Half a century in the courtroom has earned Bruce Broillet something every trial lawyer hopes for but few ever achieve – enduring respect. Along the way, he helped build Greene, Broillet & Wheeler into one of California’s most respected plaintiff law firms while establishing himself as one of the nation’s premier trial attorneys. The result is something no award can bestow: the confidence of his clients, the admiration of his peers and the genuine respect of those who have faced him across the courtroom.
It would be easy to assume that after 50 years in the courtroom, multiple eight-figure verdicts and a résumé filled with landmark litigation, Broillet is beginning to reflect on an extraordinary career.
Don’t make that mistake.
Ask those who know him—or simply listen to the enthusiasm with which he describes preparing for his next trial—and a very different picture emerges. Far from passing the baton, Broillet may be entering one of the most rewarding chapters of his career. The wisdom has been earned. The competitive fire hasn’t diminished. If anything, it burns brighter.
What has kept him motivated for five decades? Broillet doesn’t talk about verdicts or accolades. Instead, he points to three enduring sources of inspiration.
“I think there are probably three reasons,” he begins. “First, I get to speak for people who don’t have the training or experience to speak for themselves in a courtroom. The American jury trial is the only place where, for example, a small child can speak as loudly as General Motors. It’s the great equalizer. It allows everyone to present their point of view and lets the community, through the jury, make the decision. That’s a pretty powerful incentive to be part of something like that.
“Second, I’m 5 foot 2 inches, and 134 pounds. I love to play basketball, but with my limitations, there’s only so much I can do. On a personal level, the courtroom is my basketball court. It’s where I can apply my abilities and my competitive nature while fighting for something I truly believe in.
“Third, I’m surrounded by an extraordinary group of accomplished trial lawyers, and I have tremendous support from the firm we’ve built. We pull together. One person’s victory is everyone’s victory—that’s always been our philosophy. We challenge each other, strategize together and constantly ask how we can do the very best job for our clients. Sometimes I’ll sit in those discussions—talking about trial strategy, which witnesses to call and in what order—and think, ‘Wow, the younger lawyers in our firm are learning enormously just by listening to experienced trial lawyers work through these decisions.’”
Broillet offers observations like this almost casually, the kind of thoughtful perspective earned only after decades spent standing before juries, representing families through their darkest days and helping shape some of the nation’s most consequential civil litigation.
Not rehearsed quotations, but rather hard-earned truths.
Spend an hour talking with Broillet and you’ll hear one after another. Lessons about courage. About preparation. About humanity. About justice. They come from a lawyer who has spent his career learning not only how to win cases, but how to understand people.
