Interview with Reagan Sahadi – Founder of the Sahadi Legal Group

Reagan Sahadi of Sahadi Legal Group uses personal satisfaction and reward as the benchmark of success

Reagan has had overwhelming success litigating cases throughout the nation in several areas of the law. Specifically, he excels in representing personal injury and products liability victims. He formed Sahadi Legal Group to provide the wealth of experience and resources of a larger law firm while still maintaining the personal touch of a boutique firm.

Upon graduating from law school, Reagan Sahadi joined Donnell, Abernethy & Kieschnick in Corpus Christi where he worked for several years. He remained in Corpus Christi, and subsequently joined Wigington Rumley Dunn & Blair LLP, where he focused his practice on truck accidents, products liability, oil and gas accidents, and other catastrophic personal injury accidents.

Additionally, Reagan Sahadi is a former sitting municipal court judge for the city of Goliad, Texas. Reagan was the first municipal court judge for the city of Goliad and he presided over a wide variety of cases for the city.

Reagan recently obtained a verdict in a personal injury case exceeding 120 million dollars, the largest verdict for actual damages in El Paso County history. He has negotiated settlements on behalf of his clients in the seven-figure range on multiple occasions, including a recent $19,000,000.00 settlement on a products liability action. In total since 2009, Reagan’s verdicts and settlements have surpassed several hundred million dollars.

Reagan Sahadi is licensed to practice in all Texas state courts and the Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas. He is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Attorneys Information Exchange Group. In the past, Reagan has served on the Board of Directors for the Corpus Christi Young Lawyers Association and was appointed by the mayor to the Board of Directors to the Corpus Christi Crime Control and Prevention District.
Reagan Sahadi was recently selected to the 2021 Texas Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. The Super Lawyers list is based on a statewide survey of lawyers, followed by a blue-ribbon panel review of the state’s leading attorneys. An extensive editorial review narrows the list to the final selection.

We recently had the opportunity to connect with Reagan Sahadi and learn a little more about his legal practice and plans for the future.

What are you most excited about?

I get the most excitement from meeting a new family or individual who is unsure of their rights under the law and I’m able to explain to them what we can offer in the realm of recovery for themselves or their loved ones.

What is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Breathe. I know it sounds silly but any job brings its daily stressors. However, if you just stop to breathe it makes all the difference.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.

Run lean and keep costs in check.  You don’t have to operate out of a fancy office or have a ton of employees to achieve success. Personal satisfaction and reward should be the benchmark of success.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact your business and what steps did you take in response?

When the pandemic hit, the court system shut down.  Typically, all court hearings, depositions, and trials are done in person.  All of the trial settings I had were vacated and re-set.  Cases that would typically resolve in a year took 3 years to resolve.

I believe as an industry we all overcame this by using Zoom for court hearings and depositions.  I’m happy to report that things are beginning to pick up again and cases are moving through the docket faster than they did when the pandemic began.

How do you see the future of remote working and remote learning affecting your business?

I am really liking it and I hope it remains. Many lawyers will hop on a plane and spend a night away from home for a hearing that ends up lasting 15 minutes.  Now, you just get on Zoom from the comfort of your office. It’s the same concept when taking depositions. It’s all very efficient.

How do you manage your workflow effectively?

When new cases come in, I try to divide the work between the two chief paralegals in my firm and make sure the work is evenly spread. I have file reviews weekly to try and move the litigation files forward.  Both paralegals then schedule depositions and hearings with my assistance. All of this, of course, taking into consideration the scheduling order in each case which is set by the court.

What criteria do you use to decide what to do yourself and what to delegate to others?

This one is very hard for me as I am a control freak and I tend to want to do everything.  However, if the criteria is a legal opinion or legal strategy, I will most often handle it myself and not delegate it.

How do you manage the stress of all the things you are not able to complete?

I try to convince myself that tomorrow is another day and the work will eventually get done.

Can you tell us about you and your wife’s recent donation to the City of Goliad?

My wife, Dr. Mary Margaret Ara, and I have purchased and donated the First National Bank building to the City of Goliad, Texas. We are hoping the historic building, which is located on Market Street across the street from the courthouse, will be converted into a new city hall.  My firm is planning to open an office in Goliad in 2022 and my wife is planning to open an office for her medical practice in downtown Goliad.

Thank you Reagan Sahadi for sharing some of your time with us and our audience.