Roger Vaughan

Born in Washington, D.C., Roger Vaughan graduated in 1956 from the Merchant Marine Academy, where he earned his Deck Officer license. He then went on to earn his law degree from George Washington University College of Law and was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1964.

Roger began practicing with one of Tampa's most respected law firms in 1963, later joining an internationally renowned personal injury firm in Miami. In 1967, he helped found the law firm now called Wagner, Vaughan & McLaughlin.

While Roger Vaughan can point to many symbols of his achievement, he is most honored to have been designated as Lead Counsel by the U.S. District Courts in the Yarmouth Castle disaster, where a fire ripped through a cruise ship, causing 90 deaths, and again as Lead Counsel in the Summit Venture/Skyway Bridge disaster, when the ship struck the Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida, killing 35 people.

With his early merchant-marine experience figuring prominently in his legal career, Roger is recognized as an expert in maritime/admiralty law. He has served as the Chairman of the Admiralty Section of The Florida Bar and the Admiralty Section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; as a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States and the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute; and as a member of the Superintendent's Council of his Alma Mater, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point.

Roger has been included in The Best Lawyers in America, in both the “Personal Injury and Wrongful Death” and “Maritime/Admiralty” sections.