Best Lawyers Near You in West Palm Beach, Florida for Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
JUAN C. DIAZ AVIL A has devoted his legal career to the litigation of personal injury, premises liability, wrongful death, negligent security and products liability claims, representing his clients in both state and federal courts from inception of the case through trial. As a native Spanish speaker, he is especially well equipped to understand and serve the needs of the Latino community. Before joining Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart, & Shipley, P.A. Mr. Diaz Avila worked with the larg...
Giving Back... That is the personal mantra of Bill Bone and it’s what guides him in every aspect of his life, including his passion for cycling his service as a volunteer leader in the community and his accomplishments as one of Florida’s best known and most successful trial lawyers. In his three decades of legal practice, Bill Bone has earned a well-deserved reputation as a staunch, courageous, and powerful advocate for those in need of a car accident lawyer or having been affect...
DAVID P. VITALE JR. is an experienced trial attorney who has litigated cases throughout the state of Florida. Mr. Vitale has been nationally recognized for his achievements by Best Lawyers in America (Ones to Watch) and The National Trial Lawyers (Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Attorney – Florida). He has also been recognized by his local peers as a Palm Beach Illustrated Top Lawyer and a Jupiter Magazine Top Lawyer. In addition to pursing personal injury, wrongful death, and medical m...
CHRISTOPHER K. SPEED joined the firm as a Shareholder in 1994 after representing plaintiffs in Virginia for 20 years. He has spent his entire career pursuing justice for victims of personal injury, medical and legal negligence, aviation accidents and defective products. Mr. Speed is also a founding member of the Northern Virginia Plaintiff’s Bar Association, an organization of plaintiff lawyers dedicated to improving the ability of victims to pursue justice for their injuries. He often ...
Attorney Chris Larmoyeux is a partner with the personal injury law firm of Larmoyeux & Bone, P.L. Prior to forming Larmoyeux & Bone, Mr. Larmoyeux was a partner with the firm of Montgomery & Larmoyeux. Before that, he was a partner with the firm of Montgomery, Searcy & Denney from 1985 to 1989, and a partner with Montgomery, Lytal, Reiter, Denney & Searcy, P.A., in West Palm Beach, Florida from 1983 – 1985, where he began his legal career in 1979. Mr. Larmoyeux gradu...
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. ...
ANDREA A. LEWIS is an experienced trial lawyer who has dedicated her life to fighting for victims who have been injured, abused, or killed by the negligence and wrongdoing of others. She has successfully conducted over 80 jury trials and handled many high-profile cases. Due to her experience, Ms. Lewis has been quoted in numerous national publications and her cases have been covered by media outlets across the country, including USAToday, FoxNews and CNN. Ms. Lewis has a lengthy track record ...
JACK P. HILL played football at Yale University, earned all-Ivy and all-American academic honors, and served as a felony prosecutor in the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s office before joining Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. A native of Palm Beach County who attended the Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, Mr. Hill handled dozens of jury trials as an Assistant State Attorney, prosecuting crimes ranging from DUI to first degree felonies punishable by life in prison...
Ryan Fogg is a distinguished medical malpractice lawyer renowned for his expertise in advocating for patients’ rights and seeking justice for individuals harmed by medical negligence. A seasoned attorney with years of experience in medical malpractice litigation and personal injury lawsuits, Ryan’s practice focuses on providing comprehensive legal counsel to people who have suffered catastrophic injuries ranging from birth-related neurological trauma to sexual assaults. Throughout...
DONALD J. WARD III is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he earned his degree cum laude. At age 26, in his first jury trial, Mr. Ward obtained a verdict of $824,200, which was more than thirteen times what the defendant had offered to settle the case. Since joining Searcy Denney, he has recovered in excess of $100 million on behalf of his clients. He currently serves as President of the Palm Beach County Justice Association, a countywid...
Born and raised in a small town in Northeast Ohio, Pete learned from an early age that hard work pays off. Never the most intelligent student or the most gifted athlete, he excelled at both because he worked harder than everyone else. His beautiful and talented Wife is a fellow trial lawyer. Together, they have 3 children and 2 Beagles. Pete attended the University of Dayton where he received his Bachelors degree in Marketing. He later moved to Florida shortly after graduation and worked a co...
EDWARD V. RICCI was born and raised in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He is a graduate of The Benjamin School (1997), Georgetown College (2001), and Georgetown University Law Center (2006). Since joining the firm in 2008, Mr. Ricci has successfully tried numerous personal injury and wrongful death cases to verdict and obtained significant settlements on behalf of his clients. He has advocated for his clients in complicated cases involving product defects, medical malpractice, automobile neglige...
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...
GAETANO “GUY” MURPHY is a Jupiter, Florida native who joined Searcy Denney in 2021. He focuses on representing victims and their families in medical negligence, motor vehicle accident, wrongful death, sexual assault and battery, and premises and product liability cases. Previously, Mr. Murphy worked with the West Palm Beach plaintiff’s law firm of Babbitt and Johnson, P.A., where he helped hundreds of clients seek justice in medical malpractice, vehicle accident and other pe...
F. Stephanie Barnhart is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. F. Stephanie, who practices law in West Palm Beach, Florida, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which F. Stephanie is held by other top lawyers in the same geographi...
JORDAN A. DULCIE has successfully secured over $50 million in settlements and trial verdicts for his clients throughout his career. Most recently, in 2024, he obtained a $5.1 million medical malpractice verdict. Mr. Dulcie began his legal career defending hospitals and medical providers before transitioning to represent victims of medical negligence. His practice areas encompass not only medical malpractice but also automotive accidents, product liability, and nursing home and assisted living...
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.