Thomas V. Girardi

Thomas V. Girardi draws a bright line between the opportunistic cases of his youth and the more justice-driven matters he now takes on.

"When I started practicing law," Girardi said, "none of my cases had a moral component to them."

Early suits involving things like car accidents and slip-and-fall claims sought restitution for clients, he said, but they didn't necessarily target evildoers. As his firm grew into one of the most renowned plaintiffs firms in the nation, he said he's been able to adopt a more selective approach.

"Now, almost every case I handle, it's not just a whoops case, but it's intentional bad conduct."

Girardi tapped into public outrage this year after the Los Angeles Dodgers' season opener in March, when assailants savagely beat San Francisco Giants fan Brian Stow outside Dodger Stadium. In a suit filed on Stow's behalf, Girardi alleges the beating wasn't merely a freak incident, but rather a clear example of "conscious disregard" for public safety. Driven by profits, the suit says, the Dodgers upped promotions like half-off beer night while at the same time making deep cuts to security personnel.

In another case involving professional sports, Girardi filed suit in July against the NFL and its helmet manufacturers on behalf of 47 retired football players who claim the helmets failed to adequately protect them from head injuries.

Last year, he negotiated a whopping $4.85 billion settlement with pharmaceutical maker Merck & Co. Inc. over injuries connected with the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx.

Girardi's name also recently emerged as one of a small group of advisers recruited by Gov. Jerry Brown to vet judicial candidates.

Girardi describes trial lawyers as "in the persuasion business," and he's unquestionably a mogul in the field. He speaks in a honeyed voice, his language peppered with folksy utterances like "golly" and "holy Toledo!" Even when his arguments are razor-sharp, he'll wrap them in cashmere for juries.

"You never want to call the witness on the stand a liar," he said. "You may want to say, 'Gosh, is this guy mistaken?'

"You want the jury to go in and say, 'Mistaken? That guy's a liar!'"

- BEN ADLIN