Robert A. Young
Partner
For most of his career, Bob Young has practiced extensively in the area of medical malpractice. Having a strong interest in medicine, it seemed a natural fit for Bob since he first began practicing law 20 years ago. “What I really enjoy about my work is the research it takes to discover how a medical procedure, drug or device is supposed to work, and then finding out why it did not work,” Bob says. “It requires analytic abilities and knowledge of how health care institutions work. The experience I have and the extensive contacts I’ve developed are essential to building a good case.”
Among the benefits is a growing database of top-notch national medical experts, often who are uniquely qualified to consult with the firm and sometimes provide expert testimony in a case. “The key to developing a good medical malpractice case is finding the person who has the best expertise in the area you’re dealing with,” Bob says. “Each person often has experience in a very specific area of medicine, and the more narrow and deep their knowledge in that field, the better their testimony and help in a case.”
Bob also has handled some personal injury cases, including representing individuals who have been injured due to negligence or malpractice, and has also litigated complicated class-action lawsuits against major national corporations, including a case against pharmaceutical giant Merck for damages due to its drug Vioxx, which it removed from the market. In that case, Bob represented 19 clients for more than five years, just seeing the first payments in the case in 2009. “One of our strengths is that we have a very capable and stable staff, and we have the ability to follow things through consistently for years if necessary,” Bob says of ELPO. “In this case, there were many plaintiffs from our area and we were up against a large corporation in a distant area, which made the work all the more difficult.”
Besides the demands of a rigorous law practice, Bob has four daughters. The two youngest are adopted from China, and have added a richness and depth to his family. Bowling Green is increasingly diverse, and Bob says he never feels out of place with his blended family anywhere in town. His oldest daughters are heavily involved in soccer, and he travels frequently to Nashville for their games. What makes that all possible, Bob says, is ELPO’s guiding belief that happy lawyers are better lawyers. The working conditions make it an ideal situation. “We don’t stress number of hours at our office,” Bob says. “We emphasize making sure the work gets done and gets done right. Our attorneys are able to focus on their family. It’s not about getting your hours in. Clients appreciate that. We don’t waste their time trying to boost our own bottom line.”
In addition to work and family, Bob makes time to serve on the board of directors of The Salvation Army of Bowling Green and also is involved with several committees with the American Bar Association. He served as Chair of the Diversity Committee for the ABA and member of the Member Development Committee, and is now Vice Chair of the Law Practice Management section of the ABA. The Law Practice Management Section of the Bar helps improve the operations of law firms across the country. “I want to make the profession better,” Bob says. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to be involved in the diversity committee. I have two Asian children and I wanted to make sure minorities are adequately represented in law practice and law management, especially here in our area.”
