunate to meet Annette Griggs, a fantastic attorney who brought me in with to work on many of her cases. Her practice focused on brain injuries, and she has been a mentor and one of my best friends, and I am grateful for all that she has taught me.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2014 (the same time period that I was going into solo practice full time) I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I had a craniotomy followed by 6 weeks of radiation therapy. That was a tough time, and I didn’t know that God would make everything ok – that he would give me a good prognosis or heal me. While I do think that I’m resilient for having survived it, I think my resilience really came from my faith in God and my family. Having the support of my family (thinking back to my grandparents), my mother, my partner, and my friends made walking through my diagnosis and treatment far easier than it otherwise would have been.
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
Injury attorneys often get a bad wrap, but what many people don’t know is that we advance the expenses in our cases for our clients. Traumatic brain injury cases can be complex and in litigation can involve numerous doctors and experts that have to be paid for their time. In a single case, expenses can total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. If we lose the case, we “eat” those expenses. We also do not receive payment of our attorney’s fees on a case until the case settles or we win at trial (and sometimes even after that if there is an appeal). Having so much money invested in our cases with no guarantee of a certain outcome can make managing the day-to-day operations of a solo law practice exceptionally difficult. I’ve been fortunate so far in that I’ve been right about the cases I’ve chosen the major majority of the time, but I’ve known others who haven’t been as fortunate. One or two cases that are lost for a injury attorney can result in the bankruptcy of the firm.
Contact Info:
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