Jul 16, 2025 | admin
For Mike Reiter, making a strong case starts with creating a strong connection: “One of the things I like to do as part of our trial team is meet clients at their houses. It’s a big part of making sure we’re prepared to tell the true story of what they’ve been through – to really get a chance to get to know them, get a sense of who they are, and what kind of challenges they may deal with day-in and day-out,” Mike explained.
An experienced personal injury attorney of 14 years, Mike has celebrated hundreds of successes on behalf of his clients. His leading passion is getting into the courtroom: “I think in the civil justice system the jury trial is the great equalizer. To be able to go to trial, talk to other members of the community, and go to bat for a member of the community, means a lot to me.” He goes on to explain CHASENBOSCOLO‘s empowering approach to litigation: “There are always things that come up from the other side to try and minimize what people have gone through; trying to essentially make you back down. We really pride ourselves on not doing that, and throwing down for our clients, making sure that we are giving them a voice.”
In June 2024, Mike and his team represented their client in their favored arena: a jury trial. Their client, a father running errands, was driving along a roadway when another driver made a left turn without yielding – crossing into his driving lane and causing a collision. The impact resulted in significant injuries, including a brain injury as well as neck, back, and shoulder injuries.
The emotional and psychological impacts of the crash were immediate and overwhelming: His client’s son was in the backseat and had been badly rattled. Focusing on the safety of his son first, Mike’s client worked to make sense of what had happened, while the instigator of the crash proceeded to drive away from the scene – a hit-and-run. This was the driver’s second hit-and-run crash on the same day.
Mike spoke about the challenges he faced in this case, beginning with the umbrella-style approach defense counsels often employ during cases such as these: “The defense, as in any case, tries to go at things that they think fit into this nice one-size-fits-all playbook, but as we all know there’s human nature involved and not everything fits into this nice little box.”
Mike’s client had not immediately gone to the hospital for treatment – a decision more easily understood when considering the crash took place on Mother’s Day. The defense counsel attempted to leverage this and also noted that Mike’s client had no broken bones. “As we often understand, these things don’t tell the story at all. There are several reasons somebody may not be able to go to the hospital right away. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a significant crash – it doesn’t mean it didn’t have a significant impact,” Mike commented.
A father of two kids and an employee of the same company for 26 years, Mike’s client is a strong-willed individual dedicated to his values. His immediate concern was his family. “The focus was not on himself first, it was on, ’How’s my son doing; how is my family doing? How do I get him home, and safe, and then maybe I can focus on myself,’” Mike explained.
After settling down, Mike’s client did everything he could to get treatment and improve his health: “It had a significant impact on his life both physically and emotionally, and he was trying his absolute best to get better and to manage his symptoms,” Mike remarked.
The reality of the situation and the authenticity of his client’s plight proved meaningful when Mike and his team presented their case to the jury. Mike mentioned the importance of providing a jury with the knowledge they need to make the best decision: “There are two sides to every story, and the real side of the story is the way we presented it. We presented the case the same way we do everything: We lay out all the facts on the table. We allow the jury to connect the dots, allow them to form their own conclusions, and really be empowered to decide – and I think the truth went out. We have someone who was harmed through no fault of their own with life-changing injuries that affect their independence, their mobility – things we take for granted day-in and day-out, which make a huge difference.”
The jury recognized the struggles associated with being involved in a crash and decided in favor of Mike’s client. “Unfortunately there is the aspect that you can never truly erase memories – especially unpleasant memories,” Mike commented. “The good thing is, he’s a fighter, not a quitter. He’s not somebody who is going to give up, and I think that resonated.”
The success of this case is a vital step in his client’s journey to return to normal life. For Mike, his investment in his client started at his client’s doorstep: “I’d gotten a chance to know him, over the last several years, seeing him the way he interacted with his kids and wife. It was clear how authentic and genuine of a human being he is.”
Mike is a Shareholder & Managing Trial Lawyer at CHASENBOSCOLO. When asked what makes CHASENBOSCOLO home for him, Mike remarked: “I love doing what I do. It’s a great atmosphere. We work as trial teams, we talk to one another and bounce ideas off one another. It’s a collaborative process.” Mike continued by speaking on the importance of the team structure: “It’s not a one-person job. The whole collaborative trial team effort is what stands out. We have legal assistants and other lawyers on the case. We’re working to help build a connection with the client from day one. There are so many different hands on deck as part of this team.”
Mike would like to thank the trial team for their help in ensuring this case’s success: Trial Team Lawyer Mike Duncanson, Paralegal Maggie Callahan, Legal Assistant Lily Richmond, Legal Assistant Arden Perry, Documents Manager Keila Moreira, and Trial Team Lawyer Zachary Weinberg.
When asked what Mike would say to an injured person who feels intimidated by the idea of initiating their case, Mike answered: “That they’re absolutely not in it alone. We don’t back down. Validating their voice; that’s exactly why we’re here. If they can focus on their health and well-being, and participate along with us in the process, we’ll be able to do the heavy lifting to help give them a voice so they don’t feel like they have to just give in – that we’re here to help them.”
