Congratulations to The Haggard Law Firm‘s Todd Michael for his recent reelection to the Florida Justice Association Executive Committee. The vote was cast during the FJA’s annual convention which is currently underway in St. Pete Beach. This will be Michaels 3rd term on the Committee.
Each Haggard Law Firm attorney was named to the 2017 Super Lawyer list.
“Andy” Haggard, Michael Haggard, Douglas McCarron, Todd Michaels and Christopher Marlowe were named Super Lawyers in the Personal Injury General: Plaintiff category. Attorney James Blecke was recognized in the Appellate category. While, attorneys Pedro Echarte and Jason Brenner were selected as 2017 Super Lawyers Rising Stars in the Personal Injury General: Plaintiff category.
This distinction is an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice. Only 5% of attorneys in Florida receive this recognition and only 2.5% are named Rising Stars. Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase selection process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with independent research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis.
To learn more about each Haggard Law Attorney, visit our bio page here
Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start, nationally, to the summer swim season. The Haggard Law Firm is committed to sharing any and all information we can to help keep everyone safe in and around bodies of water.
A new report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows the number of reported fatal child drownings in swimming pools involving children younger than 5—the most vulnerable population—has decreased 17 percent nationwide since 2010. Despite the decrease, fatal and non-fatal child drownings in pools and spas continue to pose a public health challenge across the United States.
Drowning remains the number 1 cause of death among children under the age of 5 in Florida. Parents and caregivers are reminded to follow
May is National Swim Safety Month. The Haggard Law Firm wants to take this opportunity to share swimming safety tips, including those we have unfortunately have become experts on because of catastrophic injury cases we have litigated over the years. One example is the 2001 case of Loren Hinton. A 2-year old that suffered a significant brain injury when she fell into a residential complex pool after pushing over a broken safety gate.
This video details that case and includes safety factors to consider to make sure a tragedy like this does not happen again.
Today’s issue of the Daily Business Review includes a Board of Contributors article authored by The Haggard law Firm‘s Jason Brenner. The article, Understanding Your Client: Survivors and the Catastrophically Injured, discusses the challenges to successfully representing and emotionally supporting during the civil litigation process the tragically injured or loved ones of someone who has died.
Tomorrow the Haggard Law Firm will host a Premises Liability Seminar. As of this post, there are only 5 seats remaining.
This interactive and highly demonstrative FREE half-day legal seminar will show attorneys the latest trends and cutting edge strategies involved in litigating various premises liability cases. Case genres will include negligent security, drowning and entrapment and road construction accidents. Attendees will also hear from a leading Jury Consultant on Jury Selection.
This is a CLE Credit Seminar. Please RSVP with Susie Acosta, sacosta@haggadlawfirm.com or call 305.446.5700
The agenda has been released for the April 27th Premises Liability Seminar hosted by The Haggard Law Firm.
This interactive and highly demonstrative FREE half-day legal seminar will show attorneys the latest trends and cutting edge strategies involved in litigating various premises liability cases. Case
genres will include negligent security, drowning and entrapment and road construction accidents. Attendees will also hear from a leading Jury Consultant on Jury Selection.
This is a CLE Credit Seminar. Space is limited. Please RSVP with Susie Acosta, sacosta@haggadlawfirm.com or call 305.446.5700
The background check. Examinations of our past seem so common in every corner of our lives, that on that rare occasion where we are not asked to verify our personal information or consent to an examination of it, the transaction seems either charmingly quaint or mildly suspicious. Our criminal history, finances, family relations, utilities, medical history, schooling or employment, to name a few, are routinely brought forth and scrutinized (or verified) as a necessary part of routine personal and business operations.
The ubiquity of the background check has fomented a public expectation that virtually every person we encounter has been screened for one thing or another. Certainly, the priest or teacher is screened for child or sexual related offenses. The Uber driver has been thoroughly vetted for traffic offenses. The apartment manager’s personal finances are in order, such that the proper handling of rents is not in jeopardy.
These expectations, however reasonable, are not subject to uniform regulation and even more rarely are they mandated by law. The inconsistent handling of sex offender regulations helps highlight our misperception of the efficacy and regularity of background checks. Society considers itself tough on sex offenders, and lawmakers fashion themselves as protectors of the children and those most vulnerable. Florida Statute 948.30 is a good example. If a sex crime victim was under the age of 18, the offender cannot work for pay “or as a volunteer at any place where children regularly congregate, including, but not limited to, schools, child care facilities, parks, playgrounds, pet stores, libraries, zoos, theme parks, and malls.”
The Haggard Law Firm’s Managing Partner Michael Haggard will be a presenter during the 29th Annual Southern Trial Lawyers Association Conference next month.