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For Tom and Fred Bryant, every case is like going into battle – against Goliath.
The Bryant Law Firm doesn’t represent insurance companies or large corporations. They represent the little guy, individuals who have been severely injured or severely wronged.
For 30 years and counting, Fred has been practicing law and his son Tom is following in his footsteps. When Tom graduated from law school seven years ago, Fred began thinking about opening his own firm with his son as a partner. In January, his plan came to fruition and they opened The Bryant Law Firm in North Kansas City.
“I can’t imagine not practicing with him, you know? We’ve always had a good relationship and pretty much see eye to eye on all the issues we’re involved with,” Tom said.
“We trade ideas and help each other out on cases. It’s like having two minds working the same case in a sense,” added Fred, who lives in Historic Northeast.
During high school, Tom began working for his father’s law firm, Rubins Kase Hager Cambiano and Bryant, as a gopher and file clerk.
“I was doing pretty much anything,” he said.
Tasks ranged from reviewing police reports to picking up clients to filing pleadings, among others.
“To be in high school and get to see the inner workings of a law firm was a good experience for sure,” he said. “It was a good look in and what better place than your own father’s law firm?”
One of the aspects that attracted Tom to the field was competition.
“I always enjoyed competition at a young age. The way I looked at it, it was another form of competition. Trial work is kind of invigorating like that,” he said.
Both father and son agreed being a lawyer isn’t a static process, but that’s what they enjoy. They’re constantly learning and adapting cases.
“It’s an open format,” Tom said. “You never know where your case is going to take you. You can start with a simple automobile collision case and then you’re researching how the vehicle’s put together, or you’re talking about statistics dealing with distracted driving and texting. Any case can open up a door you’d never thought you’d see.”
One of their most arduous cases involved a Hong Kong wig manufacturer. Their female client purchased the man-made hair for a cheap price and paid a stylist to weave the fake hair into her own. However, the wig label didn’t warn the material was highly flammable. While doing a controlled burn of leaves in her yard, some sparks flew up and caught her hair on fire. As she struggled to put out the fire, the synthetic hair melted into her scalp and began dripping down, causing burns on both her face and chest.
“She had devastating burns throughout her face and body,” Fred said. “It was horrific.”
Not only did the duo have to track down the original manufacturer and distributors of the synthetic hair, they also had to prove that the woman didn’t intentionally set herself on fire.
Through their research, they discovered the true quality of the synthetic hair. A highly defective product, the hair didn’t even meet the standards for flammability in the United States.
“It (synthetic hair) was basically like gasoline,” Tom said. “They were so poorly manufactured; if you got anything near it, it would catch on fire.”
They secured an expert to testify about the hair, but right before their deposition, the expert died of a heart attack.
“It wasn’t fun taking that call,” Fred said. “With deadlines coming up, there was a sense of panic for your case and your client. We got another one (expert) pretty quickly, but we were scrambling.”
Shortly before trial, they settled the case.
“You can never perfectly plan,” Fred said of the unexpected mishaps. “It’s not like the shows you watch where the producer produces. There’s always something unexpected that comes up that you have to react to.”
For the Bryants, their clients have become like family. Over the years, they’ve received wedding and graduation announcements and have also invited clients to family functions.
“You develop a bond,” Fred said.
As a small firm, they’re able to focus on each client and use a teamwork approach, Fred said.
“We care about our clients; every case is important and we’ll spend our time trying to educate them on the case and listening to their concerns,” he continued. “The key is letting the client express to you what about the case is important to them, what are their goals, what they think the biggest harm is that occurred to them.”
And when the duo wins a case, it’s a celebration not only for them but for their client.
“It’s more than satisfaction. It’s almost elation,” Fred said. “You’ve worked side by side with your client and they want it so much. There’s no better feeling than a jury verdict coming back in your favor.”
As the two continued to talk, it was clearly evident they enjoy each other’s company and the Bryants said they don’t regret working together.
“It’s funny,” Tom said. “When we walk out at night we just say we’d thought we’d like it, but we didn’t realize how much we’d enjoy it.”
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