By Stephanie Klein | Case Column Contributor
When Paul Anderson first started investigating brain injuries and concussions, he wasn’t representing clients yet. He wasn’t even out of law school. But what started as a law review paper quickly became something much bigger: a calling to take on one of the most powerful institutions in American life.
The National Football League had spent years denying the link between repetitive head trauma and long-term brain injury. They created their own research committee. Published misleading studies. And told players they could return to play the same day after a concussion.
But Paul’s early rise to expertise on this legal topic created serious momentum—not just for him, but for deserving players at all levels of the game. Today, he’s known as the attorney who helped hold the NFL accountable.
From Research to Reputation
“When I did my research in law school, I didn’t even know what a concussion or second impact syndrome really was,” Paul says. “Back then, everyone just thought, from time to time you got your bell rung and got back in the game.”
As he started writing about the emerging lawsuits, he realized the public needed more than a paper in a law review journal. They needed information. Clarity. And a place to understand the scope of the harm being alleged.
So he started a blog: NFLConcussionLitigation.com.
That site, originally a way to organize and share his research, quickly became a national resource. Paul was still in law school when retired NFL players started asking if he would represent them. By the time he graduated, he had already been recognized by Forbes and the Philadelphia Business Journal as a go-to source on the issue.
A Wrongful Death Case That Changed the Landscape
The first major case Paul took on involved Derek Sheely, a college fullback who died from second-impact syndrome during a dangerous so-called drill—where he was forced to stand and take one hit after the other. After repeated head hits in a single practice, he collapsed on the field and died days later.
His parents were told it was an unavoidable tragedy. But an anonymous letter—followed by Paul’s investigation—revealed the truth: coaches had ignored visible signs of brain injury, and Derek had been pressured to keep playing.
The school, Frostburg State, was part of the NCAA. And Paul’s research led him to the organization’s very founding: the NCAA had been created more than a century earlier to stop deaths in college football.
“This was their entire purpose,” Paul said. “And they failed to protect Derek.”
The case against the NCAA was hard-fought and nationally watched. Paul deposed its former president, examined concussion protocols, and consulted with the country’s top neurosurgeons.
The outcome? National awareness, justice for the Sheely family, and a reputation that stuck: Paul Anderson wasn’t afraid to challenge billion-dollar institutions—and win.
What That Means for Injury Victims Today
Today, Paul leverages the top skills, discoveries and relationships he’s gained since his high-profile career jumpstart in 2011 to injury cases that never make the headlines—but still turn lives upside down.
“When someone comes to me after a car wreck, they might say their neck hurts. But I always ask what happened to their head.”
Too many attorneys—and too many insurance adjusters—stop at soft-tissue claims. They overlook the brain injury caused by sudden whiplash or impact.
“That jolt? That’s your brain sloshing around in your skull. That’s a concussion. That’s a brain injury,” Paul explained.
Insurance companies know this. But they don’t pay for it unless they’re forced to.
That’s where Paul’s background changes the equation.
From Demand Letter to Maximum Settlement
When Paul sends a demand letter for a client with a concussion, insurance companies don’t see just another lawyer. They see the guy who took on the NFL. The guy who deposed the president of the NCAA. The one who worked with the best neurologists in the country—and still has their contact info in his cell phone.
“We’ve taken that playbook from the NFL cases and applied it to our everyday injury cases,” he said. “Same experts. Same science. Same strategy.”
That approach has made a huge difference. A client who was injured in a car crash was referred to Paul by another attorney. At first, the referring lawyer believed the case was worth about $100,000 because the client was diagnosed with “just a concussion” and only saw the doctor once.
But Paul dug deeper. He carefully investigated the client’s brain injury and arranged for specialized brain imaging with one of his trusted experts. This thorough approach allowed Paul to prove that the client had suffered permanent brain damage, vision dysfunction, and post-concussion syndrome.
Paul also discovered damage to the client’s endocrine system—the part of the body that controls hormones—which led to a condition called pituitary dysfunction. This means the body’s main hormone control center wasn’t working properly, causing issues like fatigue, poor sleep, and other health concerns.
More still, Paul was able to show that the client now faced a higher risk of developing dementia later in life.
By uncovering all these hidden injuries and their long-term effects—and sending the client to the right experts and patient advocates—Paul turned a case originally valued at $100,000 into a multi-million-dollar settlement for his client.
Don’t Just Hire a Lawyer the Public Knows. Hire the One Insurance Companies Respect.
It’s common to choose a personal injury lawyer you’ve seen in commercials. But what if you chose someone the insurance companies already take seriously?
Paul Anderson built his reputation the hard way—by standing up for the voiceless, building airtight cases, and challenging the most influential organizations in American sports. Now, he brings that experience to work for everyday people.
If you’ve been injured in a car wreck, you deserve a team that sees the full picture—and a lawyer whose record makes the insurance companies listen.
At Popham Law, that’s exactly what you’ll get.
