Introduction
to Howard
BY KERRY
RANDALL
HOWARD SPIVA is a surprisingly
unconventional attorney. His life is drawn of stark contrasts. His
accomplishments are without peer, so one might think he had all the advantages
of a privileged childhood and an Ivy League education. The truth is far from
that.
Howard’s mechanic father was murdered
when Howard was only six years old, forcing him to scramble to get through
Savannah’s public schools while helping his mother.
Howard worked his way through college
and law school by going to night classes while managing a skating center,
working as a title examiner, and selling enough real estate to qualify for the
Million Dollar Club.
Along the way, he earned his broker’s
license, became a certified auto mechanic and earned his pilot’s license.
In Howard’s personal life he has been
happily married to Kelly Spiva for 30+ years. His son Gene is a college
graduate, Army paratrooper and is in law school. . His step son Clay Porter is
an attorney with the Spiva Law Group. Kelly and Howard have 3 great dogs to
share their home.
Howard's dogs go every where with him
including the office each day.
Howard wears a Mickey mouse watch, a
pony tail and drives a pick up truck.
Howard’s professional accomplishments
could fill a book. His law firm has earned numerous record recoveries $10M and
verdicts in Georgia, with amounts ranging from $1 million to $12 million. (In
one unusual case, a judge awarded Howard’s client $55 million.) www.spivalaw.com
Howard does lots of unique things to
win cases. He was the only Savannah lawyer to have a medical doctor and an
investigator (with twenty-eight years police experience) on staff. He has
used his own mock courtroom to prepare his clients for
trials.
He once bought a roller coaster to
help win a case.
He keeps an RV, with an office, (The
war wagon) so his clients and their families can relax during trials when they
are not needed in the courtroom.
"A
lawsuit is like a war, and you shouldn’t get caught with your pants down. You
look like the winner you are, and you maintain a winning attitude. You need to
look more organized to a jury. You need to be prepared, you need to be at the
top of your game. One example is our RV, a mobile office, The war wagon. It’s
the ultimate convenience for testimony, and you can get real-time support and
feedback. You get fresh memories from testimony. It helps us winning att trial
with technology. You look more professional. We broadcast the message that “we
came to win”. When we pull up in our War Wagon we broadcast the message that “we
are prepared to fight”. Defendants, insurance companies, witnesses, judges, and
the jury all hear that “we came to win” message. I believe as in life, Attitudes
win cases. Live over the top. Go the extra mile. Let the world know that you are
committed, what you’re committed to, to win consistently in every game you play.
You must take a big bite out of life, with six tons of comfort and convenience
and technology. The War wagon bites hard." ~ Howard
Spiva
His firm until recently had a twin
engine plane for assisting in their travels.
Howard has been invited by trial and
bar associations more than one hundred times to present his unique and effective
methods for winning cases.
Howard’s non-traditional approach to
life and the practice of law has earned the recognition and respect of lawyers
throughout the country. Howard’s legal accomplishments were recognized by other
law firms when he was awarded an “AV”, the highest nationwide rating for legal
ability and professional ethics.
Howard is a member of the Board of
Governors of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, life member of the Georgia
Trial Lawyers Association, past President of the Savannah Trial Lawyers
Association, and a founding member of the Georgia Consumer Justice Foundation.
Additionally, Howard is a member of
the Melvin Belli Society (by invitation only), and the Million Dollar Advocates
Forum, with only 35 members in Georgia.
How did Howard accomplish all this by
the time he was forty, with energy and passion, lots of passion. To be around
Howard is to be infected with passion and consumed by boundless energy.
Want to spend a day with Howard? Plan
to meet him by 5:00 AM, not for breakfast. You won’t see him slow down until
after midnight. (It’s no wonder people sometimes call him “Superman.”)
Howard works hard and plays hard. He
loves flying private planes and experimental aircraft. His other “leisure”
activities include racing watercraft, scuba diving, karate, jujitsu, boxing and
kickboxing.
For over three years he hosted his
own talk radio show, “Never Settle for Less”. He enjoys bringing a positive
message to the world.
Howard’s former television
commercials say there is “a lot of stuff he doesn’t know anything about”... but
serious personal injury is something he knows, and knows well.
Howard’s firm focuses on people with
serious/catastrophic, personal injuries, wrongful death cases, brain injuries,
and children’s injuries.
When asked if he is “Super Lawyer,”
Howard chuckled, “Kryptonite is one of my favorite foods — I love it on
popcorn.”
After a full day with
Howard, I have to believe him.
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Labels: insurance, lawsuit, lawyer, lawyers, Serious injury, Spiva Law Group, Traumatic brain injury, Trial Lawyers, trucking, wrongful death