Early in Steve Waldman’s career, one of his mentors gave him the following advice: “Treat everyone with respect. Never say anything you would not want played back in court. Don’t take this stuff personally.” Though the first two have come naturally for Steve, the third is often challenging.
As a child, Steve Waldman saw his father representing injured people and practicing jury arguments at night. On the weekends, Steve would go with him to his law office. These experiences helped form Steve’s values for practicing law. Taking care of others and standing up for the rights of individuals. Another inspiration for helping others came from experiencing and witnessing bullying. Steve feels motivated to stand up for people who are being pushed around.
“When I see an insurance company or corporation trying to bully someone, I want to stand up and fight for the little guy,” Steve said. “And compared to giant corporations, even the biggest among us is a little guy.”
When companies try to take advantage of his clients, Steve finds it hard not to take it personally.
Steve earned his BA in American Studies (High Honors) in 1977 before earning his JD in 1980, both degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1986. Steve received the Super Lawyer designation by Thomson Reuters in 2011, and every year since then. Steve is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (past board member), the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, and a past member of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
For 10 years following 9/11, he served as the founding chairman of the Security Committee for the largest conservative Jewish synagogue in the U.S. During that period, he was responsible for the design and implementation of a physical and electronic security system that took into consideration the various threats posed to that institution. Steve worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel, as well as private consultants, and became conversant in threats posed by foreign and domestic terrorists and attempts to protect against them. Subsequently, Steve was founding chairman of the Security Committee for the Southwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League for two years. During that time, he studied the extensive work of the ADL in exposing domestic hate and white supremacist organizations.
At Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law, Steve stands up for the rights of his clients to fight for the compensation they deserve. He has acted as lead attorney in a variety of personal injury and wrongful death cases, including product liability, trucking accidents, construction accidents, automobile accidents, medical and hospital negligence, and maritime injuries.
Steve says that the connection he feels with his clients is even more important to him now than it was when be first began his practice. One of the qualities that drew him to the Terry Bryant law firm is the client-oriented approach the firm is known for.
“Treating the client as a real person, and not as a number or just a file with a monetary goal, has always been important to me,” Steve said. “At Terry Bryant, the entire practice model is geared around customer service. That is exactly how I would want to be treated.”
Clients deserve respect and direct access to their attorney. That accessibility reminds clients that they are more than just a case number. At Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law, Steve can work directly with his clients at all stages of a case.
“The client’s point of contact is the attorney, not the staff,” Steve said. “The attorney is expected to touch base with each client regularly, and to account for those contacts. This emphasis on communication between attorney and client helps both the client and the attorney maintain a solid relationship throughout the process.”
Steve’s favorite times are when he is with his wife, kids, and their granddaughter. He enjoys playing guitar, singing (when no one is listening), swimming, and reading. Steve enjoys being active in community, religious, and charitable initiatives and has supported the Houston Food Bank, the American Red Cross, the Institute for Sustainable Peace, and the Institute for Research and Rehabilitation.
