Helping people with their injury claims, insurance claims, and legal claims for 30 years. Free consultation. No recovery no fee or costs for most cases.
My father and mother taught me to always treat people the way you would want them you treat you. To put yourself in the other person’s shoes to understand the way they see things. To try to do your best at everything you do. To make as many friends as you can, because you never have too many.
My first job after law school was with the Public Defender’s office in Sanford and then in Orlando. I was in court every week the five years I was an assistant Public Defender. Some of the best trial lawyers get their start as assistant Public Defenders. You learn trial skills, effective communicating, and you develop your reputation in the legal community. The downside is as you become better and better as a Public Defender, you are called upon to represent those accused of more serious and heinous crimes.
As a Public Defender I was in the courthouse with an hour break between hearings and I went into a courtroom across the hall where a trial was taking place. When I walked in I saw a young woman walking with a limp and with cane to the witness box. I learned she had been injured in a car crash. I watched the insurance company’s lawyer cross-examining her. In criminal court, I had never seen a victim being treated so poorly by a lawyer. I watched as long as I could until I had to return to the courtroom across the hall for my scheduled hearing. When that was finished I went back to watch more of the injured woman’s trial.
I watched as the insurance lawyer called a doctor hired by the insurance company to testify that in his opinion the injured woman was exaggerating her symptoms. I then watched the injured woman’s attorney cross-examine that doctor and expose him as a hired gun who made his living testifying for insurance companies. I knew at that point I wanted to spend my legal career representing injured accident victims.
A month or so later, I started with the Jacobs & Goodman law firm, in January, 1982. At that time, I was the only attorney in the firm other than Harry Jacobs and Lauren Goodman. The firm focused on injury law and was the first to advertise in Central Florida offering free consultations and no attorney fees unless the client obtained a recovery. The firm soon grew to be the largest law firm in the county and I was the chief trial attorney.
At Jacobs & Goodman I learned injury law and insurance law. I learned more anatomy and medicine related to injuries than I ever imagined I would know. For every client’s injuries I needed to know everything I could about the client and their injuries. I read medical texts and journals to try to become an expert on the nature of my client’s injuries and how those injuries would affect their everyday life and their future. I studied what happens to our bodies when we are in a car collision—what experts call “the mechanism of the injury.”
As I began representing clients with injury claims I also needed to become an expert on Florida insurance law, because almost all injury claims are brought against the insurance company for whoever caused my client’s injuries. I learned how insurance companies deny claims and the arguments they use to try and minimize an accident victim’s claim. I made it my goal to become an expert in this area of the law so I can best represent my clients against insurance companies. I have now being handling injury claims and wrongful death claims for over 30 years and believe I have an excellent reputation in the legal community. Many of my cases are referrals from other attorneys, from doctors, and I’ve even had local judges refer clients to me.
Word of mouth is the best advertising. Clients who are thrilled with the results in their cases are every attorney’s best advertising. My goal has been to represent every client the way I would want to be treated. To put myself in my client’s shoes. To do the best I can for each client.
After three decades with Jacobs & Goodman, I started my own law firm in 2015. I wanted to provide more personal service to each client. Each client has my cell phone number. I want each client to call me whenever they have a problem or a question, even if it’s after hours or on the weekend. My goal is to help. I am fortunate to have former clients as friends who still call me after their cases are over whenever they need legal advice. As my parents taught me, You can never have too many friends.
