Transcript
Jerry Lehocky: We have to set the example, and it’s not a show. Believe me, it’s not a show. If you saw us outside the confines of this office and saw how we interact socially, it’s genuine. It’s a good culture. It’s an important culture. And it works. It works.
Katie Frey: Welcome to Law Meets Life, presented by Pond Lehocky, where conversations go beyond the courtroom and into the people, experiences, and moments that define who we are. I’m your host, Katie Frey, and today’s guest is one of the founding partners of Pond Lehocky, Jerry Lehocky. Jerry, thank you so much for being here today.
Jerry Lehocky: Good morning. How are you?
Katie Frey: I’m so good. How are you doing?
Jerry Lehocky: I’m doing great, thank you.
Katie Frey: Fantastic. Thanks for being here. Now, Jerry, I know you and I haven’t had a chance to connect in person yet since I started working at Pond Lehocky, but now that we’re together, I have to tell you that you are one of the reasons why I joined the firm.
Jerry Lehocky: Oh, this is shocking.
Katie Frey: And I can tell you exactly why.
Jerry Lehocky: Please do.
Katie Frey: During my interview, Fran and Drew mentioned that it is rare to see Jerry Lehocky in the offices because he is working day in and day out, fighting for injured workers, and has one of the largest caseloads in the firm.
Jerry Lehocky: That is true.
Katie Frey: And that was the moment I knew I wanted to join this and be part of it.
Jerry Lehocky: Because you didn’t want to see me.
Katie Frey: No, but that’s hilarious. It’s because I wanted to be at a place where leaders led by example, and I knew after hearing that story that this was a place I wanted to be.
Jerry Lehocky: Good.
Katie Frey: So, Jerry, my first question is: After all these years fighting for injured workers, what drives you to continue to relentlessly fight for them?
Jerry Lehocky: The injured workers. That’s what drives me. When you get involved in representing men and women who have experienced probably some of the worst events in their lives—being injured—you get a sense very, very early on of their immediate need for help and protection, and for someone fighting, advocating, going to bat, believing in them and trusting in them. It becomes a way of life. At least for me, it has. So yes, I work very hard. I put a lot of time in, but I’ve never considered it to be work. It’s a calling for me, and I love it more today than I did 40 years ago when I started. I can do this day and night. I don’t know where the energy comes from, but I love it. I absolutely love what I do.
Katie Frey: Wow. And that love has grown over those years. I think that’s incredible.
Jerry Lehocky: Yes, it has.
Katie Frey: Where does that stem from? Is there a specific moment where you can look back and say, “That’s where I became hooked. That’s where I found the source of energy that became a well for me”?
Jerry Lehocky: I can’t pinpoint a specific client, a specific verdict I got or a specific settlement. I really can’t. It came early on. I think probably the first case I won, when I got a phone call from the client who, prior to that time, had really no expectation that we were going to win. We won, and it literally changed their life. I’m blessed with the ability to have that kind of impact on someone’s life without being a doctor and operating on them to save their life. But we do that in a way that doesn’t require a hospital stay. It does change their lives because they’re put in positions where their lives have been so negatively affected—not only by the injury, but by the effects of that injury on their home lives. I would say most of the people I’ve represented over the years, no matter their socioeconomic background, don’t save for a rainy day and live paycheck to paycheck. It doesn’t matter what position or job they have; most Americans don’t save. So when a devastating injury happens and their immediate access to a paycheck stops, their lives are turned upside down. They’re in pain, they don’t have a paycheck coming in, and now they’re concerned about how they’re going to feed their families, pay their bills and keep their kids in school if they’re in private or parochial schools. I’ve talked to doctors who were injured in an operating room and were employees of hospitals. It’s the same situation. You’d be amazed how tenuous most Americans’ financial situations are. I’ve seen it firsthand, and I’ve seen how important it is for everyone in this firm to recognize that we need to do everything we can to get these people back to where they were—not only through our legal representation, but through our relationships with our doctor network, so they can get the best possible care, get better, return to their lives and move on. Nobody wants to be hurt, right? No one really wants to talk to me. I’m the last person—or this firm, or Sam, or anybody here—that you really want to deal with. And I get it. But tragic things happen to people every day, and they need help. The insurance industry and the law are designed to make it difficult for them. That is an unfortunate aspect of the area of law we practice. Unless you have someone who knows how to fight within the confines of the law, you’re going to be taken advantage of. There’s no question about it. You will be taken advantage of by the insurance industry.
Katie Frey: I want to talk about the insurance industry a little more because you started your career representing insurance companies and employers. Was there a moment when you realized, “I’m on the dark side,” and wanted to make that switch?
Jerry Lehocky: Here’s a funny story. Early on, as you point out, I was with a large defense firm here in Philadelphia. A small part of its practice involved workers’ compensation defense cases for one particular client, a big insurance company. I was assigned to one law firm, and within that law firm was Sam Pond. Sam and I went to battle against one another for four years.
Katie Frey: Wow.
Jerry Lehocky: Literally, probably three or four days a week, we were on opposite sides of a counsel table. During that ongoing battle with Sam and his firm, it became clear to me that I was not on the right side of the table. Sam and I had many conversations during that time about me leaving the defense firm and joining his firm. Because of the way the business worked at that time, they didn’t have enough cases for me to handle. I had to wait almost a year from the time we decided I would come over until they had enough work for me to do.
Katie Frey: Wow.
Jerry Lehocky: So Sam and I have been together in one way or another for almost 40 years.
Katie Frey: That is incredible.
Jerry Lehocky: The longest relationship of my life.
Katie Frey: I was about to say, you sound like soulmates in a sense.
Jerry Lehocky: We are. We are soulmates in a lot of ways. No question about it.
Katie Frey: I wish I had a time machine and could go back and crawl into your brains as you met each other. What was your first impression of Sam Pond?
Jerry Lehocky: I’ll put it in perspective. Back then, Sam was representing injured workers. He also had his own private practice, which PMA allowed him to do at the time. I saw him not only in the courtroom, but also when we were competing with one another, and I said, “I can relate to this guy. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t let up. He knows the law. He knows how to use the law. He’s relentless in what he does, and he’s smart. He’s extremely bright.” I related to that, and I wanted to be around it. We had a lot in common. We came from similar backgrounds, although he was here in Philadelphia and I was in Pittsburgh. It was very easy to spend time with Sam, not only talking about the law, but talking about life. We love to travel. We skied all over the world together early on. We’ve done a million things together, and it’s been easy. Very easy. It’s been absolutely great.
Katie Frey: I love to hear that. I want to go back to what you were saying about growing up in Western Pennsylvania. I’ve heard you talk about growing up around steelworkers and tradespeople, so you really understood your clients before you ever began representing them in court. How much of who you are today comes from where you grew up?
Jerry Lehocky: Probably 100%. I believe who you are is, in large part, dependent upon where you come from—not only geographically, but also the family unit. Western Pennsylvania, when I was growing up in the 1970s and early 1980s, was all about steel and railroads. In my high school, if your parents or your father didn’t work in a steel mill or on the railroad, there were very few other jobs. Everybody was involved in those industries. My father had a plumbing business, so he wasn’t in the steel industry, but both of my grandfathers were. I was very familiar with that way of life. Between my freshman and sophomore years and my sophomore and junior years of college, I worked in a steel mill. I worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 16 hours a day, every day. I missed those two summers with all my buddies, but I learned a lot in that mill. I learned that I didn’t want to end up there. I had many conversations with the guys I worked with who told me, “When you get back to college, make sure you study, because you don’t want to end up here.” Although it paid good wages and allowed people to provide for their families, many of them thought it was a prison because there was no other way for them to go. The drudgery of doing the same thing over and over for many years wasn’t pleasant on a lot of levels, but it provided a way of life. I learned early on that if I worked my tail off, I would be okay.
Katie Frey: Outside of fighting for injured workers and everything you do here at the firm, what makes you truly happy outside of work?
Jerry Lehocky: My family. Watching my daughter grow into the soon-to-be lawyer she’ll become once she passes the bar in July.
Katie Frey: Amazing.
Jerry Lehocky: That gets me going. I’m very, very proud and very lucky to have her and my wife in my life. That makes me happy. We also rescued another dog this past month. Notwithstanding the fact that I was up at four in the morning cleaning up an accident in my bedroom, I’m happy.
Katie Frey: How many dogs do you have now?
Jerry Lehocky: Three. We always have three.
Katie Frey: Three corgis that you rescued? Are you serious? We need to have a bring-your-dog-to-the-office day.
Jerry Lehocky: It would be a zoo.
Katie Frey: I literally don’t even care. I will assume responsibility so I can meet them.
Jerry Lehocky: My wife is the biggest animal lover you will ever meet. From the time she was, I think, eight or nine, she gave 50 cents a week to the SPCA. She’s been an amazing inspiration for me and taught me so much about animals because I never thought I would be in a home with multiple animals.
Katie Frey: Did you ever dream you would be a father to three corgis?
Jerry Lehocky: No. Three corgis. We had 29 birds at one time. We had a rabbit. We had a guinea pig. I had a koi pond and raised koi fish for a while. We have a horse. We had a pony, and now we have a horse. There are all kinds of things going on at our property.
Narrator: We’ll be back with more Law Meets Life after a quick message from our sponsor.
Sponsor Advertisement: Do my eyes play games?
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Sponsor Advertisement: No, it’s another Pond Lehocky billboard.
Sponsor Advertisement: Who here has been injured at work?
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Katie Frey: I’m back with Jerry Lehocky, father to three corgis.
Jerry Lehocky: Among other things.
Katie Frey: Among other things, yes. If you weren’t a lawyer, what do you think you would be doing?
Jerry Lehocky: I would be a soap opera actor.
Katie Frey: Tell me more.
Jerry Lehocky: You’re too young to understand all of this. JR probably does, but when I was growing up, the most popular show on television was General Hospital. The two primary characters were Luke and Laura. They were it, and I wanted to be Luke. That was my goal in life: to be a soap opera actor and be Luke on General Hospital.
Katie Frey: We need to make this happen.
Jerry Lehocky: We’re well beyond that now.
Katie Frey: We are not. There’s The Golden Bachelor now.
Jerry Lehocky: I don’t know anything about that. But back in the day, soap operas were it. There was one on every network—multiple on every network, actually. As the World Turns, General Hospital, One Life to Live, all of them. They were very popular. I saw that and said, “You know what? That’s a steady job. That’s a steady acting job.” They were acting five days a week. I thought, “This would be great. I would love to act, and I would have steady work.”
Katie Frey: Did you ever act?
Jerry Lehocky: I did. I acted in high school. I acted in college. And now, look, what we do as trial lawyers—we perform. So I’m getting my fill of that through what I do.
Katie Frey: I love that. I was not expecting that answer. Going back to law, there are many different areas you could have gone into. Was there any other sector of law that interested you?
Jerry Lehocky: No, always workers’ compensation. In my second year of law school, I was a research assistant for my contracts professor, a gentleman named Hansel Minard. He and I were very close. During that second year, he was asked to become the City Solicitor of Philadelphia, which is the city’s top lawyer. He said to me, “Jerry, I have to resign my position here at Temple Law to take the solicitor position. I know you need to work because you’re putting yourself through law school. If you want, I’ll get you a job at the City Solicitor’s Office.” I said, “Sure, whatever.” He got me a job in the workers’ compensation department of the City Solicitor’s Office. That’s where I was exposed for the first time to what workers’ compensation was all about. I was representing the City of Philadelphia in that area of law. One thing led to another, I fell in love with it and stuck with it. Here I am, 40-some years later.
Katie Frey: We’ve established your early career and early life. Eventually, you and Sam decided to build something together. Looking back now, after talking about how you truly are work soulmates in a way, this all feels inevitable. But I’m guessing it didn’t feel inevitable at the time. When Pond Lehocky started, what did you dream it would become?
Jerry Lehocky: It was a lot different back then. The legal climate was different. How you went about getting business was vastly different. Our immediate goal was to survive. Our initial plan—and it remains largely the same now—was to put almost everything we made back into the firm so we could survive first and succeed second. It didn’t take long to get beyond survival mode, much more quickly than we thought, and then move into success, scale and expansion mode, which we continue every year. Early on, most of our business came from face-to-face relationships we built with other law firms and doctors. Sam and I would work all day. We would have a business lunch during the day and two dinners at night.
Katie Frey: Wow.
Jerry Lehocky: We would do dinner at 5:30 or 6:00, then another at 7:30 or 8:00. Then we’d go home, prepare the next day’s legal work and do it all over again, just to solidify relationships and build a referral base. As we continued and became successful, we were able to expand the brand and gain more avenues. Social media became the way to go. The internet became a way to bring in business beyond business lunches and dinners. It changed dramatically, but our core value of putting almost everything back into the firm remains to this day. That allows us to expand, grow and represent more people, which is ultimately what we want to do.
Katie Frey: Every successful business has stories nobody sees. We usually hear about wins, but not always about times when things were uncertain. Was there ever a moment when you genuinely thought this might not work?
Jerry Lehocky: No. I never thought it wouldn’t work. I knew no one could outwork me, Sam, Tom and the people who came over with us. That was never a question. It would have taken some outside force. A change in the law was really the only thing. To this day, it’s really our only enemy, at least in my eyes, because workers’ compensation is so statute-specific. One swipe of a governor’s pen can change our world in an instant. That would be the only thing that could have a real negative impact on our ability to represent injured workers.
Katie Frey: Something that has always impressed me about Pond Lehocky isn’t just the growth; it’s the culture. How intentional were you and Sam about building that kind of culture?
Jerry Lehocky: Very. Everything starts from the top. If Sam, Tom, I and the other leaders in the C-suite don’t set the example, it will never be absorbed by everyone else. All you have to do is sit in on some of our meetings or sit outside my office and watch the interaction between my secretary, my paralegal and the assistant, and see how they help one another all day long. Watch how we relate to one another in a meeting. We have to set the example, and it’s not a show. Believe me, it’s not a show. If you saw us outside the confines of this office and saw how we interact socially, it’s genuine. It has to be, because what we do is too important, and you can’t fake culture. The people who spend their time here would recognize immediately if we were disingenuous about what we say and do. None of us ever wants that to happen. It’s a good culture. It’s an important culture. And it works. It works.
Katie Frey: It goes back to leading by example.
Jerry Lehocky: Absolutely. You can’t ask someone to do something you’re not willing to do. It’s that simple. I would never do that.
Katie Frey: I think it’s time we talk about one of the biggest controversies in Pittsburgh history: the Iron City sign.
Jerry Lehocky: What do you want to know?
Katie Frey: For people who don’t know the story, can you walk us through how Pond Lehocky got involved with this billboard in the first place?
Jerry Lehocky: We found out through our broker that the billboard was going to become available because the lease was going to expire and the tenant—which is really what we are, because we lease billboards—was giving it up and wasn’t going to renew. We had the opportunity, if we acted quickly enough, to secure it, and we did. Once we did, it set off a firestorm of controversy in Pittsburgh. We never looked at it as a controversy because it was simply a business decision, like the decision several other businesses vying for that billboard were going to make. We just happened to beat them to the punch. We received all kinds of negative comments suggesting that we somehow stole the sign from Iron City, which we didn’t. But it created a tremendous amount of buzz. I think our search numbers for the week following the installation of our name on the billboard set records for us.
Katie Frey: Wow.
Jerry Lehocky: It did what it was supposed to do. It created buzz and instantly solidified our brand in Pittsburgh. We wanted to do that; we just didn’t think it would happen that quickly. Anywhere you are in Pittsburgh, if you look up, you’re going to see our billboard, which is fantastic.
Katie Frey: I think most people don’t know that you’re a Pittsburgh native.
Jerry Lehocky: I am.
Katie Frey: Pond Lehocky is both Pittsburgh-native and Philadelphia-native.
Jerry Lehocky: We just celebrated the 10th anniversary of our Pittsburgh office, which is doing great. We will continue to expand there and throughout the Commonwealth. We’re bi-coastal, at least within the parameters of Pennsylvania. We’re here on the Schuylkill River, and we’re out on the Ohio River in Pittsburgh. We cover coast to coast.
Katie Frey: Another thing that surprised me when I learned the story is that publicity wasn’t necessarily the whole story. My understanding is that Pond Lehocky offered to preserve the Iron City sign or at least collaborate. Is that true?
Jerry Lehocky: We tried different things. Most recently, when the NFL hosted the draft in May, we tried to work with either the Steelers or the NFL because they wanted that billboard. We weren’t able to come up with something we could all agree to. We’re open to doing many different things, but if it doesn’t work for us or in any way takes away from our brand, we’re not going to do it.
Katie Frey: I know this is a sign you probably saw throughout your childhood on Mount Washington. Why was preserving that piece of Pittsburgh history important to you?
Jerry Lehocky: It’s important to anyone who grows up there. You have a connection to it. It’s something you identify with. From the reaction we got from many people who grew up in and around Pittsburgh, you somehow take ownership of it. When it changes, it’s like your sister marrying a guy you don’t like who comes into the family. It creates problems, at least initially. We were sensitive to that. But until you get to know us and recognize what we do and why we do it, you’re not really going to understand it. Once you do, I think everything will be fine.
Katie Frey: Did the public reaction surprise you?
Jerry Lehocky: Oh, yeah. We weren’t prepared for that. But everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I get it. Sit down with me, Sam, Tom or anyone who works at this firm and spend some time getting to know us. I think those concerns will go away.
Katie Frey: Pittsburgh natives are very passionate, as they should be.
Jerry Lehocky: As they should be—just as people are in Philadelphia and all over the country. Look at what’s going on in New York right now. Knicks fans are going crazy, as they should be. Citizens of particular cities and towns develop a lot of pride around certain things, whether it’s a sports team, a billboard or a statue. I get it. We need that identity. We need that pride. We need that connection. We’re just providing another opportunity for those who need help to connect with us.
Katie Frey: I love that Pittsburghers care deeply about the sign. You care deeply about Pittsburgh, even though so much of your work now happens on a national scale. I want to give you the chance to speak directly to Pittsburgh natives. What would you say to someone in Pittsburgh who is upset about the sign?
Jerry Lehocky: Call me. Talk to me. I’ll explain it to you. I’m happy to. I would love for you to get to know me beyond what you see on Mount Washington as my name. At the end of the day, it’s just a sign. It’s a representation of what and who we are. Until you make the effort to get to know me, you don’t really understand what that billboard represents or how it can help you—or someone you know—get out of a bad situation after a work injury. It’s there to help. It’s there to provide easy access to the help you need.
Katie Frey: Jerry, we’ve talked about your life—from your early days in Pittsburgh watching your family and your father, to the Lehocky zoo, to how and why you continue to fight for injured workers today. When you take that thousand-foot view and look back at your life, what are you most proud of?
Jerry Lehocky: I’m proud of what we’ve created. I’m proud of all the good we’ve done for so many people. I’m proud that we can continue to do it and that we will do more for more people. I’m proud that I’ve been blessed to work with people I love, doing a job—it’s not even a job—doing something I’m passionate about for people I love, with people I love. To be 40 years into this and still have the energy, passion, love and desire to continue doing it—I’m far from over.
Katie Frey: Jerry, we’re quickly coming to the end of our time together.
Jerry Lehocky: Time flies when you’re having fun.
Katie Frey: Before we leave, I want to do some rapid-fire Pittsburgh questions. Are you ready?
Jerry Lehocky: Oh, gosh. It’s been so long. I hope I don’t mess this up.
Katie Frey: No pressure at all, but everything is riding on this. Primanti’s or pierogies?
Jerry Lehocky: Pierogies.
Katie Frey: Steelers, Pirates or Penguins?
Jerry Lehocky: Steelers.
Katie Frey: Iron City or IC Light?
Jerry Lehocky: IC Light, but that’s just because you asked me.
Katie Frey: Favorite Pittsburgh neighborhood?
Jerry Lehocky: I would have to say Conway, which is where I grew up once we moved out of Aliquippa. Conway and Freedom—to all my homeboys back there.
Katie Frey: Shout-out to the homeboys. Best Pittsburgh view?
Jerry Lehocky: Looking at the Pond Lehocky billboard.
Katie Frey: I agree. Most underrated Pittsburgh food?
Jerry Lehocky: Some type of kielbasa.
Katie Frey: One Pittsburgh celebrity you’d want to have dinner with?
Jerry Lehocky: There are several. I would love to have spent time with Mister Rogers. He would be one for a certain set of reasons. Art Rooney would be another. Andrew Carnegie would be the third.
Katie Frey: I very much share that first answer. Whenever somebody asks who I would want to meet, living or dead, I always say Fred Rogers.
Jerry Lehocky: What a light. He was a tremendous example of someone who, for his entire adult life, held the same values and passion he believed in and never let up. He was as solid and genuine on day one as he was on the last day he was ever on set. I would have a lot to talk to him about.
Katie Frey: Absolutely. My cousin wrote him a letter when he was about six years old, and he responded. My cousin still has that letter.
Jerry Lehocky: It says it all. It says everything about him as a man.
Katie Frey: One word that describes Pittsburgh.
Jerry Lehocky: Proud.
Katie Frey: I see that.
Jerry Lehocky: You saw it in the reaction to the billboard. It all ties together. They’re very, very proud.
Katie Frey: Now, one word that describes Philadelphia.
Jerry Lehocky: Edgy.
Katie Frey: I like that word.
Jerry Lehocky: Philadelphians are edgier than most, at least compared with the cities I’ve visited and spent time in. We’re edgier than other cities—in a good way, in a demanding way.
Katie Frey: Jerry, final question: What does Law Meets Life mean to you?
Jerry Lehocky: They’re both the same. My life is the law, and the law is my life. It’s an identity for me. I am a lawyer who has spent his life practicing law, so they’re interchangeable to me. That’s it. I am the law, and I am my life.
Katie Frey: I love it. Jerry, thank you so much for being here. This was fun. I greatly enjoyed learning more about you.
Jerry Lehocky: Have me back.
Katie Frey: I will. And bring your corgis.
Jerry Lehocky: We wouldn’t get much done, but that would be great.
Katie Frey: Thank you so much. Thanks, Jerry. I really appreciate it. And thank you all so much for listening to Law Meets Life. Until next time.
