Episode #2.2: Brent Wisner in The Heart of Law

Written By Caryl Veloso

A disarming smile, a humble shrug, a youthful face … At first glance, we have no idea who steps onto The Heart of Law’s virtual stage. As always, our piercing host comes through for us. Mirena introduces us to “The 2 Billion Dollar Man” of the 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star magazine and 2021 Clarence Darrow awardee Brent Wisner.

Deeply fond of his family—his genius mother, environmental activist father, and four energetic siblings—Brent gives us a pleasant glimpse of an extraordinary upbringing. His deeply-rooted childhood fashioned in him a rare, stalwart foundation most individuals do not have. No wonder Brent approaches life with a backpack full of self-awareness beyond his years. As he talks about his life, we notice one thing: an unseen hand almost always [serendipitously] guides him to the right place at the right time. Sheer luck, is it? Perhaps … but maybe not. With all of the above, coupled with an innate drive to make "meaningful change" in people's lives, Brent simply rises “above the fray.”

He walks us through the Monsanto Papers and its controversially “toxic” origins—how it could have completely shattered his budding career  “ … Everyone you ever know in mass torts are sitting in this courtroom, and they're all here to watch the execution of Brent Wisner. No one's here to support me.” After a surprising turn of events, the case miraculously works out. Brent makes history.  From the high profile case, Johnson vs. Monsanto Co.  accidentally falling on his lap (and winning it, against all odds), to the Pilliod vs Monsanto Co. and all the other causes he fights for (as Mirena puts it), Brent just consummately tries to “right a wrong.” He gives sage advice to young lawyers, by telling them to, first, align themselves with seasoned litigators; second, “push cases to trial and state court.” Why? Because “ … Inventory settlements need to stop. Obviously, this is hurting my bottom line! Inventory settlements help my firm. We always settle higher than other people because we can try the case and we're usually heavily involved. But I think there needs to be a return to the global settlement model.”

He dislikes politics, inventory settlements, and hypocrisy in the MDL diversity leadership structuring. The bottom line: our principled Brent Wisner continues to make an indelible mark in this high-stakes legal climate. He is unpretentious, believes in action, and loves helping people. He says, “I just got dumb, s*** lucky.” Maybe happenstance approaches Brent more frequently than others. Perhaps it’s just because of how he fundamentally approaches life. Now that we've met someone like Brent, who says: “Youth is wasted on the young?”

EPISODE SURVEY:

  • [00:06:46] - [00:14:30] Brent Rude Awakening in College

  • [00:18:42] - [00:22:41] Upbringing & Self-discipline

  • [00:46:58] - [00:52:29] Preparing for Monumental Moments

  • [01:12:53] - [01:17:23] Young Does Not Mean Unqualified

  • [01:26:07] - [01:35:46] How Brent Would restructure Mass Torts

  • [01:43:13] - [01:48:30] Brent's Take on Women & Law 

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

  • I honestly believe … that making a decision, whatever it is, is better than just not acting.

  • If you're going to do something that you think is wrong, you either don't do it or knowingly know what you're doing and face the consequences of your own actions.

  • The point is being  “a cause” over what it is that you're doing instead of “the effect” of the world. I think to the extent you can try to be the cause of what you're trying to create or do … lends to more sanity and happiness, but it also leads to some mud on your face. And trust me, I got a lot of it. So I think it really cuts both ways.

  • Get to trial as often and as fast as you can. It's literally the only thing that matters. Win, lose, or draw. It will push the case toward a settlement. That's just the truth of it.

  • If you're a competent lawyer and you align yourself with a good group (at least early on) you'll get exposure and you'll be surprised by how quickly you get tapped. Now you have to be competent and you have to do the work and you have to be committed. You do those things. There will be a lot of opportunit[ies] there.

  • Get to trial as often and as fast as you can. It's literally the only thing that matters. Win, lose, or draw. It will push the case toward a settlement. That's just the truth of it.

  • At the end of the day, it's not about your power, it's not about your influence. It's not even about your bottom line … You want to help people. This is why we're here.

  • I do believe in the basic idea that you want to help people and you can do that right by getting their case to trial. And if the politics are getting in the way, then f*** the politics because it's not the right thing to do and you do that enough.

  • I think what needs to happen is men who have positions of influence need to actually give their power over to women and do so routinely.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

  • Vice President, attorney,  and a Senior Shareholder of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman in San Francisco

  • Youngest attorney in U.S. history to win a multi-million-dollar jury verdict

  • Oversees all mass tort litigation, focusing on pharmaceutical product liability, toxic torts, and consumer fraud class actions

  • Named “Civil Plaintiffs Trial Lawyer of the Year” by the National Trial Lawyers Association (2019) and one of “America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers” by The National Law Journal (2019)

  • Recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the “Top Plaintiffs Lawyers in California” and as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California”

  • Awarded “West Trailblazer” by The American Lawyer (2021) and the Clarence Darrow Award by Mike Papantonio (2021)

LINKS FROM THE SHOW:

Caryl Veloso
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Episode #2.3: Shelby Walton in The Heart of Law
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Episode #2.1: Paul Farrell in The Heart of Law