Aaron Gartlan – My Story
Aaron Gartlan grew up in very modest surroundings in a mobile home park, but he knew at a young age that he wanted to be a lawyer.
“Somehow, I had this idea that I wanted to do work that would be meaningful and make a difference and help people,” he recalls. “Growing up in a mobile home park, around good, solid, hardworking family people really made an impression on me early in life. It truly shaped who I am as a man and as a lawyer.”
After graduating from Dothan High School, Aaron attended Wallace Community College and then completed his undergraduate studies with honors at Troy University, where he concentrated on social science. He then enrolled at Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, where he was intent from the start on becoming a plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer.
This commitment grew ever stronger following the death of his father, Robert, during Aaron’s first year of law school. Robert had been unable to work for several years following a heart attack, and Aaron was acutely aware of the financial hardships that can hit families when ill fortune strikes.
While in law school, he was a member of law review and earned 11 academic awards. He also continued serving his community, as he had since his undergraduate years, as a field artillery sergeant in the Alabama National Guard.
Meanwhile, he also worked for a law firm all the way though law school, which gave him a solid base of experience when he graduated and received his J.D. in 2000. That is when the journey of the Gartlan law firm began. Over the years since then, Aaron has had various partnerships and affiliations with other attorneys as his practice has developed and grown into what it is today: Gartlan Injury Law.
Over the years, he has helped many individuals in their efforts to gain compensation for injuries and other problems not of their own making. A student of Biblical study, Gartlan often says his favorite story from the Bible is that of David and Goliath — because he loves going up against large insurance companies on behalf of his clients.
“A great case for us is when we can help a family pick up the pieces,” he says. “I cherish having an opportunity to help people at their most vulnerable point, to give them the help that they need to hopefully bring about some closure. Sometimes, it can make the difference between saving the family home or losing it.”
Aaron’s practice is devoted almost exclusively to personal injury cases, with a particular emphasis on workplace injuries. While there are other firms that also focus on personal injury cases, Gartlan Injury Law is different from the rest, Aaron says.
“The thing that sets us apart is individual, personalized attention. We value our clients as people and truly want to do what’s best and what’s right in their time of need.”
In addition to his busy practice, Aaron is active in numerous professional organizations and has achieved several prestigious distinctions. He is a member of the National Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers and also the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In addition, he finds time to teach as an adjunct instructor of business law at Troy University’s Sorell College of Business.
While fighting successfully for his clients is the activity that brings Aaron the most satisfaction in life, he does pursue other interests in his spare time. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking out, spending time at the lake and the beach, and exercising. He is also a professional wrestling history buff.
He and his wife, Suzanne, have three children: Carlton, Ashton, and Alexa Grace.
