For years, downtown
Tampa knew when a Wagner, Vaughan & McLaughlin client had won a substantial
verdict. We signaled the occasion with a train whistle, mounted atop our
three-story office building. While the whistle was removed during a renovation,
our enthusiasm for client victories remains strong.
When Bill Wagner and Roger Vaughan opened the firm in 1967, the modest
storefront at 412 Pierce Street gave little hint of its rich heritage.
Both partners had practiced with a law firm in Miami headed by the legendary
Perry Nichols, the pioneer of personal injury law and the first attorney
to win a $100,000 verdict in Florida. The legal legacy and brotherhood
of the Perry Nichols firm has helped to produce virtually all of the state's
most widely-known personal injury trial attorneys, including presidents
of the American Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America
and the Florida Bar, as well as federal and state judges and the first
attorneys in the state to win a million dollar verdict.
In search of additional space, the partners soon bought a nearby boarding
house and a two-story building that had seen earlier service as a bicycle
manufacturing plant, gas station and plumbing parts store. The boarding
house site now serves as the firm's parking lot, and the building -- renovated
in 1976 -- remains as the downtown office. Growth of the firm led to the
opening of a second office on Bayshore Boulevard in 1992 with both offices
equal in the number and strength of attorneys and staff.
Wagner, Vaughan & McLaughlin has had many legal landmarks over the
years. Among them was a $4 million wrongful death verdict in 1976, the
largest ever awarded in Tampa at the time. In another case, we represented
an injured seaman against a Greek ship owner and succeeded in establishing
that a foreign owner could be sued in local court. And in still another,
we were able to overcome a statutory limitation on judgments against state
agencies through a Special Claims Bill passed by the Florida State Legislature.
Wagner, Vaughan & McLaughlin's commitment to legal principles goes
far beyond the courtroom. For example, we helped underwrite a 1984 campaign
to fight limitations on awards for injured persons' pain and suffering.
Also in 1984, we helped bring one of just three remaining copies of the
Magna Carta from England to Tampa for public display at the Tampa Museum
of Art.
Personal Injury Claim | Nursing
Home/ALF Neglect or Abuse | Wrongful Death Claim
Medical Malpractice Causing Personal Injury | Medical
Malpractice Causing Death | Legal
Malpractice Claims | Boating and
Cruise Line Claims
Founded
in 1967
Practiced focused on plaintiff's personal injury and wrongful death claims
in state and federal courts
Each of the name partners has tried cases resulting in multimillion dollar
verdicts
The firm has earned an "AV" Rating, a designation of very high
to preeminent. This rating is the highest available from the Martindale-Hubbell
Law Directory
A full staff of experienced and dedicated support personnel, including
legal assistants, paralegals and independent investigators
Full scope of services, including investigation, mediation, arbitration,
settlement, trial, negotiation and appeal
Two Tampa offices, located at 708 East Jackson Street and 601 Bayshore
Boulevard
