He started off at Ohio State wanting to be an optometrist and ended up becoming a lawyer.

Since his graduation from OSU with a degree in sociology, David Shroyer, who is also a Capital University Law School alum and attorney at Colley Shroyer & Abraham, has had his share of high-profile cases, and spent 30 years in the field.

With specialties in medical malpractice and personal injury, he’s worked both for and against those at OSU while recouping the cost of his education at the university many times over.

Most recently, he was one of four attorneys representing Derris Lewis, an OSU business student who recently reached a mediated $950,000 settlement with the City of Columbus.

Lewis was originally charged with the murder of his twin brother.

After evidence in the case did not support the charge, Lewis sued the city for compensation.

He had spent 18 months in jail.

The Columbus City Council still has to agree to the settlement with a vote.

Shroyer also represented Sharron Morris, whose husband died after contracting Legionnaire’s disease in Doan Hall. In February OSU agreed to pay out a $1.2 million settlement for that case.

While those cases have been settled, he’s working on another
involving two employees at OSU that possibly contracted histoplasmosis in their workplace.

Getting clients is sometimes tough, especially when first starting out as an attorney, but “you work hard, you do as well as you can for a client and then things kind of take care of themselves,” Shroyer said.

He has advice for students interested in a future as a trial lawyer — you have to be streetwise, use common sense and have creativity, Shroyer said.

Reputation is important, but “you can literally destroy it in a matter of seconds,” Shroyer said.

Creativity can make a difference in how a client comes across to a jury.

Shroyer has been known to tie his arm behind his back to actually experience what his client lost by losing an arm — and determine how best to represent him to a jury.

“That jury is more powerful than any lawyer or any judge,” Shroyer said.

Lawyers shouldn’t be afraid to take on smaller cases either.

“There’s no such thing as a large verdict or a small verdict. It’s either just or unjust,” Shroyer said.

Shroyer gets tremendous job satisfaction out of being a lawyer, but if “you have a case you don’t win, you take it personally,” he said.

“Each client gets part of you — you really do put your heart and soul in these cases,” Shroyer said.