As the first harrowing 911 calls came screaming in, the catastrophe at Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida, drew the hurried response of first responders desperate to save lives. Almost immediately, engineering experts, regulators, police and prosecutors began the process of protecting the scene, preserving evidence and staging to determine the root cause of this catastrophe even as rescue operations were unrelenting. Before the day was out, the first lawsuit was also filed.  

Some have bristled at the notion that lawyers were introduced into this human tragedy so quickly, even suggesting it was too soon. What we do know, however, is in the days, months and years ahead, the role of trial lawyers in not only seeking justice for those whose lives were lost, their families and survivors, but in also demanding accountability from individuals, companies, professionals and even regulators will be one aspect of trying to enact enduring and lasting changes intended to prevent this from ever happening again.