DTCI: Spotlight on…

Cameron S. Huffman

Firm: Jeselskis Brinkerhoff and Joseph LLC

Practice area: Business litigation

Years in practice: 7

What do you like best about your job?

There is no routine, and rarely can you handle a case relying exclusively on your past experience. Basically everything that comes through the door is going to require you to learn something new.

What has been the best moment so far in your legal career?

I told a jury once during opening statements that my case was not at all interesting and, in fact, pretty boring. I won that case. A juror tracked me down afterward and told me if I hadn’t said that he never would’ve taken my side.

What unforeseen challenges have you met?

I think I’ve encountered some sort of disaster at every stage of a trial, from jurors not disclosing knowledge of the case to evidence going missing to testimony going completely off the rails to equipment failures. I don’t think you can be a litigator without being quick on your feet, having digital backups of your physical exhibits, physical backups of your digital exhibits and keeping a bag full of every possible combination of charger and audio/visual cable in your car at all times.

Why are you a member of DTCI?

I have always found that listening to how other members of the defense bar operate and approach their cases is tremendously valuable.

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be?

I worked at a hospital all through college and most of law school. I think I would’ve wound up in hospital administration.

What you wish you knew then …?

Healthy skepticism toward every source of information in your case can make a world of difference.

A fun fact about you:

My brother and I collect pinball machines and have played pinball all over the U.S. and in several other countries.

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Adam Ira

Firm: Frost Brown Todd LLC

Practice areas: Product liability defense; fire, electrical and explosion litigation

Years in practice: 7

What do you like best about your job?

I love the science of figuring out how things work, and the art of piecing the evidence together to tell the story of what happened when science cannot explain it.

What has been the best moment so far in your legal career?

This is a tough one. The moment I first stood up and gave an opening statement to a jury was the best moment of my legal career so far. It was the culmination of years of schooling, training and preparation, and it was a recognition of a great deal of trust in my abilities by the client and my firm. It was at that point that I felt I had truly become a trial lawyer.

Why are you a member of DTCI?

I really enjoy the camaraderie of spending time with fellow defense attorneys. Organizations like DTCI help us see each other as allies rather than competitors.

Unforeseen hurdles of your first years as a lawyer

It took a while to wrangle my ability to overthink and overanalyze. Careful thought and consideration are important, but so is the confidence to be sure of your decisions and see them through to the best resolution.

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be and why?

I would probably be a mechanical engineer. As a kid, I would constantly tinker around with small engines to figure out how they worked, and I’m sure I looked up just about everything on HowStuffWorks.com.

What you wish you knew then…?

I wish I had known how long it really takes to become a good lawyer. Having an ego (let’s be honest, who among us doesn’t?) makes for a challenging first few years of practice, as you’re constantly finding out you aren’t all that and a bag of potato chips. Thankfully, I’ve had many great (and patient) mentors over the years to mold me into the lawyer I am today.

Fun fact about you: 

I had a few brief cameos on an episode of MTV’s Made many, many years ago.•