I was born in New York and lived there until my parents lost everything in the winter of 79-80 and moved us to Florida. We first lived in a campground in South Florida. Working our way back from a tent to an RV, to a townhouse was a character-building experience for our whole family. I am proud of those humble beginnings, and they steeled in me a mantra to never take things for granted and that with hard work anything is possible. I grew up for the most part in Ponce Inlet, Florida surfing and playing sports. I attended the University of Florida, obtaining my BSBA in Finance and Juris Doctorate degrees with honors. I went to law school to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. Along the way, I took Trial Practice and fell in love with the Courtroom and being a trial lawyer. I worked as an insurance defense attorney for over 7 years, defending car crash cases, medical malpractice cases, insurance claims, etc. In 2001, I switched sides and started my own firm representing those injured and killed at the hands of others. My crusade into trucking and CMV crash cases started in 2008 when I signed up my first real trucking case. I represented the family of a beautiful 19-year-old girl killed by a tractor pulling double trailers down a little county road in Florida. The truck driver was illegally driving the county roads between Jacksonville and Tampa, but logging the miles like he drove I-95 to I-4, so he could run one more trip without being over hours in his logbook, even though he clearly was. What was worse, the local terminal managers for the over 5,000-unit national motor carrier were training its drivers to do this! I dove into the applicable regulations and laws, I was relentless in written discovery and depositions, and consulted the pioneer trucking attorneys like Joe Fried. At the conclusion of that case, we were able to: 1) tell the family exactly what happened and why; 2) obtain a substantial recovery for her family; 3) educate the trucking company of the improper training and company sanctioned hours of service violations; and 4) get the large national motor carrier to agree to never drive tractors pulling double trailers on the county roads of Florida again. I was hooked. The greatest reward in handling trucking cases is when you can get safety measures changed or improved and knowing that there are potential clients you will never meet because you prevented future crashes and saved their lives. Since that case, I decided to jettison all other types of PI cases and for the last 8 years have handled almost exclusively tractor trailer, bus, and commercial motor vehicle crash cases. I was among the initial class of 9 lawyers that achieved NBTA board certification in Truck Accident Law. I am also Board Certified in Civil Trial by the Florida Bar and the NBTA. I have been in leadership in many of the national trial lawyer leadership organizations that deal with these cases. I am a past president of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, past chair of the AAJ Bus Litigation Group, Chair-Elect of the AAJ Interstate Truck Litigation Group, Co-Chair of the Florida Justice Association Truck Litigation Group, and remain on the board of the National Board of Trucking Trial Advocates and the Board of Regents for the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. My passion is pursuing justice for these families and helping other great trial lawyers do the same. Whether through being active on listserv, sharing forms, depositions and documents, teaching at various programs, or helping strategize via zoom or a telephone call. When I am not working, I am hanging out with my wife and daughters, coaching soccer, when I can surfing or playing golf.
Breakfast
7:30am - 9:30am
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Blair Warner · Chin Pandya Beer or Wine? Impact of PE on the Legal IndustryCoffee & Snacks
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Kurt ZanerVoir Dire in 30 Minutes or LessCoffee & Snacks
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Ted Wacker · Doug Wacker Gig Delivery Companies – What They Aren’t Doing: Background Checks & Permits After Proposition 22Lunch
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Dan Ambrose · Przemek Lubecki Rapport Voir Dire, The First 5 MinutesCoffee & Snacks
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Jason WaechterMotorcycles 101: Handling Your First Motorcycle Injury Case with ConfidenceCoffee & Snacks
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Jerry BowmanBefore the Evidence Dies: the First 30 Days of PI Investigation Breakfast
7:30am - 9:30am
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George MoschopoulosAsking for Real Money in Employment Cases: Putting a Number on DignityCoffee & Snacks
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Brian PanishMaximizing the Value of AmputationsCoffee & Snacks
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Corey SudaHandling and Trying Your First Trucking CaseLunch
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Al Foeckler · Dan Ambrose Black Hat Justice Witness Preparation and Direct Examination LectureCoffee & Snacks
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Kimball Jones9-Figure Framing: Creativity on Every CrossCoffee & Snacks
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Dirk DerrickLearning and Leveraging Truth for Your Clients, Your Reputation, and Your Bottom LineBreakfast
7:30am - 9:30am
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Sach Oliver · Joe Fried Connecting with Witnesses Thru Uncommon and Crazy TacticsCoffee & Snacks
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Jay Vaughn · Ed Ciarimboli Locking in Killer Testimony with Visuals (4 Different Cases)Coffee & Snacks
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Robyn Wishart · Phillip Miller “The Art of the Ask: Rhetorical Questions That Frame and Clean Questions That Unlock”Lunch
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Corey Suda · Jay Vaughn Deposition Questions and Demonstratives Proving the Invisible InjuryCoffee & Snacks
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Joe Camerlengo · Ed Ciarimboli “Using Your Deposition to Establish Control to Counter the Independent Contractor Defense”Coffee & Snacks
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Carl Solomon · Phillip Miller “AI-Driven Prep, Strategy, and Execution – The Next Level of Depositions”Breakfast
7:30am - 9:30am
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Dan AmbrosePresentation Skills, Bring Your Case to LifeCoffee & Snacks
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Taylor AsenNegotiating Fast and Slow: Maximizing Case Value Without Leaving Money on the TableCoffee & Snacks
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Jennifer Russell · Arya Tahmassebi Same Facts, Different Verdict: The Power of FramingLunch
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Evan OshanHow I Got Past Government Immunity and Obtained a $30.5 Million Verdict with Non-Economic DamagesCoffee & Snacks
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Sagi ShakedCommon Excuses/Defenses in Auto casesCoffee & Snacks
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Michael Karp · Robert Welcenbach Winning Systems for Trial