Joe Jamail
Joe Jamail
Joseph Dahr Jamail, Jr.was an American attorney and billionaire. The wealthiest practicing attorney in America, he was frequently referred to as the "King of Torts"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth19 October 1925
CountryUnited States of America
accepted achievement everybody far helped money poor somebody vain
The feeling of being accepted and acknowledgement and recognition and fame - I'm vain like everybody else. The feeling of achievement that I've helped the poor or somebody in need far outweighs the money.
federal government help helping medical money people research saw spending state
Medical research is needed, and I just saw there was a need for help that the government - state or federal - was not spending the taxpayers' money on helping people get through college.
dollar education given higher medical
For every dollar we have given to athletics, we have given about 27 to higher education or medical research.
bananas comparing gave law money practice selling start university
If you start comparing my practice of law to what I could have been - selling bananas - you'll know why I gave money to the University of Texas.
ethical legal supposed taught
I was taught that a lawyer was supposed to be a custodian of the community's legal and ethical sense.
pointed
It has been pointed out to me, more than once, that for someone who chose a profession steeped in procedure and protocol, I had little use for either.
deserved people whether
I sent people to the penitentiary as fast as I could, never thinking about whether they deserved it.
call cases courtroom experience handful handle lawyers small trial trying
By not trying the small cases, the lawyers don't get the courtroom experience. So when the huge, bet-the-company cases come along, there are only a handful of trial lawyers who can handle it. That's why these big corporations still call us old-timers every day.
bills bring bunch deliver ham handing hungry knew people smoked store
I didn't know who she was, but I knew she was hungry, so I started handing out $100 bills and called the office and told them to bring me a bunch more. Then I had my cousin's store deliver a bunch of smoked ham and turkeys. I mean, these people are hungry and living under a bridge.
billion good save
That's a good feeling, to save your clients two billion dollars.
county days grenade hall harris hit throw trial
I don't think the trial practice is dead. But it is very ill. There are some days you could throw a hand grenade down the hall of the Harris County Courthouse and not hit anybody.
people
We've got some well-run corporations by some well-intended people who do it right.
barred betting motivated negligence realize satisfying
You had to have a unanimous jury verdict, and one percent of contributory negligence barred all recovery. It was so satisfying to realize I could do it. And I'll tell you what motivated me: competitiveness. I was betting on me. That's what a contingent-fee lawyer does.
home
When I walk into a courtroom, I feel like I'm home.