Our Expertise

You see it every time you drive down the highway, open the yellow pages, or cruise the internet: many lawyers today like to proclaim that they are “personal injury” attorneys. With so many firms and attorneys claiming special skill in this area, you should be discerning — and be sure to ask for credentials. You want a law firm that is experienced in both the law and the courtroom, as well as recognized and honored in the field for its excellence and expertise. You will find few law firms with more recognition and years of experience in personal injury, professional liability, and maritime cases than Wagner McLaughlin.

For nearly fifty years, Wagner McLaughlin has fought on the side of injured plaintiffs, and only on the side of plaintiffs. Unlike many other law firms who claim personal injury experience, plaintiffs’ personal injury work is not part of what we do. It is exclusively what we do. With many decades of experience in this area, our lawyers have represented literally thousands of individuals and consumers throughout Florida who have been injured or killed through the negligence or wantonness of others or been a victim of their attorney’s legal malpractice in Florida. We have built a nationwide reputation for speaking up for the injured, and our passion to do so continues to burn bright with each and every new day.

Our lawyers have what it takes to be your voice in the courtroom. Four of our firm’s partners have been recognized as civil trial advocates by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (www.nblsc.us/), and five have been or are board-certified as civil trial lawyers by The Florida Bar, the highest level of evaluation by the Bar of a lawyer’s competency and experience within an area of the law. Board certification is an accomplishment achieved by fewer than two percent of all attorneys in Florida (see Consumer Services at www.flabar.org) and is one of the best reflections of the firm’s skill, specialization, and expertise.

The firm’s four most senior members have also earned election to the American College of Trial Lawyers (www.ACTL.com), an honor offered to fewer than one percent of the nation’s lawyers. The College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada and is widely considered to be the premier professional trial organization in America. Two of the firm’s attorneys are also invited members of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (www.IATL.net), an honor reserved for only a limited number of trial attorneys.

Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore attorneys have held important leadership positions in local, state, and national professional organizations — yet another reflection of their stellar reputation among their peers. Among these distinctions have been the presidencies of both the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (www.ATLA.org; also known as the American Association for Justice, at www.justice.org) and the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (now named the Florida Justice Association, at www.floridajustice association.org), as well as chairmanships of The Florida Bar’s and ATLA’s Admiralty and Maritime Law Sections.

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.

Isn’t this the team you want on your side?