Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”
If you have ever met Jeffrey Reiff, it probably would not surprise you to learn that as a child, he loved to read Encyclopedia’s. He was as invigorated and captivated by the wealth of knowledge nestled within infinite, incalculable pages, as another child might be with “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” or “The Chronicles of Narnia.” But Jeffrey was not so much one for fairytales – he had no need of them. The world itself was a beautiful and magical realm all on its own, and he was determined that one day he would fully explore it. .
From this, one must not surmise that Jeff grew up in the lap of luxury and to spend his life traveling to exotic locales was an established part of “the life” he was born into. On the contrary, his earliest years were spent in a Philadelphia row house and he walked 2 miles to school each day and back. Furthermore, he had to employ considerable ingenuity to dodge the bullies laying in wait to beat up some unfortunate child. Even still, on those days he was unsuccessful, he still had to admit there was great adventure to it all. But perhaps even more importantly, he learned at an early age, that in order to accomplish anything, you have to conquer fear – and just as sometimes the bullies get you on your way home from school, likewise life will sometimes “beat you up.” – There is inevitably, a price you have to pay for what you want, but ultimately, in the words of Paulo Coelho, “The universe stands aside for those people who know where they are going…”
For Jeffrey, imagination was as intrinsic to his nature as musical ability might be to a composer, or as perception of color, light and shadows are to an artist. That imagination, coupled with his voracious appetite for books and knowledge, reflected a simmering gift for storytelling that he would develop and ultimately put to considerable use as a trial lawyer. Growing up, his “Thing,” as he defines it, was to put on comedy skits for his family. He had discovered that he had a gift for telling stories and in not only making people laugh – but also in making them feel. Perhaps most importantly however, Jeffrey was able to direct his imagination to step outside of himself and outside of his own life, and see the world from a different perspective other than his own. According to Albert Einstein, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” Therefore, it should come to no surprise, that when Jeffrey went on to High School, he became involved in school theatrical productions. He was the first in his family to go to college, and he attended the American University in D. C. Though he majored in Finance and Marketing, he took part in plays, got parts in a few movies, and had his own radio show.
Among those he interviewed were Dustin Hoffman, Charlton Heston, William Peter Batty, William Friedkin, Anthony Quinn, Frank Capra and other literary, cinematic, musical and athletic celebrities. It seemed apparent, with the ease and fluidity with which he transitioned from one venue to another, that he had a rare versatility, an innate sense of the theatrical, a gift of communication, and an uncanny instinct for “finding the story,” wherever it was.
A more accurate explanation would be however, that Jeffrey possessed a deep-rooted sense of compassion, a natural curiosity for people and their life stories, and an ability to find common ground with others, regardless of whatever superficial differences might exist; For Jeffrey’s reading ability was not confined to books, but he was also a reader of people, of situations and of life. He was adept at extracting simplicity from the most complex set of circumstances and fomenting a spirit of understanding and cooperation among those with different viewpoints. It did undoubtedly come as a surprise to many, when Jeffrey went onto Law School and eventually became a lawyer. He just seemed to have too buoyant a personality for such a thing, but Jeffrey didn’t just become a lawyer – he became a “trial lawyer,” which requires a different set of skills – a quick and curious mind, the gift of communication, a desire to listen and to understand, and an open, likable nature. . Additionally, that same versatility which had always served him well, now enabled him to rapidly assimilate the often contradictory onslaught of facts and statistics inherent in complex personal injury, amusement accident and product liability cases, and also enabled him to him ignore distances, cultural boundaries and income brackets, and meet people in their pain. – sometimes that might be a hospital, sometimes a coffeehouse, and sometimes that has meant welcoming someone into his own home.
Jeffrey has known all too well, that tragedy does not discriminate, but will ruthlessly pursue whomever it will. But he also knows instinctively, that behind each tragedy is a story, and that story is deeply personal, and that his success and satisfaction as a trial attorney, would be in how well he could tell “that” story. Furthermore, he knew the words of James Robertson in, “And the Land Lay Still”, to be true, “Trust the story…. the story can only ever be itself.”
Over time, Jeffrey has developed his own unique signature approach to telling truthfully, and with compassion, the story of one who has suffered an injustice; for he comprehends the extent to which trial is “theatre.” Therefore, he produces “legal cinematic vignettes,” for many of his significant cases. They have proved to be highly effective and he considers them integral to his process of winning large settlements for his clients. Ultimately, how well he tells the story, will be reflected in the empathy the jury experiences for his client, and subsequently, the verdict they decide upon. The “story” however does not stop with the recitation of events leading up to injury, but crucially, how that injury has not only impacted his client’s life in their day to day activities, but the collateral damage that has been done to their hopes, goals and dreams as well. In essence, when one loses hope, nothing else seems possible, and life becomes perceived as a torturous journey of imposed impossibilities. Jeffrey considers his highest priority with each case he accepts and pursues, regardless of all that has been lost, to aid in restoring that one thing without which it is impossible to live – hope.
Also integral to this success, is the team of employees, associates and partners at his law firm, who continuously give well above 100% to everything they do. There is a great sense of camaraderie, loyalty and commitment within the firm to their clients, to each other and to Jeffrey. In fact, Ray Bily was Jeff’s law school roommate, so the foundation of the firm is actually built upon many years of solid friendship between the two. Reiff & Bily is known for its penchant to take on tough cases that many turn away, and many top cases find their way to the firm. Jeffrey has a creed that he lives by and it is shared by everyone who works alongside of him:
• Give people the recognition they deserve and help them achieve their dreams – believe in them;
• Treat people equally and listen to what they have to say;
• Give credit where credit is due;
• It is not about the money – just do the right thing
The encyclopedia’s Jeffrey read as a child, instilled in him an insatiable desire to know the world and to more fully understand life and people. Says Jeffrey, ‘Travel makes one modest…. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world and your heart and mind strives to make a difference. The more I travel, the more I discover myself and the more perspective I gain in life.” He continues, “I love India and one of the most beautiful places I have been is Varanasi. It is known as the “Athens of India,” and considered to be its “Spiritual Capital.” It is the holiest of the seven sacred cities and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world. It is on the banks of the Ganges River. Some Hindus believe that death at Varanasi brings salvation. Varanasi has been known by many names including Kasi or Kashi which refers to “luminous city as an eminent seat of learning” but it is also translated to mean “City of Light”. The people of India have deeply mystical and profound hearts and souls. No matter their circumstances, they seem to find the goodness and happiest of hearts in the smallest of things. Furthermore, they have an innate sense of intuition and understand that with integrity and sincerity, one is capable of miracles.”
In his travels, Jeffrey has indeed visited some of the more exotic cities of the world, but in juxtaposition, he has participated in the “Walk of the Living,” from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust Remembrance Day, he has visited the “Killing Fields” of Cambodia, and he has been in countries where people have lived in deep poverty and despair—and some places where he witnessed firsthand the corruption and greed of big corporations. He has looked intently into the faces of the people from all walks of life and seen both the will to live and the desire to die, and he has listened to their stories. When he is within the four walls of his office in Philadelphia, a plaque on his wall stares fixedly back at him each day. On it are written the words of Horace Mann which are, “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” When he stands within a court room, in front of a jury representing his clients, he is well aware of one of his greatest responsibilities – which is to share that story that has been so fearfully entrusted to him, – and while each story is uniquely different, each one is also profoundly the same.
Some time ago, Jeffrey was given the book, “The Little Prince,” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Of all the great books that he has read and loved and learned from, this one is unquestionably his favorite. You might not find this surprising but for the fact that it is a well known child’s fairy tale. And of those books he considers to be the most significant to his life such as, The Prime Ministers, Outliers, The Measure of a Man, Good to Great, To Kill A Mockingbird, this one seems rather curious. However, if you take the time to read it yourself, you will come to understand that it is one of those books, that will always reveal a new meaning to you, as you make your way through life, and thinly veiled beneath its fairy tale cover are the deeply philosophical themes of Truth, Perseverance, Communication, Friendship & Loyalty, Loss & Sadness, Perspective, Innocence and Transformation. However, if you rashly dismiss and misjudge the cover, you will be deprived of the incredibly beautiful story written poetically upon its pages. Maybe the words of Ezra Pound explain it better, “ Men do not understand books until they have a certain amount of life, or at any rate no man understands a deep book, until he has seen and lived at least part of its contents.” To these words, over time, Jeffrey has added a few of his own: Never forget who you are or what you believe in, and “It can be done!”
These are the words he has given his children to hold onto as they have made their way through life, they are the same ones those at his firm live by and undoubtedly, the same ones that speak to those who have arrived at the doorsteps of Reiff & Bily, seeking help.
Being a child, growing up with a hunger for encyclopedia’s one might not expect young Jeffrey to understand those words. However, the ones he already always instinctively knew at such a young age, are those that are found within the book itself and have established in part, the foundational structure of his life, “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”