Have you ever wondered what compels a person to become a lawyer? After all, the hours are long, the stakes can be high, and the stress is real. Maybe it’s the money, or perhaps the notoriety that may come with working a big case. To each, their own. For KD’s Equity Partner and Executive Board Member, Laurie Adams, it was a passion for solving problems and, as she puts it, “getting to the bottom of it all.”
Laurie grew up in the small town of Clarksburg, West Virginia, with her sister and was raised by a working-class single mom, who unfortunately endured several health problems while Laurie was a child. Laurie recalls feeling powerless back then, wanting to help her mom but not quite knowing how. She felt that her family members’ lives were controlled by large institutions, and she recognized that “you have to understand the fine print and the rules, otherwise bad things will happen.” This caused something to sort of click inside of her: if she could devour as much knowledge as possible and learn how the world works, then maybe she would find herself in a better position to resolve some of these big challenges she and her family faced. So, that’s exactly what she did. Through many years of night school, she absorbed as much information as she could, including reading multiple newspapers daily—which she still loves doing. She started applying this knowledge for herself and her family, and still does. In high school, she even fought a traffic ticket, with poster board and drawings in tow to prove her case.
In the 1980s, Laurie relocated to the Washington, D.C. area and earned her paralegal certification. She eventually made her way to Florida, first settling in the Miami area, which is when she began working at KD, starting off as a paralegal focusing on medical malpractice, a subject near and dear to her. The subject of healthcare generally would become that much more important to Laurie following the birth of her son, who as a child was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Laurie has become a strong advocate for her son and so many others with Type 1 Diabetes through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (“JDRF”), fighting to ensure everyone has access to the proper care and supplies and that people remain educated on this issue.
In her thirty years at KD, Laurie has “basically worked every job in the law firm with the exception of the mail room.” In addition to her medical malpractice paralegal responsibilities, she helped with accounts receivable and administrative items. She realized early on that as much as she enjoyed being a paralegal, it seemed she would enjoy being a lawyer even more, feeding into her mission of helping resolve problems. So, she enrolled full time in law school at the University of Miami, working at KD, and singing in a wedding band. After graduating with honors and passing the bar exam, Laurie jokes that she “pulled a George Costanza and just kept coming in each day,” eventually scoring her a promotion from paralegal to attorney.
In the mid-1990s, Gene Kubicki, the founder of KD, approached Laurie and asked her if she would consider relocating from Miami to the firm’s West Palm Beach office. He told her, “Those boys could use some help up there.” She agreed and was the only female attorney at the West Palm Beach office at that time. This was at a time when staff counsel had not been widely established, so the number of cases that went to trial was high. In fact, she tried her first case within just a few months after being admitted to the bar. This was certainly difficult, but absolutely invaluable. She learned so much about how to be a good trial lawyer by observing her peers in their trials, aiming to never miss one since it was such an effective way to learn.
Nearly thirteen years ago, Gene Kubicki retired from the firm, naming four attorneys to the Executive Board to replace him, including Laurie. At that time, the firm had approximately fifty attorneys; since then, it has grown to around two hundred. Laurie’s role on the Board includes overseeing the legal training of the firm’s attorneys, which aligns perfectly with her background and her lifelong passion for learning in order to become an effective problem solver.
Over the years, Laurie’s practice has extended well beyond medical malpractice and now includes complex personal injury claims, bad faith litigation, and insurance coverage disputes. Her goal is generally to resolve claims pre-suit if at all possible, noting it’s often better and more cost-effective for all parties involved when pre-suit settlement agreements can be reached.
In the limited spare time she has, Laurie enjoys gardening, hanging out with family and friends, jet skiing, and traveling, particularly to areas where she can learn about history, food, and music of the area. Over her thirty years as part of the KD family, Laurie has accomplished too many amazing results to count, but in her opinion, her greatest accomplishment is landing a job that she loves while simultaneously managing to have a great family life. She noted everyone knows that it can be tough to strike a work-life balance with a very demanding job and a young child, especially one with health issues (who is now a thriving 25 year old). With determination and focus, she’s managed to keep her son (and the rest of her family) healthy, all while providing excellent service to our clients.
Laurie is an amazing resource for our firm and our clients. If you’re stuck with a pre-suit or litigation problem, reach out to Laurie and her skilled and knowledgeable team.