In this episode of The Injury Pros Podcast, host Michael Saile of Cordisco & Saile sits down with New York trial attorney Josh Gropper of Gropper & Nejat to talk about the case that shaped his entire career... before he ever tried one. While a law student at Boston University in 1989, Josh got the call every family dreads: his younger brother Danny had been critically injured in a house fire, suffering second- and third-degree burns over 80% of his body. What followed was an 18-month hospital stay, dozens of surgeries, and impossible decisions about amputation that fell to Josh to make. Watching his family's personal injury attorney fight for Danny all the way through trial changed the course of Josh's life — he walked away from a corporate law offer and never looked back. Josh and Michael talk through: Growing up as a "law school Army brat," moving across the country and how it shaped his personalityThe night of his brother's fire, the year and a half in the burn unit and rehab, and the toll of making life-altering medical decisions in his brother's placeHow that experience pushed him into personal injury law — and, years later, into a run of Shakespeare (yes, really) that he credits with sharpening his trial instinctsCutting his teeth doing volume bench trials at a collection law firm, waiting tables to make ends meet, and eventually renting a windowless "office" in a Manhattan hallway for $500 a month to launch his own practiceBuilding a New York and New Jersey practice with law partner Chris Nejat, and why construction accident and labor law cases became a specialtyHis deep, personal work in the burn survivor community — including his brother Danny's role with the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors' SOAR program, and the "Healing Power of Laughter" seminar the two of them have brought to World Burn Congress eventsWhat actually happens medically in a burn unit — debridement, "the tank," skin grafting — and how trial attorneys work to convey that pain and trauma to a juryHow to properly document a catastrophic injury case from day one, and why burn and catastrophic injury cases carry costs (medical equipment, home health aides, lifetime care) that families rarely anticipate up front This is a story about how personal tragedy can become purpose — and a rare inside look at burn injury litigation from someone who lived it before he ever argued it in court. More episodes at InjuryPros.com or wherever you get your podcasts. About the Guest — Joshua GropperJoshua Gropper is a New York trial attorney and partner at Gropper & Nejat, representing accident victims across New York and New Jersey. Admitted to the bar in 1992, Josh has spent the last three decades focused on personal injury law, with particular experience in construction accident and labor law cases, and catastrophic and burn injury litigation. His firm is based in Manhattan, with a satellite office in Cherry Hill, NJ, run by his partner Chris Nejat. Josh is also deeply involved with the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, supporting burn survivors and their families through the SOAR (Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery) program and the "Healing Power of Laughter" seminar he co-presents at World Burn Congress events. Firm: Gropper & Nejat (New York, NY / Cherry Hill, NJ)Related organization: Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors About the Host — Michael SaileMichael Saile is an injury attorney and managing partner with Cordisco & Saile, host of the Injury Pros podcast, where he speaks with attorneys, medical professionals, and other experts about the litigation strategy, medical realities, and personal stories behind serious injury cases. Firm: Cordisco & Saile, P.C. (https://cordiscosaile.com)
