Best Lawyers in Florida, United States for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
Select a city from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Cities
JOHN (JACK) SCAROLA graduated with honors from Georgetown University in 1969 and from Georgetown Law Center in 1973. Before joining the firm in 1978, he was Chief Felony Prosecutor in the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s office, where he was lead counsel in the trials of more than 50 major criminal cases, including the nation’s first gavel-to-gavel televised murder trial. Mr. Scarola is Board Certified in both Civil Trial Practice and Commercial & Business Litigation. While ...
Mike Papantonio is a senior partner with the law firm of Levin Papantonio. He has received numerous multi-million dollar verdicts on behalf of victims of corporate malfeasance. His award-winning work handling thousands of mass tort cases throughout the nation has helped make Levin Papantonio one of the largest plaintiff law firms in the country. Mr. Papantonio is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a fellow in the Internation...
Laurie J. Briggs is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs. Laurie J. practices law in West Palm Beach, Florida Best Lawyers has recognized Laurie J. Briggs since 2025. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Laurie J. Briggs is held by other lawyers.
Victor M. Diaz Jr. is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Construction, Litigation - Real Estate, Litigation - Securities, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Victor M. practices law in Miami Beach, Florida Best Lawyers has recognized Victor M. Diaz Jr. since 2006. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and lega...
BRENDA S. FULMER is a Partner and Shareholder with the law firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., one of the largest personal injury law firms in Florida. She also serves on the firm’s executive committee and leads the firm’s dedicated mass tort unit, which focuses on complex litigation for defective drugs, medical devices, and consumer products. For the past 26 years, Ms. Fulmer’s practice has focused on the areas of pharmaceutical and medical device ma...
JAMES W. GUSTAFSON JR . is a Shareholder with Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., a member of the firm’s executive committee, and the managing partner of the firm’s Tallahassee office. He is a sixth generation Florida native who served with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and studied at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, before becoming a trial lawyer. Mr. Gustafson is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a worldwide organization limited to ju...
Attorney John Uustal is a founding partner at the Fort Lauderdale law firm, Kelley/Uustal. John specializes in protecting the rights of catastrophically injured victims. Mr. Uustal holds an impressive record of success, including many multi-million dollar verdicts and a $51 million car accident verdict—one of the largest verdicts ever awarded for an individual. As a result of his continued success, Mr. Uustal has been named one of the Best lawyers in America and has been included in mul...
KAREN E. TERRY is a Shareholder at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. in West Palm Beach and has been with the firm for 25 years. Recently, Ms. Terry became Florida Bar Board Certified in civil trial law as well as in health care and medical malpractice, which are the highest honors one can achieve. For the last 10 years in a row, she has been named as one of The Best Lawyers in America. Recently honored as one of the top-rated lawyers in health care in the United States, Ms. ...
Steve Maher received his law degree from the University of Southern California. For more than 30 years, he has handled thousands of personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, dangerous drugs and medical devices, patent infringement, automobile negligence, antitrust, and class action lawsuits, helping countless individuals achieve justice after being wronged. Attorney Maher's commitment to success is evident in everything he does. In recognition of his outstanding advocacy and count...
JOSEPH JOHNSON is a Florida Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer with extensive experience litigating difficult and complex cases. Over the last 38 years, he has represented victims and their families in a wide range of personal injury cases, including medical malpractice, products liability, consumer protection, defective medical devices and automobile and trucking accidents. Mr. Johnson is a third generation lawyer who has been recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer since 2006. He has been sele...
William “Bill” R. Scherer cofounded the firm in 1974 with his late partner Rex Conrad. Over the past five decades, Mr. Scherer has grown Conrad & Scherer into one of Florida’s leading law firms and has expanded the firm’s presence with offices in New York, New York, Brevard, North Carolina, and Quito, Ecuador. AV® Preeminent™ Peer Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® since 1987, Mr. Scherer is a seasoned trial attorney. He has litigated over 100 trials in bot...
Sumner H. Lipman is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs and Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs. Sumner H. practices law in Bonita Springs, Florida Best Lawyers has recognized Sumner H. Lipman since 2008. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Sumner H. Lipman is held by ot...
Peter Mougey is a shareholder and the Chair of Levin Papantonio’s Securities and Business Litigation department. He concentrates his practice in the areas of complex litigation, financial services, and securities litigation, and whistleblower or qui tam litigation. Mr. Mougey has been recognized as one of Florida’s top 100 trial lawyers and a Florida Super Lawyer and has dedicated his career to championing individuals’ rights against the world’s largest companies. His ...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
