David Holt had put in the years of hard, emotional work pursuing justice and accountability as a state prosecutor in Hampton, Virginia, litigating hundreds of jury trials. He was involved in multiple complex murder and gang-related cases, putting criminals in jail in cases that could take years.And so when the offer came to join a personal injury law firm, it represented a major shift from not just the work but the life he had been living. Long days, unpredictable schedule, lots of travel and stress. Rewarding work, with deep impacts on the community and the state, but it was time for a change.David then realized that civil litigation work is indeed not so far removed from public prosecution. It has many of the same skills, processes and workflows, relationships and collaborations, and very much the same objectives: to deliver accountability, to create deterrents, to help justice be served.14 years since that shift, David has had a rewarding, influential and impactful career, his results including a $10M verdict in Oklahoma for a fork lift explosion TBI case, a $14.5M settlement for a woman with a brain injury, two days into trial, and a $12.2M record slip-and-fall verdict for TBI in Virginia. But the ultimate reward? The people, the relationships and remembering the lives that are impacted by everything that we do, every day."For me, as prosecutors, it's keep cutting your teeth, being hungry, being aggressive in what you do, seek justice. This is just a different way of doing it." - David HoltIn this episode, we discuss:◼️ Why prosecution and personal injury law are more similar than they first appear.◼️ The challenge of moving from representing the Commonwealth to representing one person or family, with very personal stakes.◼️ Why David initially resisted PI work because of billboard-style advertising, and how he came to embrace a more respectful form of marketing.◼️ Remembering, “This is their only case,” and why that perspective changes everything.◼️ Guest co-host Shea Gibbons' transition from federal prosecutor to civil plaintiff lawyer and what that shift has felt like so far.Chapters00:00 The Lives Impacted by Our Work03:47 From Police Officer to Prosecutor13:42 Moving Into Plaintiff Work28:55 The Caleb Case and Client Impact31:47 “This is their only case”34:03 The One Thing That is Truly Constant41:49 What Prosecutors Should Know About Plaintiff Work46:06 CrossFit as Mental Health Training and Courtroom Preparation Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers Available on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and at RVATrialLawyers.com Based out of Richmond, Virginia, Courtroom Stories & Tactics by RVA Trial Lawyers exists for lawyers who try cases to juries on behalf of people. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.Thank you!Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki

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