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Meet Vikas Bajaj of Law Office of Vikas Bajaj, APC in Downtown

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Vikas Bajaj.

Vikas, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Give me a challenge–something that forces me to perform. Give me the anxiety, the insecurity, the fear, the pain–give me the baton! I was never the fastest, the strongest, the most level-headed, the most studious, the most gifted in any definable way. I felt I was, though, every step of the way. Looking back, it was blind ambition, but ambition nonetheless.

Some of my fondest and most lucid memories are from high school track and field. Living in San Diego, we are blessed with the exceptional weather. As far as I can remember, I found myself running–a lot–and everywhere! High school track and field was many things for me–it was an outlet, to be sure. More than that, however, it was a chance to face my fears. It is one thing to say you are the fastest and quite another to be the fastest.

I used to say I was the fastest, but I was not. There was no mistaking the runners in front of me for anything else than people who beat me. It gave me fuel, in a way, because I had to be what I said I was–to avoid embarrassment in front of those I boasted to and myself. I trained more, talked less, and improved drastically. Still, I was never the fastest–and I definitely stopped boasting that I was! For me, few memories are as crystal clear, breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat, then the moments on the starting line getting set and waiting in anticipation for the starting shot to be fired. They were surreal moments of absolute fear I recall so clearly today.

I remember the relief I felt when the race began. I competed in the mile relay as well–I yearned to have a lead to make up. I did not want the lead to lose, I wanted to make up lost ground. If I failed, it was my fault–after all, no one else was running, I was. Today, I enjoy a healthy trial practice. Having worked a variety of cases, I believe the most challenging work as a lawyer is the practice of criminal law. The reality is that no one favors a criminal defendant; surely, no one in the courtroom. There is a lot of ground to make up as a criminal defense attorney. My years of trials have taught me that the burden, in reality, is on the defendant to prove his/her innocence, in the face of a real presumption to the contrary. During a criminal case, there is a lot of training for the final event–a trial.

Everyone sells wolf tickets until the jury is called up. As litigators, we exercise a healthy dose of “puffery” while arguing our position in an effort to reach a favorable resolution with the other side. When that does not work, we have a jury trial. I have always enjoyed the challenge of a jury trial. It is the chance to come through on your promises–to the other side and to yourself. If you make an error, there is no one to blame but yourself. After all, no one else was presenting the case to the jury–you were.

In this way, I am lucky to feel the same fear of failure I felt so many years ago. Now, the hard-earned reputation of the Law Office of Vikas Bajaj has extended to the area of personal injury law with Injury Trial Lawyers and consulting with Fixate Consulting. Give me the baton! In this way, the drive to make up lost ground has pushed me. I am lucky to still feel the anxiety and fear that pushes me.  Today, I am lucky to be a trial lawyer who invites that fear and anxiety in my practices.

Has it been a smooth road?
There have been many challenging times–I know that now looking back. When I accept challenging cases, I know the struggles that come with it. The surprise struggles are the business struggles. The practice of law is about being the best lawyer you can be. A large percentage, however, is about running a business the right way.

I am lucky as my father was a small business owner–my father did the work and my mother did the books. Anyone who has run a small business understands the struggles. If you have not done it, I believe it is hard to understand. Running a small business teaches delayed gratification. I try to implement that to my practices–it is always best to have a long-term goal and stick to it–even during the tough times.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Law Office of Vikas Bajaj, APC story. Tell us more about the business.
I have a been a lawyer since 2001. My foundation was built upon a criminal defense practice. I feel lucky for that in many ways. The challenge of a jury trial is unique and rewarding and I find myself engaged in jury trials quite often as a criminal defense attorney.

A criminal defense practice also teaches one to deal with others in their lowest of lows. It teaches humanity. I have always felt it is the greatest of obligations to take on a criminal defendant’s case–there is just so much riding on the outcome. A few years ago, I founded Injury Trial Lawyers, which focuses on personal injury cases.

In many ways, my foundation of criminal jury trials helps my clients in civil cases as well. At the end of the day, it is much easier to ask for money than it is to ask for liberty. I have a great team at Injury Trial Lawyers–we work as a team closely with our clients, so no one is left in the dark.

Sometimes, a lawyer is unnecessary. There may not be a case in court or a client may just need some good advice. I always feel good advice is priceless. Recently, I founded Fixate Consulting. I am lucky to help individuals and corporations work through difficult situations.

My offices share a common theme of quality over quantity–that is what sets us apart.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see the value to trial lawyers rising exponentially. It seems fewer and fewer cases make their way to trial for a variety of reasons. Lawyers simply do not have the courtroom experience that was necessary or expected in the past.

I am sure technology will serve to streamline certain practices of law that rely on a governmental application process following a general trend to follow guidelines rather than permitting the exercise of discretion. At the end of the day, the value of a jury will never go away– its role is permanent and priceless.

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