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AForVOICE Victims By Jennifer Hadley
ong before Cynthia Chihak actually says that she believes in “telling it like it is,” her candor is undeniable. “I was trained to do nothing,” she says of her decision to go to law school. “I had a degree in Chemistry and Psychology and was a cocktail waitress with no career path,” she recounts with a comfortable chuckle. “My dad had always asked if I was going to be a doctor or a lawyer. A nurse or legal assistant was not an option,” she adds. But it wasn’t until after she graduated college that she decided to accept a bet from a friend which would set in motion a remarkable career as a voice for victims of medical malpractice and catastrophic injury. “My friend bet me that there was no way I could score in the 90th percentile on the LSAT.” Chihak won the bet, scoring in the 98th percentile, and enrolled in law school at Pepperdine University.
No Shrinking Violet
“Law school was a major turning point in my life. Less than 10% of those enrolled were women and women trial lawyers in plaintiff firms were non-existent,” she recalls. However, that didn’t change the fact that Chihak loved law school. “It was the first time I was studying material just because I wanted to learn, not for the grade,” she says. Her passion for law and her GPA ultimately landed her the position of Assistant Editor for Pepperdine University Law Review, and in 1977, she earned her J.D. During her second year in law school, Chihak worked with Wylie Aiken, whom she considers “one of the most prestigious and well respected personal injury lawyers in the nation.” From Mr. Aiken, she learned to “value her clients’ interests first,” she says. When she moved to San Diego and started her firm, like many young attorneys starting out, Chihak was initially eager and willing to work on all types of cases. “I did divorces, bankruptcy, personal injury cases,” she says. However, she had discovered that her passion was in advocacy for tort victims. “Although I cannot give my clients back their previous lives, we can help them regain their independence and self respect,” she says. In virtually no time, Chihak set about to do just that, establishing her practice, with the philosophy that is now the firm motto: “We are trial lawyers, not settlement lawyers.” Chihak’s determination to represent victims in the fields of medical malpractice, serious personal injury and wrongful death matters meant that she was going to have to play by the unspoken rules of these contentious cases. “These cases are confrontational from day one. If you are easily intimidated, or shy away from confrontation, this is not the field for you,” she says frankly. Moreover, she adds, “you have to be willing to work whatever time it takes to win. And if you’re doing this merely for the fee, you will never be a success. I think anyone who works in this field does it because they love it. If it’s otherwise you fail.” Fortunately for Chihak, despite the fact that she was working in a field of law that was extremely maledominated- and she’s by her own account a petite woman- she has always been a naturally competitive person. “I 16
Attorney Journal | Volume 113, 2013