When Theodore Roosevelt spoke of “the man in the arena” who “knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause,” his words accurately describe trial lawyer, Santos Vargas.

Vargas, unlike some lawyers who enter the courtroom with confidence and ease, was thrust into it very early on in his career. When he was only a few years from law school, another lawyer asked him to be second chair for an upcoming trial. Vargas, wanting to gain as much trial practice as possible, readily agreed.