Christopher Sullivan, the founder of CLS Law, started out his career representing midsize companies in corporate deals—acquisitions and partnerships. It was the sort of work he went to law school to do. After a few years, the burnout hit. “I wanted to get into the courtroom,” he says. “Personal injury gave me an outlet. Once you win a couple of big cases, there’s no going back. I still love the rush.”
AALM: Walk us through making the jump to start your own firm. Why the move?
CS: Working at a midsize practice before opening my firm was great to be honest. I enjoyed the work and had friends there, plus you don’t need to worry about your next paycheck! For me though, going out on my own was the only path. I had so many ideas in my head about how to streamline processes and build cases, I just had to see that vision through. It’s really never easy to walk away from security, but if the calling is there, that inner voice will start yelling at you to make a change.
AALM: Tell us about the 3-B approach and how you developed it.
CS: Sure! One of our taglines is ‘Believe in yourself, Build your case, Beat the odds,’ and it speaks to how we operate. We’ve won some very tough cases with the mindset that if we believe in the case and build it right, we can win it. Period. It’s a reminder to ignore the noise on the other side.
AALM: As you near the five-year anniversary of your firm, and you look back on the early days, are you where you expected to be today?
CS: Some days you feel like you’re 10 miles behind, and others, you’re on top of the world. That’s high-stakes litigation, and that’s business. I try to enjoy the ride.
AALM: Looking back on the cases you’ve handled since you started doing personal injury, what stands out the most?
CS: The clients. Seriously, I’m proud of all of them for standing up to big insurance and the corporate giants, and they do it during a very difficult time in their lives. I try to let them know how awesome they are for not backing down.
AALM: You’re known as a bit of a risk-taker in terms of the cases you accept. Is that on purpose?
CS: Absolutely. I’ve always liked taking tough cases and finding ways to win. Ultimately, you win or you learn, and I’ve learned so much from fighting cases that people thought couldn’t be won. The insurance companies also get very bold in defending cases they think are unlosable. That experience helps us get better, and I actually allot a certain amount of time to working on select cases where the odds are not in our favor. If I’ve got a good client and we’re not afraid to lose, I can get creative. It’s fun.
AALM: You’ve developed a strong referral network over the years. How has it grown? Can you tell us a bit about that and what you look for in referral partners?
CS: Absolutely, and the story started out with friends I’ve made over the years; it’s been great to see things expand. Our referrals are usually from lawyers in other practice areas or lawyers who may not choose to litigate certain types of accident cases. Why turn those cases away? Partner with CLS Law and everyone wins.
AALM: Looking ahead, what are your plans for the firm this year?
CS: We’re focused on growth. On top of the auto accident and premise liability work, our medical malpractice presence is really growing, and there’s no shortage of opportunity there. On the business side, we’re excited to explore new marketing opportunities that will help us reach more injury victims. Our system for developing cases has been super effective. I’d love to see that on a larger scale.
For more information, visit clswins.com.
