Founders Day, Again

On October 1, 1996, Brewster S. Rawls and Associates (our original name) commenced operations.

Our beginning was not auspicious. Six weeks before, I was fired from my position as a partner in another firm – a named partner, in fact. It was not an “amicable departure,” it was quite ugly. Nonetheless, I had plenty of work – enough to keep four lawyers and four non-lawyers quite busy–so I decided it was time to strike out

on my own. Despite the uncertainty and the efforts of my soon-to-be former partners, all those working with me signed on to the new adventure. Some

might say that putting an eight-employee business together so quickly is almost impossible. It was, but we did it anyway.

Fast forward twenty-nine years.

We’re a long way from where we were.

In 1999, we started our FTCA practice representing veterans and military families nationwide. We are now the leading FTCA firm in the country.

In 2005, we added the vaccine injury practice.

When the firm started, we were medical malpractice defense lawyers. Eventually, we grew to have the largest medical malpractice defense group in Virginia. In 2016, we had eighteen lawyers operating out of four offices covering the entire state.

By 2018, the defense practice was gone, and we shifted our focus to representing only patients and families. That transition was not easy, nor was it quick. In some ways, it was much harder than the original start-up – and a lot more expensive. After getting through the Covid year of 2020 (which seems so strange in hindsight), we started hitting our stride again in 2021.

This year has been our best one ever – by a huge margin.

At this point, there are only two “founders” left, Cari Mikalson and me. I am so profoundly blessed to have had her working with me all this time. She’s a huge factor in our success. Literally, we could not have done it without her.

Here is the real upshot: After practicing for more than 41 years and running this shop for 29 years, I am as happy now as I have ever been practicing law.

But what about the future?

After all, I am seventy years old now. Healthy as I am, I get tired more quickly than I used to – no more trying 14 med-mal jury trials in a year - and I won’t live forever.

Good news here too. Glen Sturtevant, Peter Anderson and I are working on the transition plan. They are great guys and fine lawyers. Everything should be in place by the end of the year. That doesn’t mean I am going anywhere. I have no interest in retiring – largely because I am just having too much fun doing this.

I am confident that Rawls Law Group – or whatever our name will end up being - will be celebrating many future Founders Days.

Happy Founders Day!