José A. Isasi, Jones Day

Tell us about your biggest trial win from January 2017 to July 2018 and how you achieved the result for your client.

We represented RJ Reynolds in a personal injury lawsuit tried for almost three weeks to a state court jury in Sarasota, Florida. The plaintiff, John Damiano, is a 75-year-old former smoker diagnosed with terminal COPD. Opposing counsel had recently obtained a $12 million verdict against Reynolds in another case in Sarasota. The plaintiff sought $5 million in compensatory damages and additional punitive damages. I assembled a team of Jones Day lawyers to present our defense that plaintiff was aware of the risks of smoking and had many opportunities to quit in time to avoid developing COPD. The jury deliberated for three hours before returning a complete defense verdict.

Share two trial tips that have been key to your success.

  1. Build a great team, and then rely on each other. In complex cases, no trial victory is the result of one person's efforts. Everybody owns everything!
  2. When finalizing your themes, always present them to an outsider and listen to their feedback. Juries do not have your background with a case, which we can forget the night before openings.