Fewer and fewer cases are going to trial, and fewer and fewer attorneys have actual trial experience. Examples include getting involved with the local bar association, local schools, and various charitable organisations. It is not enough to write a check and walk away. You have to engage. Getting involved and being a part of community programs is essential. The two of you come from very different professional backgrounds. What was it that prompted you to establish NP Law? We met while working at a large law firm in Los Angeles. The national personal injury firm required attorneys to carry a large caseload. Both of us had positive experiences at this firm. However, we made the decision that we wanted to establish a law firm that was dedicated to the practice of trial advocacy. Lee was raised in a rural farming community in Minnesota and eventually made his way to California, where he worked as a commercial real estate appraiser for several years. As a lawyer, he spent considerable time representing plaintiffs in asbestos litigation nationwide. Lee left the asbestos litigation world and volunteered in Africa. Upon his return, he began working at the firm when he met John. For John, his current position as a trial attorney was the culmination of several careers that he would say were the stepping stones to the present. After serving as a combat medic in the United States Navy, John joined the civilian world. He served as an emergency paramedic with the Los Angeles Fire Department for approximately 10 years. While serving in the fire department, He went to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art with an emphasis in medical illustration. Many of his early assignments as an illustrator were for trial lawyers and it was then and there that he made the conscious decision to become a trial attorney. Because of his extensive training in anatomy and medicine, personal injury law was a perfect fit for John. Is there a particular principle or philosophy that motivates your work? Any professional or business should be able to answer three questions: 1. Who are we? We are legal professionals. Being a professional means that we have taken an oath to abide by a standard of ethics 52 LAWYER MONTHLY AUGUST 2023 John Noland, Founding Partner at NP Law Firm, APC
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