Bailey & Galyen spotlights Kern Lewis on The Legal Hour

Bailey & Galyen is highlighting a new episode of The Legal Hour featuring Kern Lewis, the firm’s director of catastrophic injury. The conversation covers Lewis’ path to trial law, nearly 40 years in the courtroom and the strategies he uses in serious injury cases.

Why it matters: - Kern Lewis handles some of Bailey & Galyen’s most serious injury cases as director of catastrophic injury. - The episode gives clients and prospective clients a look at how a veteran trial lawyer thinks about jury work, case strategy and courtroom advocacy. - Lewis also talks about how fewer cases reach trial today, which can limit courtroom experience for younger lawyers.

What happened: - Bailey & Galyen featured Lewis in “Getting to Know Kern Lewis: Stories, Career & Catastrophic Injury Law,” an episode of The Legal Hour hosted by Michael Galyen. - The conversation covers Lewis’ background, his path to law and lessons from nearly 40 years of trial work. - The episode is part of The Legal Hour, the firm’s podcast and video series focused on legal issues that affect individuals and families.

The details: - Lewis is board-certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. - Lewis earned his undergraduate degree from Abilene Christian University and his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. - Lewis had planned to attend Pepperdine Law School in Malibu on scholarship before a lunch with Jack Pope, then chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, changed his plans. - Pope encouraged Lewis to attend Texas Tech after Lewis said he wanted to try cases. - At Texas Tech, Lewis joined both the mock trial team and the moot court team. - Lewis said those programs convinced him he wanted to become a litigator. - Lewis said his early practice came during a period when his firm tried so many cases that a judge swore him in as a lawyer the same morning he began a trial. - Lewis said he now relies less on scripted questions and more on listening closely to witnesses. - Lewis said a conversational style is one of the most effective ways to question a witness. - Lewis described a case involving a homeless man who died in jail after poor medical care for pneumonia. - In that case, Lewis used the parable of the prodigal son in closing argument to show the man’s parents never stopped hoping he would come home. - Lewis also described a medical malpractice case in which an emergency room missed a bullet. - In that case, Lewis had a 3D-printed skull made from the patient’s CT scan so jurors could see and feel the bullet. - Lewis said he objects sparingly during trial. - Lewis said cases sometimes settle at the last moment. - Lewis said a defense team’s view of a case can change once it sees who will sit on the jury.

Between the lines: - The episode doubles as a credibility play for Bailey & Galyen, showcasing a senior litigator with deep trial experience and specialized credentials. - Lewis’ comments suggest that trial advocacy still depends on adaptation, not just preparation, as lawyers face fewer opportunities to learn in open court. - The examples Lewis shares point to a trial style that blends storytelling, physical evidence and careful witness listening.

What's next: - Bailey & Galyen will likely continue using The Legal Hour to feature attorneys and issues that matter to current and potential clients. - The firm says the series is designed to share information and perspectives tied to legal problems its communities may encounter. - Lewis remains focused on catastrophic injury work at the firm.

The bottom line: - The episode presents Lewis as a veteran trial lawyer whose courtroom instincts, storytelling and technical trial experience remain central to Bailey & Galyen’s injury practice.