Thinking Outside of the Box, with Scott Perry

Join Ben for his interview of Scott Perry, one of Virgina’s most talented and successful trial lawyers.  Scott talks about his transition from Big Law to plaintiffs work and his later transition from a narrow focus on medical malpractice to a broader practice.  Scott discusses some of his landmark cases, including a case that changed the safety standard for American rowing and a recent $10 million verdict on behalf of a high school basketball star severely injured during a school community service project.  Scott talks about how he navigated the difficult facts of the case to achieve justice for his client.  About Scott PerryBefore joining Breit Biniazan, accomplished trial lawyer Scott Perry served as a founding partner of Perry Charnoff, PLLC.  Perry knows that it’s not just luck, but skill that gets personal injury lawyers the best result. He strives to surround himself with like-minded attorneys who enjoy the challenge of pushing the status quo and raising the bar for trial practice, which is why he joined forces with Breit Biniazan. Perry, who has a history of creating change in his community, strives to leverage this partnership to make an even greater impact for his clients and the communities he serves. Several years ago, Scott represented a family in a devastating case involving a drowning on the Potomac River. The victim, an 18-year-old Filipino immigrant, became a rowing coach while on summer break from his Ivy League university. Unfortunately, one beautiful day, the victim was thrown from the launch and tragically drowned—despite being a strong swimmer.  When Perry looked into the case further, he discovered that the sport of rowing in the U.S. fell well behind its European counterparts when it came to safety. Coaches in other countries are required to wear special life vests and safety lanyards—and he successfully argued that safety measures like these could have prevented this tragedy. Perry’s represented families in several other sporting injury and wrongful death cases since then.  While at Perry Charnoff, Scott’s unique litigation approach led to multiple multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements, including: A $35.6 million jury verdict for a catastrophically injured clientA $12 million medical malpractice jury verdict for a family who lost a 39-year-old wife and mother due to an undiagnosed blood clotA $4.5 million sexual abuse lawsuit involving two special-needs adults who were raped and impregnated by a workshop employeeA $3.0 million medical malpractice verdict for the family of a lawyer whose heart was punctured during a minor procedureA $2.0 million medical malpractice jury verdict for a woman whose leg was amputated when a blood clot went undiagnosedA $1.55 million medical malpractice verdict for a federal worker whose ureter was sewed shut during a hysterectomyA $1.50 million premises liability lawsuit for the family of a child who drowned in a pool Helping the Davids Stand Up to the GoliathsPerry believes that trial lawyers and the jury system help level the playing field between well-funded parties and those with fewer economic resources. It’s a David and Goliath challenge between injured plaintiffs and the biggest, most well-financed firms in the U.S.—and these firms fight like mad.  With Scott’s broad experience in personal injury litigation, he levels this playing field expertly. And his philosophy of preparing each and every case as if it’s going to trial forces defendants with deep pockets to sit up and take notice. Over the last 20 years, Perry has been consistently nominated as a Washington, D.C.-area “Super Lawyer,” honored in Virginia Lawyers Weekly, and (in 2019) named Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year. Each of these honors recognizes Perry’s unsurpassed ability to recover damages on behalf of his clients. Not everyone realizes that, just like doctors, lawyers can become board-certified in certain areas of practice. Perry recently underwent an extensive process to become a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, demonstrating his proficiency in this area of law. Most recently, Scott was selected as a member of the invite-only Inner Circle of Advocates, which limits its members to the top 100 plaintiff trial lawyers in the country. He is one of only two Virginia attorneys selected to the Inner Circle, with the other member being his Partner, Jeffrey Breit. Both completed a rigorous vetting process requiring a review of verdicts and settlements, trial skills, commitment to the community, and general collegiality.  Representing Families After a Devastating LossPerry focuses his practice on catastrophic injury cases such as truck accidents, wrongful death, product liability, and medical malpractice. This laser focus allows Scott to give each client the individual attention and advice they deserve.  And it’s paid off—he’s successfully handled multiple cases involving catastrophic sports injuries, prompting the defendants to make nationwide safety changes to avoid future lawsuits.  What’s more, with a brain-injury survivor in his own immediate family, Perry is well-aware of the challenges families face—which is why he’s a longtime supporter and volunteer for Brain Injury Services, an organization dedicated to helping brain-injured children and adults build needed skills.  Scott, his wife JoAnn, and their two young children live in Northern Virginia. In his free time, Perry is an avid exercise enthusiast—though his favorite physical activity will always remain hiking with his family.