How and Why I Became a Lawyer
In 2003, I began working for a small personal injury law firm in Abilene, Texas as an IT support technician. One of my jobs was to help with trial presentations, and I got to work on "John's" case. John was a WWII veteran who was starved to death by a nursing home. I'm not exaggerating - the cause of death was malnutrition and during the case we found out that the nurses didn't give John his Ensure because he was fussy. So they let the man starve to death and suffer from bedsores that were so deep you could see his tailbone.
The company that owned the nursing home didn't care and didn't even offer to cover John's funeral expenses. John's family didn't have enough money to buy him a tombstone, and that's part of why they hired the firm I worked for. We got a great result for John's family, and one of the first things they bought with the settlement was a tombstone for John. But for our hard work, he would not have one.
It was during that case that I learned a fundamental truth about the universe - if you want justice, you have to fight for it. And I've been fighting for justice since 2003. My background was in computers, not in law, so I had to go to college and law school. I graduated from Michigan State University College of Law in 2010 and immediately began fighting for justice.
I went out on my own in December of 2013 and began representing clients out of my living room because I couldn't afford an office and could barely afford my student loans. What I did have plenty of was the will to fight for justice on behalf of my clients. Just three years after starting on a shoestring in my living room, I have five attorneys, over 20 support staff, and over 20,000 square feet of office space across three cities. Each and every one of my team members fights for justice every day and we are all proud of what we do.
I have two law firms. The Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. - PLLC is a firm dedicated solely to fighting for justice on behalf of individuals injured by asbestos.
Justinian & Associates PLLC is a traditional injury firm that handles everything but asbestos cases. This web site is my personal blog and has no association with either firm. The opinions here are purely my own, and they are unfiltered.
Here is How I Use the Law to Fight for Justice
Asbestos & Mesothelioma
Asbestos is a mineral with very special properties that enable it to be used for insulation. It's also dangerous to breathe and can be deadly. I fight on behalf of asbestos workers and their families to obtain settlements from companies that made, sold, installed, or removed asbestos. All of my asbestos clients are represented by The Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. - PLLC. Follow that link if you'd like to know more about how I help people injured by asbestos.
Drugs & Medical Devices
I've been fortunate enough to work on behalf of many individuals who were injured by dangerous drugs and defective medical devices. I take a personal interest in these cases because the pattern seems to be the same: A drug company scientist points out problems in a potential drug, and the marketing department overrules the scientist and sells the drug. Then, people are injured and lawsuits follow. I maintain a blog for this practice area called Dangerous Drugs.
Personal Injury
I began my career helping individuals injured by products like asbestos as well as dangerous drugs and medical devices. I realized that my team could lso help individuals who were injured in other ways. I founded Justinian & Associates to handle cases for individuals hurt in car accidents, truck accidents, and other more "typical" personal injury cases. I have offices in Austin, San Antonio, and Pflugerville, Texas that handle these cases.
Immigration
What I like best about our immigration practice is that we're ruly elping people by keeping families together and allowing individuals who love America to stay here. It touches my heart every time an immigration client is overcome with emotion that we are able to help them. More than any other practice area, this one reminds me why I went to law school: To help people.
Storm Damage Claims
Insurance companies love to deny claims. Not just personal injury claims, but property damage claims as well. Texas sees a lot of bad storms and hail, and that weather causes damage to residential and commercial property. If insurance companies won't pay a fair settlement to repair a person's property, Justinian & Associates is happy to help make them.
"Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum"
That's Latin for "Let Justice Be Done, Though the Heavens May Fall." I chose that motto to remind myself and my staff that our job is to o justice, regardless of the consequences. We don't concern ourselves with the share prices of corporations that kill people with defective products or the insurance rates of trucking companies that let bad drivers behind the wheel. We care only about justice.