SOUTH FLORIDA’S · or medical malpractice, real estate or family law or in numerous other practice areas, these lawyers are available and ... company’s ridiculously low twenty-fi

LEADERS IN THE LAWSOUTH FLORIDA’S

2018

South Florida’s Verdicts and Settlements

Also Inside:

Paid Advertising Supplement to

DOUGHERTY LAW FIRM

WWW.LEADERSINTHELAW.COM

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION TO THE MIAMI HERALD

During her 34 years of practice, Roberta Mandel has argued more than 1,000 appeals in every Florida appellate court, the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh District Court of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court. With approximately 650 reported decisions, she off ers an unparalleled depth of experience. She has also been involved in countless trials during her career.

Mandel is oft en involved from the inception of a case in the trial court through the appellate stage. She says. “It’s advantageous for trial att orneys to have experienced appellate att orneys involved in trial court litigation so all viable arguments are preserved for appellate court review.”

Mandel is AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, and has been designated a Legal Leader by the Miami Herald and a Florida Super Lawyer for many years. She began her career working on high-profi le criminal cases. Starting in 2004, she went on to head the appellate departments of two law fi rms. Among her more notable cases was litigation stemming from Anna Nicole Smith’s death in Florida, which garnered worldwide media coverage.

In 2010, Mandel founded her own full-service trial and appellate litigation fi rm, the Mandel Law Group. Th ere, she represents Fortune 500 companies as well as small businesses and individuals in civil and criminal matt ers. She was one of the fi rst att orneys to eff ectively argue that trial att orneys who successfully represent homeowners in foreclosure actions are entitled to fee multipliers. Mandel also handles complex as well as simple divorce cases in both the trial and appellate court arenas.

Roberta MandelCivil and Criminal Litigation, Family Law, Appellate

Mandel Law Group, P.A.8925 S.W. 148th Street, Suite 200, Miami, FL 33176

Ph: 305.233.5041 | Fax : 305.233.5042 | [email protected] | [email protected]

Silvia Ros

Roberta Mandel

SOUTH FLORIDA’S LEADERS IN THE LAW Leaders In Th e Law presents the 2018 South Florida’s Leading Lawyers, a special section featuring exceptional lawyers

and law fi rms practicing in the region.Finding the right lawyer for any legal issue is a diffi cult but important decision. We invite you to use this publication as

a resource to help eliminate the guesswork of selecting legal counsel. Whether off ering legal services in personal injury or medical malpractice, real estate or family law or in numerous other practice areas, these lawyers are available and ready to help you no matt er how complex your legal issues may be.

Included this year is a list of some of the largest verdicts and sett lements with the names of litigators/law fi rms who have won “big” for their clients in the last year. Starting at $500,000 and ascending to a whopping $49,268,906 these cases have been litigated by some of South Florida’s elite lawyers, many of whom are featured in these pages.

To learn more about these leading lawyers and law fi rms and Leaders In Th e Law, please visit leadersinthelaw.com. For any questions on this section or if you’d like to be included in the future, please contact me at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Kevin VermeulenCEO, Leaders In Th e Law

PRESENTS

WWW.LEADERSINTHELAW.COM 1

Adam Dougherty has been involved in the justice system for over 25 years, having initially worked in law enforcement before becoming an att orney. Mr. Dougherty, who is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell – was one of only 55 att orneys in 2006 selected to att end Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College in Wyoming. “I had the privilege of being instructed every day for three weeks by this country’s greatest trial lawyers who gave generously of their time and knowledge, it was really special.”

In addition to being mentored by legendary trial lawyer, Gerry Spence, as one of the Keenan Ball College’s fi rst graduates in 2015, Mr. Dougherty became a student of another legendary trial lawyer, Don Keenan. “Mr. Keenan’s friendship and mentoring has impacted my life and career enormously. He has equipped me with the tools and taught me to look at cases in a way only a small percentage of att orneys know how. Th e things being taught at KBC are really cutt ing edge.” Aft er graduating from KBC, Mr. Dougherty became a faculty member and soon thereaft er a Co-dean of the college. “It’s such an honor to work with this country’s truly great trial lawyers. Th e interchange of ideas and seeing how they deal with certain issues and problems is enlightening.”

Mr. Dougherty maintains the DOUGHERTY LAW FIRM, a small boutique law fi rm in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida focusing on commercial motor vehicle crashes, wrongful death and traumatic brain injury cases. By maintaining a smaller caseload, with his associate, Giancarlo Cellini, Mr. Dougherty has begun consulting with and trying cases with other att orneys in Florida and the United States.

“Last year, I had the privilege of working with a very good Miami fi rm on a diffi cult case they had coming up for trial. We were able to get justice for our client and turned the insurance company’s ridiculously low twenty-fi ve thousand ($25,000) pre-suit off er into a 2.5 million dollar verdict.”

When S. Reed Morgan, the Plaintiff ’s trial lawyer in the infamous McDonald’s “hot coff ee” case had a case in Florida a couple of years ago he reached out to Mr. Dougherty and brought him in as local counsel on the case.

“Th e bott om line is, we do this job because we genuinely want to help people and make our communities a safer place. Th e insurance industry has spent billions of dollars over the years on ad campaigns and political donations vilifying trial lawyers and convincing the general public we’re bad people who make their insurance rates go up. Th e truth of the matt er is these companies are takers and put their profi ts over people. Th e simple truth is, trial lawyers have made the cars you drive and the toys your children play with safer.”

3333 W. Commercial Blvd., Suite 115 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309PH: 954.531.1821 FX: 954.531.1823www.wetrycases.com

DOUGHERTY LAW FIRM

Tractor Trailer/Commercial Motor Vehicle, Wrongful death,

Personal injury

Adam T. Dougherty and Giancarlo R. Cellini



2 WWW.LEADERSINTHELAW.COM

South Florida’s VerdictsAll data on

Date Case Type Of Action Plaintiff ’s Counsel Award Amount

November 14, 2017C.R.R. v. Miami-Dade County School Board

a/k/a Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and Bresnniel Jansen

Sexual Assault John E. Leighton and Max N. Panoff of Leighton Law, P.A. $49,268,906

October 26, 2017

Astaphan v. Ranger Construction Industries, Inc., et al.

Construction Site Negligence -

Motor Vehicle Negligence

Stuart N. Ratzan, Stuart J. Weissman and Evan Gilead of Ratzan Law Group, P.A.; Lincoln Connolly of Lincoln J. Connolly

Trials & Appeals, P.A.

$45,005,000

October 20, 2017 Fontaine Wallace v. Phillip Morris USA INC., ET AL, Wrongful Death Gary Paige of Gordon & Doner, PA; Randy Rosenblum of Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum $36,000,000

December 15, 2017 Stephanie Ming v. Gerelco Traffi c Controls, Inc. Motor Vehicle – Hit and Run

Robert D. Sparks and Christopher D. Codling of Givens Givens Sparks, PLLC $30,185,488

December 20, 2017

Tricia Dominguez v. Florida Power & Light

Wrongful Death/Negligence

Evan Lubell and Ty Roland of Aloia, Roland, Lubell & Morgan, PLLC $23,000,000

June 1, 2018 Lisa Spearman v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd Worker/Workplace Negligence

Deborah J. Gander and Susan S. Carlson of Colson, Hicks, Edison; and Tonya Meister of Meister Law, LLLC $20,300,000

September 1, 2017 Mark Chmielewski, as court appointed gaurdian for Matt hew Martin v. Consul

Motor Vehicle Negligence

Steven Witt mer & Gregory Linehan of Witt mer Linehan, PLLC $19,233,037

February 6, 2018

Kenneth Gloger, as Personal Representative of the Estate of

Irene Gloger v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, et al.

Products Liability

Stuart N. Ratzan, Stuart J. Weissman of Ratzan Law Group, P.A.; Edward H.

Zebersky of Zebersky Payne LLP; John G. Crabtree Crabtree & Auslander

$17,500,000

November 21, 2017 Estate of Michael Mallia v. Palace Pizza Resturant Inc. and Lorenzo Martinez- Alvarado

Motor Vehicle Negligence E. Blake Paul of Peterson & Myers $17,120,000

July 28, 2017 Julian Bivins v. Brian M. O'Connell and Ashley N. Crispin of the Ciklin, Lubitz & O'Connell Contract - Breach Charles D. Bavol, Grant W. Kindrick; J. Ronald Denman of

Th e Bleakley Bavol Law Firm $16,400,000

August 31, 2017Miguel Diaz and E. Diaz, his wife v. Surgery Center

of Coral Gables, L.LC., a foreign limited Liability company d/b/a Coral Gables Surgery Center

Medical MalpracticeJohn S. Seligman, Gary A. Friedman, Zachary A. Friedman of Friedman and Friedman, P.A.; Lauri Waldman Ross of

Ross & Girten$13,000,000

July 3, 2017 Graciela Gomez-Mccallum v. Tenet Florida Physician Services, L.L.C. Medical Malpractice Stephen Cain, Gary Fox, and Michael E. Levine of Stewart

Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A. $7,919,263

July 6, 2017 Joyce Moore v. John Crane, Inc. Product Liability Marc Kunen and Jose Becerra of Ferraro Law Firm $5,100,000

October 26, 2017 Stephanie Rohm Quirantes, as Plenary Guardian of Terry Rohm v. Castle Builders of Miami, Inc. Vehicular Liability James A. Hannon of Hannon Legal Group, PA; Andrew M.

Moss; of Kutner, Rubinoff and Moss, LLP $5,078,084

August 22, 2017 Moises Ore v. Home Depot USA, Inc. Product Liability Samuel Aaron Coff ey of Coff ey Trial Law $4,700,000

October 26, 2017 Amanda Fader, an individual, v. Nicole Herrera, an individual, and Jorge Herrera, an individual Motor Vehicle Brett M. Rosen, Jocelyn Santana, Mustafa Dandashly of

Goldberg & Rosen, P.A. $4,671,499

July 30, 2017 Rene v. Pat Salmon & Sons of Florida, Inc. Motor Vehicle Negligence

Jeanmarie Whalen and Fred A. Cunningham of Domnick, Cunningham & Whalen $3,001,000

November 20, 2017 Philip Serpico and Jennifer Serpico, his wife v. Ian Concilio, M.D. and Broward Surgical Associates, Inc. Medical Malpractice Guy Millo Shir of Shir Law Group, P.A.; Judson L. Cohen

of Weinstein & Cohen, P.A. $3,000,000

February 23, 2018

Dr. Ahmad Z. Chaudhry v. Adventist Health System/ Sunbelt.,

Florida Hospital and/ or Florida Hospital Transplant Institute, et al.

Employment - Retaliation -

Whistleblower - Emotional

Distress

Stuart N. Ratzan, Stuart J. Weissman, and Evan B. Gilead of Ratzan Law Group, P.A.; Lincoln J. Connolly of Lincoln J. Connolly

Trials & Appeals, P.A.

$2,850,000

Verdicts reported from June 30, 2017 to July 1, 2018



When preparing for trial, att orney Phillip J. Sheehe—founding partner of Sheehe & Associates, P.A.—spares no expense with his time or his money. Sheehe will spend months poring over thousands of documents, interviewing scores of witnesses, and lining up experts from across the country. As the trial date approaches, Sheehe has been known to work 15 hours a day, seven days a week. “We don’t cut corners,” Sheehe says. “Our theory is that when we go into a courtroom we want to give our client the best opportunity to win, which means leaving no stone unturned.”

Sheehe is AV® Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell®—the organization’s highest rating for legal ability and professional ethics—and has handled complex litigation for more than four decades. He focuses his practice on commercial, products liability, and insurance cases that oft en require several weeks, if not months, to try. Indeed, one of Sheehe’s cases involved a six-month jury trial in Miami that resulted in a favorable outcome against a national products company.

With offi ces in Miami, Lake Mary and Pensacola, Sheehe is able to represent major corporations and individuals throughout the state of Florida. He also handles cases in federal court, and makes a point of taking on a range of cases so that he can remain skilled in multiple areas. “Being in the courtroom and fi ghting for my clients brings me a lot of pleasure,” he says. “I enjoy winning, and I’m good at it.”

Sheehe & Associates, PACommercial Litigation, Insurance Litigation

South FloridaOne Biscayne Tower, Suite 2650

2 South Biscayne BoulevardMiami, FL 33131

PH: 305.379.3515FX: 305.379.5404

Panhandle21 East Garden Street

Suite 204Pensacola, FL 32501PH: 850.438.3997

www.sheeheandassociates.com

Central Florida735 Primera Boulevard

Suite 225Lake Mary, FL 32746

PH: 407.804.9415 FX: 407.804.9419Phillip J. Sheehe

Civil Litigation & Trial Practice

For more than 27 years, Stuart Ratzan has dedicated his practice to building a safer society and giving a powerful voice to those harmed by others’ violations of common sense safety rules. His fi rm, Ratzan Law Group, regularly takes on cases against some of the country’s most powerful entities, product manufacturers, hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies. And its track record of securing signifi cant verdicts and sett lements has helped it earn a reputation as a premier law fi rm.

“Our att orneys bring extensive trial experience to their practice, which has allowed us to win successful judgments for countless clients,” notes Ratzan, who is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell and recognized as a top att orney in Th e Best Lawyers in America, Florida Super Lawyers, South Florida Legal Guide, and Florida Trend.

As part of its practice, Ratzan Law Group focuses on medical malpractice, product liability, and commercial trials. Most recently, the fi rm obtained two of

the nation’s 2017 top 100 verdicts: a $46.5 million medical malpractice verdict (the largest medical malpractice verdict in Arkansas history) for a 3-year-old child who suff ered profound brain damage due to untreated newborn jaundice, and a $45 million wrongful death verdict in a highway construction case.

Beyond its legal work, the fi rm is also active in legal and community organizations; and Stuart Ratzan has received several awards from the Florida Justice Association in recognition of his fundraising eff orts. “Our mission is to help not only our clients, but also the community where these incidents happened,” Ratzan says. “By holding wrongdoers accountable for their misconduct, our clients help enforce legal duties and adherence to safety rules—thereby preventing these misdeeds from happening to others.

Left to right: Stuart J. Weissman, Stuart N. Ratzan, Evan B. Gilead

1450 Brickell Avenue, Suite 2600, Miami, Florida 33131 | Toll Free: 855.754.5291 | PH: 305.374.6366 | FX: 305.374.6755 | www.ratzanlawgroup.com

Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Commercial Law




June 15, 2017 Oswaldo D. Rojas Perez v. Richard S. Wolfson Motor Vehicle

Gregory Ward of Th e Ward Law Group, PL; Adam T. Dougherty of Dougherty

Law Firm, P.A.$2,500,001

August 7, 2017Scott Bayliss as parent of Aaron F. Bayliss,

deceased v. Joe Delciampo, Sandra Schmitt , and William Schmitt

Wrongful Death - Police Shooting - Negligence

David S. Tadros and John J. George of Wyland and Tadros LLP $2,320,000

June 23, 2017 Samuel F. Belcher v. CSX Transportation, Inc. Worksite Liability - Personal Injury

Charles H. Baumberger and Manuel A. Reboso of Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso & Spier, P.A. $2,089,480

July 18, 2017 Rene, Marc; et al v. Pat Salmon & Sons of Florida Inc. Physical Injury Jean Marie Whalen of Slawson, Cunningham, Whalen & Gaspari $2,036,481

September 30, 2017

John Doe, as the natural father and legal gaurdian of D.O., A

Minor Child v. XYZ Inc. and ABC Organization

Products LiabilityChristopher L. Marlowe and Jason R.

Brenner of Th e Haggard Law Firm; Brandon Stein of SteinLaw, P.A.

$1,850,000

June 20, 2017 Joyce Haley v. Bethesda Memorial Hospital Medical Malpractice Karen E. Terry, Matt hew K. Schwencke and Edward V. Ricci of Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. $1,554,250

June 28, 2017 Samuel J. McRoberts v. Florida Power & Light Co. Breach of Contract - Real Estate Brokerage

L. Louis Mrachek, Alan B. Rose, and Michael W. Kranz of Mrachek Fitzgerald, Rose, Konopka, Th omas & Weiss, P.A. $1,500,000

July 10, 2017 John Kadylak and Sandy Kadylak v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Negligence David H. Pollock of Law Offi ce of David H. Pollock, LLC $1,300,000

April 3, 2018 Vito Bucario v. Th addeus J. Pryor Personal Injury Walter G. Campbell and Jesse Fulton of Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock Liberman, P.A. $1,170,781

July 17, 2017 Amanda N. Fournier v. Daniel A. Diaz, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, and Shahab Derazi

Negligence - Premises Liability Mark A. Avera and Rod Smith of Avera & Smith, LLP $1,105,547

February 1, 2018 Kim Peter Tillman v. Advanced Public Safety, Inc. and Trimble Navigation, Ltd. Employment Gerard Joseph Curley, Roger William Feicht, Juan Anthony

Nelson of Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. $1,095,000

December 7, 2017 Dyanki Inc. v. Zehnter Conversion - Breach of Fiduciary duty

John D. Boykin and Jeff rey M. Garber of Ciklin, Lubitz & O'Connell $1,050,045

August 8, 2017 Peter Bonacci v. Th e Marina at the Bluff s Condominum Association, Inc. and Fresh Start

Negligence - Premises Liability

Sean J. Greene, R. Timothy Vannatt a, Alfred R. Bell of Steinger, Iscoe & Greene $1,010,665

November 21, 2017

Dean Schopp and Jo Ann Schopp v. American Airlines, Inc.

Negligence - Personal Injury John D. McKay of Park Avenue Law LLC $1,000,000

September 25, 2017Juan L. Perez and Maria A. Posada v. Th e City of Sweetwater, Rafael Duarte, Richard Brioso, and

Armando Gonzalez Civil Rights - Negligence Carolina Corona and Ricardo Corona of

Corona Law Firm, P.A. $1,000,000

July 1, 2017 Yurquenys Fonseca v. J&E Transportation Inc. Motor Vehicle Negligence David Sampedro of Panter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A. $1,000,000

July 17, 2017 Adams v. Global Initiatives, LLC. Premises Liability Ian D. Pinkert and Ernesto L. Santos of Halpern, Santos & Pinkert, P.A. $900,000

November 29, 2017 John J. Mollica, Jr. v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Premises Liability Jordan M. Kirby and Raul E. Garcia of Rubenstein Law $894,615

May 31, 2018 Juan Jaime Cacho Abanto and Edith Pilar Cabrera, his wife v. City of Miami Beach Motor Vehicle Gary A. Friedman and Zachary A. Friedman of Friedman

& Friedman $845,650

December 7, 2017 Veda Bryant v. Philip Morris USA, Inc. Wrongful Death Richard Diaz of Law Offi ces of Richard Diaz $806,000

November 28, 2017Douglas Weber v. Rare Hospitality Management,

Inc., Longhorn Steakhouse, and Kimco Realty Corporation

Premises Liability - Negligent Adam D. Breit and Cam F. Justice of Justice Law $800,000

May 4, 2018 Jeff rey Hendricks v. Broward County, Broward County Transit Motor Vehicle Alejandro M. Garcia of Toral Garcia Batt ista; Todd L.

Baker of Steinger, Iscoe & Greene P.A. $770,425

October 20, 2017 Johnson v. Redland Market Village, Inc. Premises Liability John P. Fischer of Fisher Redavid, PLLC; Zachary D. Bodenheimer and Patricia A. Yeatt s of Goldberg & Rosen, P.A. $750,000

July 10, 2017 Mizarchi v. Image Medical Spa, LLC. and Image Medspa Medical Malpractice Joseph Dawson of Law Offi ces of Joseph R. Dawson,

P.A.; Marc G. Epstein of (now with DRG Firm) $750,000

October 13, 2017 MDLV, LLC / One Sotheby's International Realty v. Lovell MDLV LLC Breach of contract Robert C. Gilbert and Avi R. Kaufman of Koplowitz,

Ostrow, Ferguson, Weiselberg & Gilbert $744,000



Armas Bertran Pieri is a premier boutique trial law fi rm. J. Alfredo Armas is one of the state’s premier trial lawyers and has practiced in Florida for 35 years. Th e lawyers at Armas Bertran Pieri have built a reputation as fi ercely tenacious advocates for their clients without diminishing the respect to and from the judges they appear in front of.

At Armas Bertran Pieri, they are more than just trial lawyers, they are problem solvers. Th eir att orneys draw upon their extensive legal experience to come up with a plan of action that’s right for their clients. Th at’s why their clients, ranging from foreign governments and multi-million dollar corporations, to individuals and small businesses, trust them to help them solve their problems and be their advocates.

Armas Bertran Pieri handles a broad range of trial work, from complex multi-million dollar commercial litigation to wrongful death civil trials. Th eir att orneys compete daily, and on equal footing with, the largest and most prestigious law fi rms in the nation. Most of their cases are referred to them by fellow lawyers – a vote of confi dence that the fi rm is justifi ably proud of.

Th ey are rated Preeminent in the Bar Register of Preeminent Law Firms and Mr. Armas is rated AV (5 out of 5) by Martindale-Hubbell, which is the very highest designation given to lawyers by their peers. Mr Armas says “we assure our clients that each one of us is committ ed to the success of every case.”

Armas Bertran PieriTrial Lawyers. Advocates. Problem Solvers.Complex Commercial Litigation, Class Actions and Multi-District Litigation

4960 SW 72nd Ave, Suite 206

Miami, Florida 33155PH: 305.461.5100

www.armasbertran.com

Having recently celebrated the fi rm’s 27th anniversary, Diana Santa Maria and her fi rm continue to be recognized among the upper echelon of law fi rms handling plaintiff s’ personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice cases. Besides being chosen among a select group of att orneys in “Best Lawyers in America”, Diana Santa Maria and her fi rm are listed as part of the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100; she is AV rated and listed in the Martindale-Hubbell directory of preeminent att orneys. Over the past 27 years, Diana has obtained multimillion-dollar verdicts and sett lements for victims of auto, train, bus, aviation, and boating accidents, injuries and deaths on construction sites, drownings in unsafe pools and swimming venues, criminal assaults in public places resulting from inadequate security, and medical malpractice cases. Diana is also committ ed to giving back to the legal profession. She serves as a Governor for the 17th Circuit on the Florida Bar’s Board of Governors and is a recognized leader and Fellow of the Florida Justice Association, the state’s trial bar organization. A frequent author and lecturer in her fi eld, Diana has served as adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University Law School and sits on the law school’s Board of Governors. As att orneys who understand, care and help, the fi rm strives to follow its mott o of passionately pursuing justice for its clients.

Law Offi ces of Diana Santa Maria P.A.Personal Injury Attorneys

Attorneys who understand, who care, who can help.

Types of Cases Catastrophic Injury

Wrongful Death Auto Accident

Trucking AccidentsAviation, Bus & Train Accidents

Construction Site AccidentsMedical Malpractice

Nursing Home NeglectCriminal Assaults in Public Places

Products Liability

5220 South University Dr., Suite 205 CFort Lauderdale, FL 33328

PH: 954.434.1077 | FX: 954.434.4462santamarialaw.net

All Consultations Are Free. Se Habla Espanol.



South Florida’s SettlementsAll data on


August 4, 2017 In Re: Takata Airbag Product Liability Litigation Product Liability - Class Action

Aaron S. Podhurst, Peter Prieto, Stephen F. Rosenthal, John Gravante, Matt hew P.

Weinshall, and Alissa Del Riego of Podhurst Orseck, P.A.

$97,679,141

August 4, 2017 Benjamin Hankinson, et al. vs. R.T.G. Furniture Corp., d/b/a Rooms To Go, et al. Fraud Th eodore J. Leopold, Leslie M. Kroeger, and

Diana L. Martin of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll $13,500,000

June 7, 2017

Bernard J. Barlow III and Stacie Barlow, Individually and as Guardians of Jacoby

Barlow, a Minor, and Reese Barlow, a Minor v. Th e Cook Group, LLC, d/b/a Sunset Tiki

Bar & Grille; Key West Interval Management Corporation; Galleon Marina Association Inc.; Galleon at Key West, Inc.; Galleon at Key West Community Association, Inc.; and Th e Galleon

Resort Condominium Association, Inc.

Premises Liability Stuart Z. Grossman and William P. Mulligan of Grossman Roth Yaff a Cohen, P.A. $10,750,000

June 7, 2017United States of America v. Johnson Controls,

Inc., IAP World Services, Inc., and IAP Worldwide Services, Inc.

Environmental

Jeff rey H. Wood, Gabriel Allen, Lori Jonas of the U.S. Department of Justice; W. Stephen Muldrow and Lacy R. Harwell Jr. of the U.S.

Att orney’s Offi ce for the Middle District of Florida

$3,200,000

September 19, 2017

Byungwook Kim, individually, and as Personal Representative of the Estate of Jiyoon Kim v. Fury Management, Inc., a Florida corporation

for profi t, and Ralph Major, Jr., individually, and Julien Trayno, individually.

Wrongful Death Th omas B. Scolaro and Justin B. Shapiro of Leesfi eld Scolaro, P.A. $2,880,000

September 11, 2017

Tracy Copeland, Amado Parra and Archie Green, Individually and on Behalf of a Class of Persons v. Julie L. Jones, in her Offi cial Capacity

as Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections; and Corizon LLC

Civil Rights - Prisoner Medical Care

Randall C. Berg Jr., Dante P. Trevisani, and Erica A. Selig of Florida Justice Institute Inc.; Kenneth

Ralph Hartmann, Douglas Wolfe, Th omas Tucker Ronzett i, and Monica McNulty of

Kozyak Tropin & Th rockmorton

$2,100,000

June 14, 2017

Maria P. Tenner, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Eric Tenner, deceased v. Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners and

Jose G. Sequeira, individually.

Wrongful Death Christopher L. Marlowe of Th e Haggard Law Firm, P.A $1,750,000

September 5, 2017

Joanne Arnoux, individually and as mother of Beverly Pierrelouis, a minor v. First Born Again

Baptist of North Miami Inc., d/b/a Divine Academy

Premises Liability - Personal injury Robert J. Fiore of Robert J. Fiore, P.A. $1,000,000

September 6, 2017

Jerry Rankin, M.D., Octavio Tobar, M.D., Luisa Alexandra

Cuesta, M.D. and Jacobo Hincapie, M.D., individually, and

on behalf of all other current and former ship's physicians of Celebrity Cruises, Inc., similarly

situated v. Celebrity Cruises, Inc.

Employment - Compensation

Michael F. Guilford of Michael F. Guilford, P.A; Tonya Meister of

Meister Law, LLC; Elizabeth Russo of Russo Appellate Firm, P.A.

$890,000

April 3, 2018 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Coral Gables Trust Company

Age Discrimination - Employment Law

Robert E. Weisberg and Ana Consuelo Martinez of U.S. Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission$180,000

October 10, 2017 Ira Green v. City of West Palm Beach Employment Law Isidro Garcia of Garcia Law Firm, P.A. $125,000

Settlements reported from June 30, 2017 to July 1, 2018



Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito, P.A. is renowned for providing the highest caliber of legal services, expertise, and professionalism in the areas of franchisor/franchisee, manufacturer/distributor, automobile, truck and equipment dealer disputes, and complex commercial law including litigation, arbitration, and mediation throughout the United States and abroad. Based in Miami, the fi rm has earned signifi cant victories for franchisees around the world and has established legal precedents which have paved the way for courts to understand the complexities of the franchise relationship. Th e fi rm also has signifi cant experience in related areas, including real estate litigation, landlord-tenant disputes and transactional matt ers relating to franchising, real estate and corporate and partnership law. Th e fi rm’s reputation has been built upon its determined approach to resolving client matt ers with practical and eff ective solutions, and is known for its aggressive litigation style, applying a team approach to all matt ers in order to ensure that the fi rm’s resources can be devoted to each client.

One Biscayne Tower 2 S. Biscayne Blvd., 34th Floor, Miami, FL 33131

PH: 305.374.5418 | FX: 305.374.5428 [email protected] | WWW.ZARCOLAW.COM

ATTORNEYS AT LAWATTORNEYS AT LAWZ ARCO E INHORN S ALKOWSKI B RITO

Franchise & Distribution, Commercial Litigation, Business & Corporate Real Estate, Employment Law & Intellectual Property

Founding member, Michael J. Schlesinger, who is an AV-rated law-yer by Martindale Hubbell, has been practicing law for over three decades. Mr. Schlesinger is proud that many of his client referrals come from his for-mer opponents and opposing counsel. First class client service is not a goal at Schlesinger Law Group, it is a necessity! Rest assured that our clients get their questions answered and issues resolved in a timely and cost effi cient manner.

Mr. Schlesinger has handled complex will, trust and guardianship disputes with numerous published appellate decisions including the landmark confl ict of interest case, Brigham v. Brigham, 11 So. 3d 374 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009). Mr. Schlesinger has also litigated numerous brokerage commission and procuring cause cases against developers and employers wrongfully withholding payments of due compensation leading to successful results and/or sett lements. As a small fi rm, Mr. Schlesinger takes on large complex business lawsuits from inception to trial including some of which are on a contingency or mixed fee basis.

Prior to moving to Miami in 1998, Mr. Schlesinger practiced law as a business and probate litigator in New York City. Since his move to Miami, Mr. Schlesinger was a partner at two established Miami law fi rms until branching out with his own practice in 2004.

800 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1400, Miami, Florida 33131PH: 305.373.8993 | [email protected]

mjsjd.com

COMMERCIAL AND PROBATE LITIGATIONMichael J. Schlesinger

Catastrophic personal injury lawyers. Hickey Law Firm, P.A. has a trial team of 4 lawyers. Results: Lead trial att orney John H. ( Jack) Hickey in a few short years has recovered for his clients over $100 Million. History: Hickey started by defending major corporations including cruise lines and railroads. Now he represents only people with life changing injuries. Leadership: Past President of the Dade County Bar Association; Currently Board of Governors of Th e Florida Bar and Board of Directors of Florida Justice Association. Unique qualifi cations: Board Certifi ed by Th e Florida Bar in Admiralty and Maritime Law and by Th e Florida Bar and by National Board of Trial Advocacy as Trial Lawyer. Recognition by lawyers and judges: Th e Best Lawyers in America in 2 areas: Admiralty and Maritime and Personal Injury – Plaintiff s. 2-time recipient of the Dade County Bar Association Legal Luminaries Award in Admiralty and Maritime and recipient of the fi rst ever Dade County Bar Association Ervin Gonzalez Memorial Award “for outstanding accomplishments in the courtroom, in the classroom, and at the bar.”

Hickey Law Firm, P.A.Plaintiff’s Personal Injury, Cruise Ship Accidents,

Car Accidents, and Medical Malpractice

1401 Brickell Avenue, Suite 510Miami, FL 33131PH: 800.215.7117www.hickeylawfirm.com

LAST VERDICT 2018NOT GUILTYON ALL 21 COUNTS

Concentrating on federal white collar crimes and tax defense for over 35 years.

200 S. Biscayne Blvd. Miami, FL 33131(305) 371-8101 www.davidmgarvin.com

David M. Garvin



Mr. Lubell has been practicing law in the state of Florida since 1994. He has made a name for himself and his fi rm by zealously advocating for clients that have been injured or killed due to negligence. Mr. Lubell and his fi rm go toe-to-toe with huge corporations in order to secure justice for their clients. In 2017, Mr. Lubell helped to secure one of the largest verdicts in the state against Florida Power & Light for the electrocution death of a young boy.

2254 1st Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901 | PH: 239.791.7950 | FX: [email protected] | www.FloridaLegalRights.com

Electrocution Death, Premises Liability, Wrongful Death, & Personal Injury.

Evan Lubell

Mr. Roland has been practicing law in the state of Florida since 1995. His career has focused on securing justice for families and individuals that have been injured or suff ered a loss due to the negligence of large corporations. In 2017, Mr. Roland helped to secure one of the largest verdicts in Florida against Florida Power & Light for the electrocution death of a young boy.

2254 1st Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901 | PH: 239.791.7950 | FX: [email protected] | www.FloridaLegalRights.com

Electrocution Death, Premises Liability, Wrongful Death, & Personal Injury.

Ty Roland



Robert Boyers is the founding shareholder of Boyers Law Group, P.A. Mr. Boyers represents clients throughout Florida in cases involving medical malpractice, catastrophic personal injury, products liability, and wrongful death. He has been named a Top 100 Litigation Lawyer in Florida by the American Society of Legal Advocates, a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers association, and is listed in America’s Top 100 Att orneys. Mr. Boyers is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been repeatedly voted by his peers as one of Th e Best Lawyers in America in the fi elds of personal injury and medical malpractice, a Florida Super Lawyer, one of Florida Trend’s Legal Elite and a Top Lawyer in the South Florida Legal Guide. He is a past president of the Miami Dade Trial Lawyers Association.

Robert BoyersMedical Malpractice & Personal Injury

2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Penthouse 1120 Coral Gables, FL 33134 PH: 305.512.7600 [email protected] WWW.BOYERSLAW.COM

John McKay’s law practice is focused entirely on aviation. He is licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Commercial Pilot, and has served as the pilot-in-command of a variety of aircraft . He has tried cases to jury verdicts in state and federal courts for more than 25

years, and also handles complex purchase and sale transactions involving jet and turboprop aircraft . He has been involved in the successful resolution of claims arising from several of the largest airliner crashes in recent history, as well as numerous cases of in-fl ight injuries and private aircraft accidents. His hands-on experience in aviation, coupled with his experience in claims resolution, is unparalleled in the legal community. He is licensed in several states, the Province of Ontario, Canada, and in England and Wales. He has been listed in Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who in the World.

Aviation is All We Do.Transactions – Contracts – Litigation

800.391.3654 | [email protected] | fl ightadvocate.com

Licensed CA, CO, FL, ME, NY, VT, VA, WV, ON, UK

Chief Executive Officer Kevin Vermeulen

Chief Digital Officer Guy Alvarez

Chief Strategic Officer Jack Berkowitz

Sr. Account Executives Maria Rebuth, John Panzer,

& George Schwimmer

Production Manager Statia Grossman

Marketing Manager Gianna Zeppilli

Art Director Ashlee Redd

Profiles Writer Sean Stonefield

Photographer Silvia Ros

For reprints and more information, contact: [email protected] | 866.415.0304 ext. 2


Andrew Ellenberg rep-resents individuals and families who have suff ered catastrophic loss as a result of

medical negligence, defective products, auto and aviation accidents, and neglect or abuse of vulner-able adults and the elderly. Mr. Ellenberg has been included, from 2009-2019, in every edition of Th e Best Lawyers in America, is rated as ”10-Superb” by Avvo, as one of Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, and been included in every edition of Florida Super Lawyers - for his representation of plaintiff s in per-sonal injury and medical malpractice cases.

Andrew Ellenberg

Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice,Wrongful Death

NEEDLE & ELLENBERG, P.A.1401 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900, Miami, FL 33131

PH: 305.530.0000 | www.needleellenberg.com

Since 1977, Andrew Needle has distinguished himself professionally both in and out of the courtroom

as a trial lawyer, author, and lecturer. Mr. Needle’s courtroom victories include multi-million dollar verdicts in cases that have oft en pushed the outer boundaries of existing legal precedent.

Mr. Needle is a charter member of the Miami chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a trial lawyer organization dedicated to the preservation of the civil justice system.

He has been named as one of South Florida’s Top Lawyers by the “South Florida Legal Guide,” every year since its inception, and has been selected for inclusion in Th e Best Lawyers in America® every year since 2007.

Andrew Needle

Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Products Liability

NEEDLE & ELLENBERG, P.A.1401 Brickell Avenue Suite 900, Miami, FL 33131

PH: 305.530.0000 | FX: [email protected]

www.Needleellenberg.com

Resolving Complex Commercial Litigation Matt ers

Harry A. Payton is an experienced civil trial att orney who knows how to untangle even the most complex commercial litigation matt ers. A seasoned advocate with a deep personal commitment to his clients, Payton is board certifi ed in both civil trial and business litigation. He represents businesses, professional fi rms and individuals in commercial real estate, corporate, probate, professional malpractice, fi ne art and other types of civil litigation. Payton is recognized for his high standards of professionalism, including the highest “AV Preeminent” rating from Martindale-Hubbell for more than 30 years.

Harry Payton

Complex Commercial Litigation, Professional Liability, Art Law

PAYTON & ASSOCIATES, LLC2 S Biscayne Blvd Ste 2300, Miami, FL 33131

PH: 305.372.3500 [email protected] | www.Payton-Law.com

Philip Freidin is the founder of Freidin Brown, P.A., and is a well-known leader in the South Florida legal community. He has tried

cases throughout Florida for over 45 years and has obtained hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients through multi-million dollar jury verdicts and sett lements. He has tried more than 200 personal injury and wrongful death cases, and is Board Certifi ed in Civil Trials by the Florida Bar.

Freidin Brown, P.A. is a Miami-based personal injury law fi rm that represents plaintiff s who were seriously injured by the negligence or wrongdoing of others. With a century of collective courtroom experience and a vast network of resources, Freidin Brown, P.A. takes on cases involving complex issues and catastrophic injuries, particularly cases involving medical malpractice, wrongful death, and whistleblowers.

Philip FreidinMedical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Whistleblower/Qui Tam

One Biscayne Tower, 2 South Biscayne Boulevard Suite 3100, Miami, FL 33131

PH: 305.371.3666 www.YourFloridaTrialTeam.com

Th e RUSSO APPELLATE FIRM, P.A. has specialized in civil appeals and trial support since 1990. Founder Elizabeth K. Russo is board-certifi ed in appellate practice by the Florida Bar and has over 35 years’ experience handling appeals in state and federal courts throughout Florida and beyond. Partner Paulo R. Lima practiced almost 10 years with a large international fi rm in New York and Miami and two years handling appeals for a successful plaintiff s’ personal injury fi rm before joining the Russo Appellate Firm. Both are experienced handling appeals involving a diverse range of substantive legal issues on behalf of plaintiff s and defendants before all levels of trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Civil Appeals – Torts, Insurance, Commercial, and Maritime

7300 North Kendall Drive, Suite 600Miami, Florida 33156

PH: 305.666.4660 | FX: 305.666.4470

As owner and Founder of SteinLaw, Brandon Stein focuses his practice primarily on personal injury and

wrongful death. Having multiple offi ces in Miami-Dade County, SteinLaw services clients throughout Florida. While achieving the maximum compensation for their case is important, providing top quality customer service is of the utmost importance to Brandon Stein. Every client is aff orded direct access to the att orney and paralegal assigned to their case so that communication is never an issue. At SteinLaw, you are a name and not a number.

Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Car Accidents

BRANDON E. STEIN, STEINLAW, P.A.Offi ces in Miami-Dade County

PH: 786.766.8701 | www.steinlaw.com

Marco E. Rojas, is a founding partner of R&S International Law Group LLP in Miami, Florida. His practice is focused primarily in

assisting high net worth foreign clients properly structure their investments in the U.S.. Mr. Rojas has advised numerous international families with real estate, corporate, domestic and foreign trust issues. Mr. Rojas has coordinated the international estate planning with local counsel in the domestic jurisdictions of his clients to achieve a global compliant solution. Mr. Rojas has over 25 years of experience in real estate purchases and sales of residential and commercial properties.

Marco E. Rojas

Corporate, Real Estate, Trust, Estate Planning

1000 Brickell Avenue, Suite 400, Miami, FL 33131PH: 305.349.1500 | FX: 305.374.3491

[email protected] | www.rsmiami.com

CBA continues to obtain signifi cant verdicts and settlements for personal injury and medical malpractice clients who have suffered catastrophic losses.

Jay Cohen is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and is consistently recognized by Super Lawyers, Florida’s Legal Elite and The Best Lawyers in America©. Twice, he was a Finalist in the DBR Most Effective Trial Lawyer in the Medical Malpractice category. He is the recipient of America’s Top 100 Attorneys® Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Broward County Bar Association’s Professionalism Award, and was an elected member of The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors for nine years.

Fort Lauderdale and Orlando Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Complex Commercial Litigation

One Financial Plaza, Suite 1100100 Southeast Th ird AvenueFort Lauderdale, FL 33394PH: 954.449.8700

121 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 1500

Orlando, FL 32801PH: 407.675.3590

JayCohenLaw.com | Abogados. JayCohenLaw.com

Lance Harke dedicates his practice to class actions and

complex commercial litigation. He has served as counsel on many multi-district cases representing plaintiff s in mass torts and class actions and has been appointed co-lead counsel in more than thirty of the largest sett lements on behalf of borrowers against banks over their forced-placed insurance practices, including actions that have led to regulatory changes in the forced-placed insurance industry nationwide. He has served as President of Legal Services of Greater Miami and for the Greater Miami Shores Chamber of Commerce.

LANCE HARKE, Founding Partner

Class Actions, Commercial Ligation, Civil Litigation, Business Torts

9699 NE Second Avenue, Miami Shores, FL 33138PH: 305.536.8220 | FX: 305.536.8229

www.harkelaw.com

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SOUTH FLORIDA’S · or medical malpractice, real estate or family law or in numerous other practice areas, these lawyers are available and ... company’s ridiculously low twenty-fi