Episode #2: John Romano in The Heart of Law
EPISODE #2: The Heart of Law with John Romano, of Romano Law Group
Palpable wisdom fills hyperspace as soon as we meet John Romano—a treasured monarch and esteemed advocate in civil and criminal law. In The Heart of Law’s second episode, our insightful host, Mirena Umizaj, astutely deconstructs the many ways John juggles life, lawyer-hood, and love. Throughout the deep dive, she interacts with the sage trial attorney and strategically positions us to appreciate John’s richly unassuming paradigmatic worldview.
Less than five minutes into the show, John disarms us with his dynamic admission of never angling to retire, hoping to live well over 115 years old! Interestingly, despite a robust practice consuming his professional life, he juxtaposes it by giving us a glimpse into a vibrantly remarkable homelife. He shares priceless delight in attending PTA meetings, coaching sports teams, sitting through award ceremonies, enjoying numerous kids’ events and snow-capped vacations. John invites us into an idyllic home—proudly talking about his grandchildren and four successful sons, Erik, Todd, Chad, & Ryan, and consistently glowing about Nancy, his bride and “angel” of 51 years. Curiously, how has he managed it all?
One secret to his humble success stems from this axiom: “To me, life ... comes down to one word: Relationships.” His non-condescending, approachable posture in dealing and caring for people (from jurors to judges, witnesses to police officers, doctors to nurses, priests/rabbis to nuns, hotel staff to his associate staff) shatters every ruthless stereotype lawyers tend to snag. On mellow reverb, he emphasizes respect and kindness, continually dovetailing it to real success in life and the legal profession. Almost accidentally, he endears us. With John, our inspiration slowly dawns on us as we realize we have somehow taken our seat in the midst of a contemplative servant-leader.
As Mirena pushes deeper into the conversation with John, we discover hard lessons he learned because of poor investments. He vulnerably describes (for the first time in public) the detrimental financial decision he made in constructing an environmentally state-of-the-art corporate building. He shares his deep regret at how the economic loss negatively impacted his family and practice, contrasting it with the relief he felt at the unconditional support his firm received from people who cared.
Not skipping a beat, Mirena asks John's four decades-worth of championed causes. They talk about influential seats he holds in prominent national law organizations like the Florida Justice Association, Taos Injury Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers, Mass Torts Made Perfect, AAJ State Trial Lawyers Association. When she asks how (and where) else he directs his “energy and compassion,” he resolutely responds: “You just go at it with everything you've got!” And sure enough, he does.
Without a stray vector, John revisits this February’s 36th Annual John Romano’s Workhorse Seminar, a seminal convention sponsored by the FJA Research and Education Foundation, which he and Nancy co-produced. While Workhorse provides mandatory CLE (Continuing Legal Education) courses, it features a dense melting pot of titans in the legal profession. This year they had notable guests like J. Joaquin Fraxedas, Lee D. Gunn IV, LeNina D. Hurdle, as well as motivational and headline speakers like Nik Wallenda, Abby Wambach, Elizabeth Smart, and Lee Corso.
John proceeds to discuss the serendipitous opportunities novice lawyers can grow because of these seminars. Like a true advocate and poised statesman, he speaks of legal reform in different states the convention tackles—remarking at his colleagues’ changed perspectives and thriving careers through the years. He talks to Mirena about the upcoming 37th Workhorse Seminar, giving us a sneak-peak on the added agenda where registrants would have opportunities to sign-up for one-to-one, private mentorship with about 10-12 "greatest lawyers in America." The Initiative will pave the way for a (tentative) star-studded cast with Lisa Bloom, Randy McGinn, Diane Weaver, Chris Searcy, Steve Yeard Stewart.
If John did rule a kingdom, he lends us a picture of a magnanimous monarchy—rich with opportunities, goodwill, conscience, humility, and service. What a privilege to hear someone like him talk about the richness of life. To say John is a rare soul is an understatement indeed . . . and in deed.
EPISODE SURVEY
[00:32:15] Energy, compassion, and a better work ethic
[00:42:01] Wisdom and the dire consequences of bad decisions.
[01:13:36] On Hosting a seminar that doesn't focus on being a big cocktail party.
[01:15:33] Revisiting the 36th Annual John Romano’s Workhorse (Virtual) Seminar February 23 – 26, 2021
[01:17:50] Tort reform in different states and the FJA.org
[01:21:19] Young lawyers and four race cars speed cars
[01:24:39] Mentoring joyfully and in a heartbeat and just a phone call away.
[01:24:57] About the upcoming 37th Annual Workhorse Seminar and planned mentorship initiative.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
“To me, life ... comes down to one word: Relationships . . . an attitude towards others.”
“No, the practice of law doesn't consume me. The relationships and the practice of law do. And I love it. And that's why I will never, ever, ever, ever retire. I want to do this forever.“
“ You have till midnight to sulk when you win a case. You have till midnight to celebrate ... I say to the lawyers: Get it out of your system! ”
“Norman Cousins once said ‘wisdom comes in understanding and appreciating consequences.’ ”
“Teddy Roosevelt … had a wonderful phrase, he said, ‘keep your eyes on the stars, but keep your feet on the ground.’ “
“[Some of] the greatest lawyers that I've known...have been … Kinder, gentler … their goodness just spills out, and to me, that's what makes them good; they're not trying to show everybody [they’re the] smartest or the biggest or the strongest or the fastest . . . [they] take care of people.”
“ It was poor judgments and decisions made by John Romano that made that happen”
“It is unnecessary to go off and build an experimental building when I haven't thought through the what-ifs.”
“I believe extraordinary things are going to happen every day and every week and every month. And they do.”
“You can be a realist and be an optimist.”
“ When it comes to people, make decisions with your heart.”
“The most important thing that comes out of a crisis is what you learn about … the way you behaved during the crisis.”
“Some of the best lawyering I have ever done has been in cases where the verdict came back against our side. And when you've given it everything, you can feel good saying we gave it everything.”
"Stuart Ratzan … said this: 'Authenticity is the first cousin of credibility' this resonated with me because what he was saying was genuine . . . being authentic relates to credibility.”
ABOUT OUR GUEST: John Romano
Over 40 years practicing law
Inducted into The Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame 2016
Civil trial advocate and board-certified by the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy and American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys
Member of the Taos Group
Co-founder of John Romano’s Workhorse Seminar
Lecturer for Trial Advocacy, Mass Tort, and Criminal Law
Authored three textbooks, and published more than 100 articles in national publications.
Served as Captain and J.A.G. Officer with the United States Marine Corps
Books & Publications:
John Romano, Opening Statement: Winning the Jury, PESI Law Publications, 2004
John Romano, The Deposition Field Manual, PESI Law Publications, 2002
John Romano, Strategic Use of Circumstantial Evidence, Kluwer Law Book Publishers, Inc., September 1986
John Romano, Co-Author/State Editor, Depositions, (Fla. Edition), Knowles Law Book Publishing Company, 1984
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
Check-out John's Fully Loaded Kudos’
Swing by John’s Practice
Visit Mirena’s Interweb Crib and LinkedIn
John’s Stomping-grounds: Florida Justice Association, National Trial Lawyers, Mass Torts Made Perfect, Taos Injury Lawyers, AAJ State Trial Lawyers Association, Trojan Horse Method
Resources John recommends: Trial Lawyers College, Trial School
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Show Notes by Almond Tree Writers' Ink, LLC’s Founder, Caryl Veloso