RVA Personal Injury Lawyers

RVA Personal Injury Lawyers Sharif Gray is a trial lawyer at Gray Broughton Injury Law.

09/03/2026

From owning a dance studio to becoming a private investigator—sometimes the best careers are the ones you never saw coming.

In this episode of Courtroom Stories & Tactics, we hear about an unexpected career shift and the experiences that ultimately led to a completely different path.

Have you ever made a career change that took you somewhere you never expected? Tell us about it below. 👇

Some people become your friends. A very small number become family.In May 2021, I met Nael Abouzaki.I had just started a...
09/03/2026

Some people become your friends. A very small number become family.

In May 2021, I met Nael Abouzaki.

I had just started as a prosecutor at the Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. I still remember finding my office for the first time, tucked away in a hallway across from the main office.

A handful of the people there became close friends.
One of them was Nael.

He immediately started walking me around the courthouse, introducing me to judges, defense lawyers, court staff—everyone.

And he did it with this genuine excitement that made me feel like I belonged there before I had earned the right to feel that way.

Then I got to watch him work.
And I learned from him.

Nael fought for justice in a way I had never seen before.
He cared deeply.
His client wasn’t the Commonwealth.
His client wasn’t winning.
His client was justice.

And he pursued it with humility, grace, compassion, and an intensity that made everyone around him better.

Over the years, we have become close friends.
Actually, that undersells it.

There is hardly a week that goes by that we don’t talk, see each other, grab a meal, or somehow check in.

I’ve come to believe that in this life, we have the family we are born into and the family we choose.

Nael is family. And, last night, I had the privilege of being one of the people invited to celebrate his 40th birthday.

And standing there, I kept thinking about how lucky I am that five years ago, my office happened to be in that hallway.

I am better lawyer, a better friend, and a better human being because of Nael Abouzaki.

Happy 40th, brother.

09/01/2026

Some deals just can’t be closed through an email or a Zoom call.

There’s something different about sitting across the table, having a real conversation, reading the room, and building trust face-to-face. Sometimes, showing up in person is what moves the conversation forward.

Do you think face-to-face meetings still make a difference when it comes to closing a deal? Why or why not? 👇

I want every trial lawyer at our firm to be dangerous.That is what I spend more time thinking about right now than almos...
09/01/2026

I want every trial lawyer at our firm to be dangerous.

That is what I spend more time thinking about right now than almost anything else.

How do we make sure every lawyer on our team can walk into a courtroom, stand up for a client, and deliver justice — whether I am in the room or not?

The answer is not just better trial skills.

It is better systems.

Better case preparation.
Better training.
Better tools.
Better feedback.
Better processes.

And making sure our paralegals have the resources, structure, and support they need to do exceptional work.

Because I learned a long time ago that a trial lawyer is only as strong as the operation behind them.

So my focus right now is simple:

Systems. Systems. Systems.

If every lawyer is trained, every paralegal is equipped, and every team is operating at a high level, we can help more people get the justice they deserve.

That's my focus.

One of my closest friends joined us at the river today.Right before we left, he looked at my oldest and told him how luc...
08/30/2026

One of my closest friends joined us at the river today.

Right before we left, he looked at my oldest and told him how lucky he was that I do this with them every week.

That stuck with me.

I take my boys to the river almost every Sunday morning.

There are a lot of reasons why.

One of them is selfish.

I work an incredible amount. And I think part of me needs these mornings as evidence—to them and to myself—that I was there.

That their childhood didn’t happen while I was somewhere else working.

But there is another reason:

Nobody did this for me when I was a kid.

And somewhere along the way, probably long before I ever put words to it, I decided that cycle would end with me.

The more I’ve thought about that, the more I’ve realized there is a connection between it and the work I do.

As a trial lawyer, I spend a lot of time asking juries to recognize the value of another human being.

To really see them.
To understand that their pain matters.
That their dignity matters.
That what happened to them matters.

And, yes, I ask juries for money because that is the only currency the civil justice system gives us to recognize the value that was taken.

But the more I do this work, the more I understand that the money has never really been the point for me.

I believe deeply that people deserve to be seen.

I believe their lives have value.

And if I’m being completely truthful, there is something healing for me in standing in a courtroom and saying that out loud.

Maybe some of the things we fight hardest for as adults are the things we once needed someone else to fight for in us.

So I’ll keep taking my boys to the river.

And I’ll keep walking into courtrooms asking people to see the human being in front of them.

Because maybe that is what I’ve been trying to do all along.

08/30/2026

Sometimes the most important part of a case comes from a source no one expected.

The details that seem small—or completely unrelated at first—can end up changing the way a case is understood. That’s why good trial work means knowing where to look, what questions to ask, and never assuming you already have the full story.

Have you ever uncovered one small detail that completely changed how you viewed a situation? 👇

08/28/2026

Everyone loves the “zero to hero” story—but the road there is rarely as simple as it looks.

Behind every success story are the risks, lessons, setbacks, and decisions that shaped the outcome. On Courtroom Stories & Tactics, we’re talking about Sally Tierney's journey and what she learned along the way.

What’s one lesson you had to learn the hard way to get where you are today? 👇

When the jury walks in, the time for getting ready is over.You’re either ready.Or you’re not.That’s why we built Voir Di...
08/27/2026

When the jury walks in, the time for getting ready is over.

You’re either ready.

Or you’re not.

That’s why we built Voir Dire to Verdict.

Not another CLE where you sit in the back of a hotel ballroom checking email.

Two days focused on the part of practicing law that actually requires you to stand up, look people in the eye, and persuade:

Voir dire.
Opening.
Witnesses.
Cross.
Damages.
Closing.

The courtroom exposes what you know—and what you only thought you knew.

If you try cases, want to try cases, or know you need to get sharper before the next jury walks through that door, come to Richmond.

đź“Ť Richmond, Virginia
📅 October 22–23, 2026
⚖️ 10 CLE credits

When the jury walks in, you’re either ready or you’re not.

Let’s get ready.

RVATrialLawyers.com/events

When you appraise a diamond, you evaluate the diamond.You don’t ask whether its owner made bad decisions.Whether the own...
08/27/2026

When you appraise a diamond, you evaluate the diamond.

You don’t ask whether its owner made bad decisions.
Whether the owner is likable.
Whether the owner lived the way you would have lived.

The owner is irrelevant to the value of the diamond.

I think the same is true of human loss.

None of us are perfect.

But every person has something profoundly valuable: the autonomy to decide how to spend their life.

How to move through the world.
Who to love.
What to pursue.
What to enjoy.
What to become.

When someone takes part of that away, the loss is real.

And its value should not depend on how much we approve of the person who suffered it.

That is what equal justice under law is supposed to mean.

The law does not promise justice only for perfect people.

It promises justice for people.

And there is a very important difference.

08/26/2026

A car jumps the curb and hits a pedestrian on the sidewalk—what happens next legally?

In today's episode of Courtroom Stories & Tactics, the conversation breaks down a case where someone was struck in a place they should have been safe, and the legal issues that can follow when the unexpected happens.

What do you think—when a pedestrian is hit on the sidewalk, should the driver automatically be held responsible? Drop your take in the comments. 👇

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