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Mar. 30, 2026

Dana Fox talks about what he's learned switching from a defense to a plaintiffs practice

Dana Fox spent four decades at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP defending catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. His move to BD&J -- late in his career -- was driven in part by a desire to test whether his trial instincts would translate when the burden flipped.

Dana Fox talks about what he's learned switching from a defense to a plaintiffs practice
Kelley and Dana Fox

After trying roughly 85 cases to verdict as a defense lawyer, Dana Fox thought he understood how personal injury cases are built, valued and tried.

Three months after joining plaintiffs' firm BD&J PC, he said he's discovering that while the rules of the game are the same, the mechanics and the mindset are not.

"The biggest shift is this: As a plaintiffs' lawyer, you go first," Fox said. "You're not reacting. You're constructing the e...

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