About Corcoran Smith Law

“Seeing the elephant” is a historic idiom rooted in military lore, evoking the profound challenges faced by soldiers. Popularized during the American Civil War, the phrase symbolizes a soldier’s firsthand encounter with the harsh realities of combat — a transformative experience that often brought growth through hardship.

Some historians trace the phrase back to tales of Alexander the Great’s encounters with war elephants. The sight of these formidable creatures on the battlefield would have been both awe-inspiring and terrifying — much like the later use of the phrase to describe facing life’s most daunting challenges.

Today, “seeing the elephant” endures as a symbol of the resilience required to confront adversity — the courage to face overwhelming odds and the personal transformation that comes from persevering through life’s hardest trials. That’s the standard our clients deserve, and the one we hold ourselves to.