Part 1: Introduction & Background
Benny Gold:
You are listening to the Lawyer Stories podcast with host Benny Gold. Lawyer Stories was founded in July 2017 on Instagram and is an expanding global network of lawyers and law students sharing their personal journeys to the noble profession of the practice of law. Join us on this podcast as we dig deeper into these stories and hear from lawyers and law students from around the world in all areas of the legal profession. Here at Lawyer Stories, we believe that every lawyer has a story. What’s yours?
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Welcome to the Lawyer Stories Podcast with Benny Gold. Today we welcome in Ross A. Brennan, trial lawyer at Cronauer Law, specifically Texas Cronauer Law, focusing on personal injury and civil rights. How are you, Ross?
Ross Brennan:
I’m doing well. How are you?
Benny Gold:
Good, good. Thanks for coming on. I really like your name. Ross is actually my middle name, so I like your name.
Ross Brennan:
I’m a fan as well.
Benny Gold:
Yeah, so… A little over two years ago, on episode 117, we had Nicholas Cronauer based out of the Chicago area on our show. So shout out to Nick doing big things—personal injury, civil rights in the Chicago area. So thanks for coming on. I know you’re working with him on some cases, but you’re in Texas.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, that’s correct. We’re just outside Austin. We previously had an office in Austin, and we’re getting ready to move back into Austin here in a couple of weeks, but we’re always staying in the Central Texas area.
Benny Gold:
All right, good stuff. So tell us what it’s like being from DeKalb. Is that how I say it? DeKalb, Illinois?
Ross Brennan:
It’s DeKalb.
Benny Gold:
DeKalb, oh.
Ross Brennan:
Illinois. That’s how they pronounce it.
Benny Gold:
Illinois. I butchered that. Tell us what it’s like being from DeKalb, Illinois.
Ross Brennan:
Well, it’s 60 miles west of Chicago for folks who may not know. And it’s too far out to be considered a suburb, but it’s very much in the Chicago orbit. So, you know, you’re getting all the Chicago news, you get a lot of Chicago transplants, a lot of commuters.
It was a good place to grow up. You know, you get used to having four seasons—which, living down in Texas now, I don’t really have anymore. You’re kind of in that Chicago sphere, but it was also a little more rural, so there was some agriculture and stuff in the community I grew up in. It was a pretty good balance—you know, the city’s there when you need it. If you want to go catch a Bears game, go to a sporting event, fine dining, a museum—it’s all there. But then you were outside the hustle and bustle as well.
Benny Gold:
That’s awesome. Yeah, I actually went to Soldier Field for the first time. I saw my Patriots get one of their four victories against the Bears this season. So that was pretty cool.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, that was probably the Bears’ worst loss this season.
Benny Gold:
Why? The head coach got fired pretty soon after, right?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, they got fired literally, I think, while I was still—well, maybe not while I was still visiting Chicago, but it was like a few days after. I used to go to a lot of those games. My dad had season tickets growing up. That’s an example of, you know, it’s there if you need it, and then you drive back out.
Benny Gold:
Yep, totally. So tell us about your competitive streak growing up—what sports you played, that sort of thing.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, well, you know, played a number of different sports growing up—baseball, football, and actually golf. Golf is probably what got me really competitive because, depending on how you play, it’s such a one-on-one type thing. And there are a lot of mind games in golf that you can’t really do with other people.
I ended up focusing mostly on baseball because I had the most talent for it. I wasn’t exceptional or anything, but it was just enough to keep playing a little bit longer. So I really just enjoyed that growing up—played through high school and a little into college.
Benny Gold:
Okay, that’s awesome. What college were you playing at?
Ross Brennan:
A small school—Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois.
Benny Gold:
That’s awesome. Did you have a moment where you knew you wanted to go to law school? Like, when did you know you wanted to be an attorney?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, so that’s an interesting question for me because I wouldn’t say it was a lightning bolt moment. It was actually probably after I had an injury my sophomore year of college that stopped me from working out and playing on the baseball team.
The injury persisted for about six months or so, and it was pretty clear that I wasn’t going to be playing sports anymore—at least for a long time, because it was going to take some recovery. And I just had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do.
At that point, I had bounced around majors—I think I was on my third major. And I realized, you know, it’s junior year now, you really got to kind of figure this out. My dad was an attorney—a general practitioner, solo—and so I just kind of decided, “Well, why not? Let’s aim at law school and see how it goes.” And I haven’t really looked back.
Benny Gold:
Wow. And so what would you say your law school experience was like at Valparaiso?
Ross Brennan:
It was a good experience. For those who may not know, that’s about 40 miles east of Chicago, so it’s in northwest Indiana—not too far from Notre Dame in South Bend, which most people probably know.
I felt like it gave me everything I needed—nothing I didn’t. I felt well prepared coming out of it. It gave me a really cool opportunity in my 3L year—I was able to clerk for a public defender’s office in Lake County, Indiana.
For those who may not know, that’s the county adjacent to Cook County but on the Indiana side. So it’s essentially southeast Chicago. It’s Gary, Hammond, East Chicago—a major population center. So getting an opportunity to clerk at the public defender’s office there for the whole year was really eye-opening for me.
It really made it clear to me that, “Hey, I want to be in the courtroom. I want to advocate for people.” That was a great experience.
Part 2: Law School & Public Defender Experience
Benny Gold:
Yeah, you know, I read some of the notes today, and you talk about how you had this great new appreciation for public defenders and everything they do. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, I mean, so the way they had it set up—which is actually pretty common, though I didn’t necessarily know it at the time—a lot of those attorneys were on contract. So they’d take 20 cases or so at any given time and then also maintain a small private practice, typically a solo practice.
But those folks were in the courtroom all the time, and they were doing jury trials all the time.
Benny Gold:
Wow.
Ross Brennan:
So in terms of just advocacy and being able to get out there and roll with the punches, do all the basics well—they were just awesome.
And you know, I had actually previously seen some Cook County public defenders in action as well, because I’d been in Chicago the summer prior. And I saw a lot of the same thing—public defenders who were just absolutely excellent in the courtroom.
Benny Gold:
You could tell they were the experienced ones, right? Just because they do it so much—the repetition?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, I think so. And I think the people who do those jobs are really passionate about it.
It was very different from the trope you might see in movies—the “overworked, bumbling public defender” who doesn’t know what they’re doing. I saw the opposite. I saw public defenders who were in that job because they loved it, and they were handling the most serious cases you can imagine.
We’re talking murder cases, capital cases, and everything below that. These people were passionate about their work. They were doing it for a reason. So I was really impressed, and I just loved that experience.
Actually, my primary duty as a law clerk was to go into the jail and review discovery with folks who were awaiting trial.
Benny Gold:
Wow.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, so the way it worked there is they had one paid law clerk position that they hired every year. It was a 3L position, 20 hours a week—the maximum the ABA would allow you to work while in law school.
My main job was going into the jail, meeting with clients, and reviewing their discovery. So I’d show up each day, look in my bin to see which cases I needed to review, and then go over everything with them.
Benny Gold:
Wow.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, so I’d sit with them and go over everything. Then I’d ask, “Okay, do you want me to pass a message to your public defender? Do you want to talk to them about this?” That kind of thing.
Just getting that experience of going into the jail and interacting with these folks—people whose lives were on the line—was really important for me in developing as a lawyer.
Benny Gold:
Wow, that’s amazing. I’m curious to know more about the discovery you were reviewing with them. You had a bin to go through—were you, like, asking them, “Hey, was this your jackknife that you made?” Or was it something else?
Ross Brennan:
[Laughs] Yeah, so sometimes it was written statements. A lot of times it was photos—we’d get a disc with crime scene photos, for example.
So I’d go in and say, “Hey, here are the crime scene photos. These are the ones they’re going to present at your preliminary hearing. Does this look like your apartment? Does this match what you recall?”
If they had given a statement—like a confession—sometimes I’d play it for them and ask, “Hey, what were you thinking when you said this? What did you understand your rights to be?”
Benny Gold:
Right.
Ross Brennan:
So it was stuff like that. Mostly written statements, photos, and recorded statements.
Part 3: Military & JAG Experience
Benny Gold:
That’s really interesting. So tell us about being in the Air Force and the JAG—how did that come about?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, so after law school, I ended up going almost straight into the Air Force JAG Corps.
I’d always thought about joining the military. Actually, I always had this kind of burning desire, which I think is pretty common among people who enlist. You always have this question in the back of your mind: “Could I do that?”
It goes back to just being a competitor, I think. I was getting older, and I had continually found reasons not to join. So after law school, I knew it was now or never.
Benny Gold:
Yeah, that makes sense.
Ross Brennan:
So I decided to go for it. It’s actually kind of funny how I ended up in the Air Force.
I was looking into all the JAG Corps—Army, Marines, or Air Force. And the Marines’ application deadline was first.
I was getting all my materials together to apply, and then I got a call from the recruiter about a week or two before the deadline. They said, “Hey, we hit our max number this cycle, so don’t bother applying right now. Try again next time.”
So I thought, “Well, there’s an Air Force deadline coming up. I’ll apply to them.” And sure enough, I ended up getting in.
Benny Gold:
So it was between the Marines and the Air Force?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, just a matter of timing. The Air Force was the first one to give me a “yes,” so I went with them.
Benny Gold:
That’s amazing. You said you had that competitive nature, but was there something else that drove you to join? Was your dad in the military?
Ross Brennan:
No, my dad wasn’t in the military.
I just—I wanted something more. It’s kind of hard to explain. I had always wanted to join, and I knew I was running out of chances to do it.
And don’t get me wrong—officer training is intense. It’s not like what the 18-year-olds go through, but it’s no joke either.
Benny Gold:
Right. So did you go directly in as a JAG, or did you have to do basic training?
Ross Brennan:
Each branch does it differently. At the time, the Air Force appointed you directly as a JAG. So you went through officer training with chaplains, nurses, doctors, and other professionals.
The Marines, at the time, had a different process—you went into the general officer pool first, and then they decided if you could be a JAG.
Benny Gold:
Got it. That’s interesting. Did you ever get to yell “You can’t handle the truth!” like in A Few Good Men?
Ross Brennan:
[Laughs] Only off the record!
Benny Gold:
[Laughs] That’s great. So, do you have any advice for someone considering the armed forces or the JAG program?
Ross Brennan:
Do it.
I had a great experience. I loved my time in the Air Force. But go in eyes wide open—they’re going to put you in the courtroom immediately.
When I was applying, they were very clear about that. They told me, “Everyone litigates. Everyone goes into the courtroom from day one.”
So if you don’t want to do trial advocacy, JAG may not be for you. At least not in your first few years. Eventually, you can move into contract law or ethics, but early on, you’re in the courtroom.
Benny Gold:
That’s intense.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, but for me, it was exactly what I wanted.
Part 4: Courtroom Experience & Transition to Civilian Practice
Benny Gold:
That’s awesome. Were the rules of evidence different in the JAG Corps? Did you have to learn a whole new set of rules?
Ross Brennan:
No, they follow the Federal Rules of Evidence for the most part. There are a few quirks—like for classified information and some military-specific legal issues—but 99% of it is the Federal Rules of Evidence.
Benny Gold:
Okay, that makes sense. I don’t know why I thought they might be different. Some courts have relaxed rules, but I guess JAG is pretty strict. Were you prosecuting other Air Force officers?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, so you start off as a prosecutor. My first four years in JAG were spent as a prosecutor, but you also take on additional roles. You serve as a general compliance officer—kind of like a general counsel for the base leadership—and you also do some legal aid.
So, for example, if someone is getting ready to deploy or go overseas and they need a power of attorney or a will, we would help with that.
But prosecution was my primary role. And then, after you gain enough experience and show an aptitude for it, they give you an opportunity to become a defense counsel.
Since I wanted to stay in the courtroom, I took that opportunity and became a defense lawyer for about three years.
Benny Gold:
That’s really cool. I bet you made a lot of friends being a defense lawyer!
Ross Brennan:
[Laughs] Yeah, you definitely build relationships.
Benny Gold:
So, before we move on to your work at Cronauer Law, tell us about your experience as an investigator. It looks like you were an investigator for a couple of years. What was that about?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, so after leaving the Air Force and before joining Cronauer Law, I spent two years working in compliance and employment law investigations.
My first job was with a state agency, where we investigated employment discrimination complaints. Then I did the same work at a state university.
If an employee filed a complaint—like alleging workplace discrimination—we would investigate it. And in my second role at the university, I also assisted with cases before the EEOC, gathering documents and drafting responses.
Benny Gold:
That’s a different side of the law. What was the most interesting part of that job?
Ross Brennan:
I think seeing how attorneys interact in that setting.
A lot of times, I’d be dealing with a party who was represented by counsel, but I wasn’t talking to them as their attorney—I was talking to them as an investigator.
Since I hadn’t been in private practice yet, it gave me some good insight into how different attorneys approach cases. Some were really good at working with us, making things easier for their client. Others were overly aggressive or combative, and it didn’t help their client at all.
It was interesting to see that from the investigator’s side instead of as an attorney.
Part 5: Meeting Nicholas Cronauer & Building the Texas Office
Benny Gold:
So, you have a pretty cool story about how you met Nick Cronauer—episode 117 guest here on Lawyer Stories! Why don’t you tell us how you guys know each other?
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, so we were law school classmates.
I moved to Indiana for law school, and I think I arrived on a Thursday. Classes started Monday, so that Friday, I went to the bookstore to get my books.
I had my 1L book list, and I noticed another guy looking at the same list—also looking just as clueless as I was!
So we struck up a conversation.
“Hey, who are you?”
“I’m Ross Brennan.”
“I’m Nick Cronauer.”
Then he said where he was from, and it turned out to be the same county I grew up in.
Benny Gold:
No way!
Ross Brennan:
Yeah! And I was like, “Get the hell out of here—that’s where I’m from!”
We got to talking, and it turned out we grew up just 15 minutes apart. Even crazier, our dads were both solo practitioner attorneys in that same county.
And they knew each other.
Benny Gold:
That’s wild.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, but Nick and I had never met before law school.
We clicked right away and stayed really good friends throughout law school. We were even partners in our advanced trial advocacy class.
So, he was literally the first person I met when I moved to Indiana for law school.
Benny Gold:
Wow. Do you know if your dads ever had cases against each other?
Ross Brennan:
I don’t think they ever had cases against each other, but they definitely knew each other.
Benny Gold:
That’s so crazy. So, tell us about Cronauer Law—what Nick’s doing in Chicago and why the firm expanded into Texas, where you are now.
Ross Brennan:
Cronauer Law has been around since 1979. It was founded by Nick’s dad, Chuck Cronauer.
After law school, Nick went back to our hometown and started building up the firm with his dad. When he joined, it was just a solo practice. But over time, he expanded it into a full firm.
They really focused on personal injury—lots of medical malpractice and workers’ comp cases.
Nick and I stayed in touch while I was in the Air Force, and he always threw out this offer:
“If you ever want to open a Texas branch under our umbrella, let me know. The offer’s there.”
Finally, in the summer of 2021, I took him up on that. We opened the Texas office of Cronauer Law.
Benny Gold:
That’s amazing. But how did you know what to do? Like, you’re working as an investigator, and then suddenly you’re running a personal injury office—how did that work?
Ross Brennan:
[Laughs] A lot of calls to Nick.
It’s been invaluable having him to bounce ideas off of. He’s been doing this for 14 years now, so he knows the ins and outs.
At the same time, it still has the feel of being a solo practice in a big market. Austin is competitive.
So I had to figure out how to navigate the local trial lawyer associations, build connections, and find my own way while still having the infrastructure of a well-established firm.
Benny Gold:
That’s really cool. So, you said earlier that you missed the courtroom—what did you miss about it?
Ross Brennan:
It feels like real law.
I mean, don’t get me wrong—lawyers in all practice areas are important. Regulatory, compliance, government work—it’s all valuable.
But for me, nothing replicates that feeling of being in a courtroom, representing a real human being.
That’s something I first experienced at the public defender’s office. I really felt it as a defense lawyer in the Air Force. And when I spent two years outside the courtroom doing investigations, I missed it.
So the chance to get back into the courtroom on the plaintiff’s side was huge for me.
Part 6: Case Strategy & Trial Work
Benny Gold:
That’s really interesting. So, when you get a new case, how do you approach it? What’s your strategy for framing a case?
Ross Brennan:
I always go back to a quote: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
That’s attributed to Einstein—maybe he said it, maybe he didn’t—but it’s a guiding principle for me.
If I can’t simplify a case, that means I need to do more work. Maybe I need to take another deposition, issue another subpoena—whatever it takes to get to that simple explanation.
Because if it’s complicated, no jury is going to grasp it.
Benny Gold:
Yeah, that makes sense.
Ross Brennan:
I mean, juries are great, but in today’s world—the TikTok era, right?—attention spans are shorter.
You need a simple case when you walk into the courtroom. Now, there are always complicated subjects, especially in personal injury where you’re dealing with medical evidence. But the core story of the case has to be simple.
So that’s my North Star—finding a way to simplify the case.
And from there, over the years, I’ve picked up different techniques through trial advocacy classes, conferences, and experience that help me refine that process.
Benny Gold:
Yeah, that’s a great point. I remember in law school, they really stressed writing simply—don’t use complex terms to sound smart, just be clear and concise.
Ross Brennan:
Exactly. And it’s not just for juries—it’s for judges too.
Judges are overworked, they have a million cases to handle. So if I’m in a motion argument, I need to make my point fast.
“Here’s why this summary judgment should be denied: There’s a genuine dispute of material fact about this key issue.”
You need to find a way to simplify, whether it’s for a jury or a judge.
Part 7: Memorable Cases & Lessons Learned
Benny Gold:
Are you working on any cases right now that you want to share?
Ross Brennan:
Well, at any given time, we have a handful of interesting cases going.
I tend to handle more of the federal cases. But if I think back to one of my most notable cases, it was actually my first personal injury case—my first civilian trial after years of criminal work.
It was a fatality case, a dram shop case.
Benny Gold:
Wow.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah. So, a dram shop case is when a bar or restaurant overserves someone alcohol, and that person then causes injury or death.
We were able to get around the dram shop laws and bring in a negligence claim as well, which was a key move in the case.
It ended up being a really good verdict—$2.4 million. Originally, it was $4 million, but it was reduced due to comparative fault.
It was a tragic case. There were two fatalities, and we represented the family of one of the victims. Thankfully, we were able to get some justice for them.
Benny Gold:
That’s incredible. Well done on that.
So, what advice would you give to a young personal injury lawyer who’s just starting out and hungry to get into the courtroom?
Ross Brennan:
Be ready to hustle.
And here’s something unique about personal injury law—we’re incentivized to innovate.
Benny Gold:
How so?
Ross Brennan:
Well, on the contingency fee model, we don’t get paid unless we win. That means we’re always looking for ways to work more efficiently.
If you find a way to save time and money on discovery, that benefits both you and your client.
So I’d say to any young PI lawyer—always be looking for a better way to do things.
“Is there a cheaper way to get this discovery?”
“Is there a free way to get this discovery?”
Every time I go through a case, I reflect on where I wasted money last time.
Did I pay for something that I could have gotten for free or at a lower cost? If so, how do I avoid that expense next time?
Benny Gold:
That’s smart. You’re basically using past cases to refine your process and save money for the client and yourself.
Ross Brennan:
Exactly. And don’t get me wrong—some costs are unavoidable. Depositions, for example. But you should always be evaluating whether there’s a more efficient way to get what you need.
That’s what I love about personal injury law—our interests are aligned with the client’s. If they win more, we win more.
Part 8: What Makes Cronauer Law Different
Benny Gold:
Why do you think clients come to Cronauer Law? What makes you guys different?
Ross Brennan:
Well, at least for the Texas office, I’d say it comes down to exceptional customer service.
Clients get direct access to me. I give them my direct number, and I make sure to communicate early and often throughout the case.
Civil litigation takes years—which was an adjustment for me coming from criminal law, where cases move much faster.
But keeping that constant communication builds trust with clients over time.
Benny Gold:
That’s great. And obviously, you’re not afraid to go to trial. Some firms just want to settle, but you have tons of trial experience.
Ross Brennan:
Yeah, we definitely go to trial.
Before coming on the podcast, I was actually trying to count how many trials I’ve done over the last five years. I think it averages out to about one and a half per year.
Now, I’m not doing three or four trials a year, but we’ve had years where we did three. And considering how few civil cases actually go to trial, that’s a lot.
Benny Gold:
Yeah, most cases settle.
Ross Brennan:
Right. There are a lot of impediments to getting a case to trial, but we aren’t afraid to take one all the way if needed.
So we go to trial at least once or twice a year—sometimes more.
Benny Gold:
That’s awesome. Do you think Cronauer Law will expand into more states?
Ross Brennan:
That’s probably more of a question for Nick, but for now, we’re happy where we are—Chicago and Texas.
But you never know what the future holds.
Benny Gold:
You’re going to keep Austin weird down there? That’s the saying, right?
Ross Brennan:
[Laughs] Yeah, that’s the saying!
Part 9: Final Thoughts
Benny Gold:
Is there anything we missed that you want to mention about Cronauer Law or your practice?
Ross Brennan:
Just that if anyone has been wronged—whether it’s a personal injury case or a civil rights violation—send them our way.
We travel across Texas and handle cases statewide. Even though we’re based in Austin, we take cases all over the state.
Benny Gold:
That’s great. Well, Ross, thanks so much for coming on. And a shoutout to Nicholas Cronauer and Cronauer Law—Chicago, Austin, and all over Texas now.
We appreciate you. Great story.
To everyone tuning in, wherever you are in the world today—enjoy yourselves.
Stay right there, Ross.
