Given a lawsuit that was almost tossed by their own firm, Alexa Parr and Sarah Mather thought they had little chance of victory in their first trial before a jury, especially since plaintiffs already lost all 32 slip-and-fall trials in Hartford Superior Court this year.

The case, which pitted a tenant against a powerful housing entity in the state's capital, had a willing plaintiff but a hesitant law firm. Anthony Lucas' history of prior slip-and-falls and car accidents coupled with plaintiffs' poor trial record left the attorneys at Dressler Strickland in a predicament.

“It was a difficult liability case and it was going to be dropped,” said Mather, who worked with Parr. “My boss, Gary Strickland, thought at the time it would be a good case for me to try and get my feet wet. It did not look winnable and proving liability seemed an uphill battle.”