Tom McManus: Alright, welcome into the Horse’s Mouth here at Tommy Mac’s. We sit down at my bar and tell your story. It’s the Raising The Bar segment with our friend Alan Pickert, brought to you by our good friends at Terrell Hogan Law. He’s got one of his partners in town, and we’re at the bar to talk some law. Let’s get into it with our panel. Alan, how are you, my friend?
Alan Pickert: I’m good, good to see you.
Tom McManus: Good to see you. And you brought Chris Shakib. Hey, Chris, good to see you. How you doing?
Chris Shakibb: Very good, very good.
Tom McManus: So how do all you attorneys get along at Terrell Hogan? Do y’all get along kumbaya?
Chris Shakib: Not at all. We can’t stand each other. We try to avoid each other. It’s like the Beatles right before their breakup. We’ll make our appearances together, but behind the scenes, it’s terrible.
Tom McManus: There you go. Well, you gotta put on a good front, Chris, right?
Chris Shakib: Yes. But if this was a deposition, I would chastise my witness because sarcasm doesn’t come through on paper. And when they read that to the jury, it’s gonna look like we hate each other.
Alan Pickert: So, tell ’em the truth real quick.
Chris Shakib: The truth is, I’ve been with Terrell Hogan for almost 19 years now. People tend to stay in our firm for a long time. It’s more of a family, not just with the attorneys, but the staff. It’s been my family for a long time. Alan was a year ahead of me at the University of Florida for Law School.
Tom McManus: Okay.
Alan Pickert: I wanted Chris on our show because he has a specialty niche that, to my knowledge, no other lawyer in North Florida does. He handles cosmetic surgery malpractice cases. Tell us about that.
Chris Shakib: When I went to law school, I didn’t plan to spend time on medical malpractice lawsuits against cosmetic surgeons. But a case came in, and I looked at it. Women came to me with an identical story from the same practice. I started investigating, and the first surgeon I talked to said I didn’t have a case. But I disagreed and found another expert who confirmed it was a big deal. I ended up representing hundreds of women with similar claims.
Tom McManus: Today’s day and age, Ozempic is really big. Are you looking forward to the future, do you see there being some stuff?
Chris Shakib: Yes, in addition to medical malpractice, I handle product liability cases involving medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Ozempic is the next big thing. They’re setting up a multi-district litigation court for it, and there’s going to be a lot of litigation due to side effects that weren’t warned about.
Tom McManus: It’s elective, but it’s still surgery. How does that work in the eyes of the law?
Chris Shakib: It’s surgery in the eyes of the law. Culturally, we put a lot of emphasis on appearance, especially for women. Most of my clients just want to look like they did before having children or when they were younger. Juries don’t usually hold that against them.
Tom McManus: How about men? Any male clients?
Chris Shakib: Men can be clients, but I’ve never had a male plastic surgery medical malpractice client. There was a prominent businessman in Jacksonville who died during liposuction, which resulted in a big lawsuit. It’s less common but possible.
Tom McManus: When do you know it’s time to retire?
Alan Pickert: Eventually, it ends, but at our firm, people stay a long time. Jim Terrell has been practicing for 50 years and still comes in daily. Wayne Hogan has been practicing for 47 years and still comes in.
Tom McManus: Real quick, you’re fit and trim. Do you do boxing?
Chris Shakib: Yes, several years ago, I went through a divorce and had to decide what to do. Boxing saved my life. It changed everything, gave me confidence, and made me a better lawyer.
Tom McManus: Boxing is great. I did it for a while, but had to stop after an injury. It’s a phenomenal workout.
Alan Pickert: You can see why people get Tom and I mixed up.
Tom McManus: How do you feel about the new stadium for the Jags?
Chris Shakib: We can’t be without the Jags. Every other NFL city is doing this. We don’t want to be the city that lost their NFL team. That’s the bottom line.
Tom McManus: Great answer. Great to have you, Chris.
Chris Shakib: Happy to be here.
Tom McManus: Make sure you check out Chris and Alan’s profiles on dailynewsnetwork.com. Stay safe and be cool. See you next time on the Horse’s Mouth. Cheers.