Austin, TX commercial litigation attorney Walter V. Williams discusses the most rewarding aspect of his practice and shares the one piece of advice that he repeatedly gives to his clients. He shares that what he enjoys most about practicing law is the opportunity to tell a story—to craft a narrative that resonates with a jury’s own life experiences. When jurors connect personally with the story being told, they listen differently; they engage. He recognizes, however, that every lawyer faces a challenge the moment they step into a courtroom: jurors don’t know why they’re there. They’ve been pulled away from their everyday lives, and they want reassurance that their time and attention will matter.

Earlier in life, he wanted to be a writer. While studying English and literature in college, he realized that he lacked the life experience to tell stories that would truly move others. Practicing law changed that. Over the years, through both professional challenges and personal growth, he’s gained a wealth of experiences that now allow him to tell other people’s stories in ways that are authentic, compelling, and meaningful to a jury.

Before taking on a case, he always gives clients two key pieces of advice. First, make sure that filing a lawsuit is truly what you want to do. Litigation can be life-changing—expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally taxing in ways that few people anticipate. Second, think carefully before deciding whether or not to settle. If you refuse to settle, you may still end up frustrated, even if the final result is exactly what you initially wanted. That’s because, in the end, it’s not the judgment amount or the attorney’s fees that define the experience—it’s how you feel when it’s all over. That feeling, he says, is what determines whether the fight was worth it.