Chris Arledge, managing partner of One LLP, published a feature article in California Lawyer titled Litigators v. Trial Lawyers: The Differences and Why They Matter. The article discusses the difference between litigators and trial lawyers, and how the skills required of a bona fide trial lawyer differ profoundly from those required of a pre-trail litigator.
In the article, Arledge explains why most pre-trial litigators struggle at trial and how many lawyers aggressively avoid trials. He also demonstrates what can be done to improve the skill set of trial lawyers and what law firms should do to best serve their clients.
According to Arledge, “most litigators are not trial lawyers. Most will never be, either because they do not devote the time required to develop the skills, or because they cannot develop the skills, or both. But this fact has consequences—or should have—for how we practice.”
Chris Arledge is a co-founder and managing partner of One LLP, an intellectual property firm with offices in Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and San Diego. His biography can be found here.