Bull-riding attorney coming to GC

Feb. 17--A bull-riding attorney from Wichita is expanding his operation concentrated on injury-accident insurance claims to Garden City, and the new office could open as soon as next week.

Brad Pistotnik of Brad Pistotnik Law is well-known for his commercials, in which he arrives at the scene riding a bull with promises of getting clients the best deal from their insurance companies on accident and injury claims. Soon, all Garden City residents will have to do to get "Brad the Bull" on their side is visit his office, set to open soon in the 3100 block of East Kansas Avenue.

Pistotnik said the move has been in the works for about a year and is intended to give easier access to his services in western Kansas, where many of his clients are based.

"We basically brought a satellite office out there so that those people that are hurt, that can't travel that far, can get help instead of trying to do things over the phone or through the mail," Pistotnik said, noting that many of his clients live in Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal, Ulysses and Satanta.

Pistotnik has been offering services to personal injury victims in Kansas and Oklahoma since 1981, and he says his business has gained success not only through his commercials, but also through his open-door policy with clients.

"I give them my cellphone and tell them they can call me seven days a week, even on holidays, up until 10 at night," Pistotnik said, adding that his policy often extends to walk-in visits.

Pistotnik doesn't do it alone. He has a team of 19 people behind him, soon to be 20, consisting of attorneys, case managers, paralegals, and legal assistants. At his Garden City office, he'll employ a full-time bilingual translator for Spanish-speaking clients and partner with a translation service agency for clients who speak other languages.

Pistotnik says he developed his concentration on motor vehicle and heavy equipment-related accidents doing a "tremendous" amount of tractor-trailer and construction accident litigation as he developed his career. His office also covers cases related to workers compensation.

Perhaps most important is that Pistotnik says he's willing to help clients who don't have money to pay a typical attorney.

"The problem is most people that get injured have an immediate lack of a job and immediate lack of money," he said.

Pistotnik's office will comprise 1,500 feet of a 7,200-square-foot retail center. He said that as soon as he gets occupancy authorization from the city, he'll be ready to open for business once the building is completed next week.

"Brad the Bull" has built a reputation through his catchy, somewhat sensational commercials, that usually feature him interacting with some kind of animal -- a bull, a python, a cockatoo. He says his nickname came from his tendency to be clumsy as a kid: His mom called him a "bull in a china closet." That translated to his role as a defensive tackle when he played football, and then to his ardent defense of his clients in his legal practice.

The name works well with his image as a bull-riding attorney. Riding Domingo the bull around in his commercials was his idea, he says, and he's been told he's the only one Domingo allows to ride him.

If everything works out, Domingo might even visit Garden City for a new commercial.

Pistotnik says the success of his business lies in the compassion he shows his clients.

"I spend a lot of time talking to people, and so do all of our attorneys, paralegals and case managers," Pistotnik said. "We spend sometimes what would seem to be an inordinate amount of time talking to people, because most people that are injured are in a bad place and they're upset and they want somebody to counsel them and to talk to them. When you take the time to do that, then they really tend to like us because we try to help them, and not all lawyers want to do counseling for the clients in extended fashion."

Contact Mark Minton at [email protected].

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