Personal Injury

What is “Personal Injury”?

The field of personal injury involves many types of accidents and injuries. The one thing they all have in common is that someone is injured because of the acts or negligence of another, whether it is a person, businesses or product. When the injury occurs through the fault of another, the person injured may be entitled to monetary compensation. Leighton Panoff Law provides strong, aggressive counseling and representation to personal injury clients. Founding partner John Elliott Leighton is a board certified civil trial specialist who has spent over 38 years working for victims of negligence in personal injury matters.

Only through skillful lawyering and a strong courtroom presence can you obtain fair compensation for personal injury damages. We are available for a free consultation by contacting our office or calling us at (888) 395-0001.

There are a lot of lawyers who hold themselves out as “personal injury attorneys.”  Before choosing a lawyer…

• Find out if the lawyer you are considering is board certified. Board certification is the highest formal level of achievement for a lawyer, and most “personal injury” lawyers are not board certified.

• Find out if he or she holds an “AV” rating with Martindale-Hubbell and a 10.0/10 (“Superb”) rating with AVVO.com.

• Determine whether the lawyer has tried (not just “handled”) a substantial number of serious personal injury cases to verdict throughout Florida and the country.

• Is the lawyer you are considering listed in The Best Lawyers in America?

• Has he or she lectured to other personal injury attorneys and taught trial skills to other trial lawyers?

• Has the lawyer published articles or books in the field?

• Is the lawyer considered preeminent or elite in his or her field?

These are important questions you need to have answered before you select a personal injury attorney.

Click here to speak with an attorney. We’re here to offer you the support you and your family need.

John Elliott Leighton has obtained many verdicts and settlements on behalf of catastrophically injured clients for over 38 years. Considered one of the best personal injury trial lawyers in Florida, Mr. Leighton served as Chairman of The Academy of Trial Advocacy, a national invitation-only association of the nation’s leading catastrophic injury trial lawyers. The Academy’s purpose is to bring together the nation’s top, ethical trial lawyers to share ideas, cutting edge strategies, and improve their skills as attorneys for the most seriously injured people.  He recently completed a two-year term as President of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, the nation’s only trial bar for lawyers who represent crime victims and survivors of sexual abuse.  He is a national expert in the field and is the author of the leading textbook on negligent security and sexual assault, Litigating Premises Security Cases (2 volumes, Thomson-Reuters, 2006, updated annually).  Mr. Leighton also chairs the Negligent Security Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice and is a frequent national lecturer.

He has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America continuously since 2008 in the areas of Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice and Product Liability. He has also been invited into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and International Society of Barristers, invitation-only associations which are comprised of accomplished trial lawyers from both the plaintiff and defense bars. He was re-elected twice to the Executive Committee of the National College of Advocacy Board of Trustees, which provides advanced legal education for the nation’s trial lawyers. He is the past Chairman of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America’s Motor Vehicle and Highway Section.

Max N. Panoff has recovered millions of dollars in serious injury and death cases.  He has been selected for Florida SuperLawyers and “Top 40 Under 40” by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as Top Lawyers in the South Florida Legal Guide. Mr. Panoff has been recognized as being top in his field by Florida SuperLawyers and he holds a leadership position in the National Crime Victim Bar Association.  He is a member of the national College of Advocacy Board of Trustees, which develops the trial colleges, seminars and conventions for the American Association for Justice, and is a frequent instructor at trial skills colleges.

It is important to remember that all cases are subject to statutes of limitation. That is the deadline for bringing a case against the party you think is responsible for your injuries. Only by consulting with an experienced personal injury attorney can you determine which statute of limitations applies, when the case must be filed, and where it will need to be filed.

Types of Personal Injury Cases

“Personal injury cases” covers many kinds of injuries. By looking over the Leighton Panoff Law web site, you can get a better idea of the types of cases we handle and what types of cases result in personal injury. Some examples of personal injury attorney cases include: Wrongful Death, Catastrophic Injuries, Spinal Cord Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Car and Truck Crashes, Motorcycle Accidents, Scooter & Moped Accidents, ATV Accidents, Bicycle Accidents, Aviation and Plane Crash Disasters, Commercial Litigation, Resort Torts (resort injuries), Hotel and Motel Accidents, Cruise Ship injuries, Negligent Security, Sexual Abuse and Assault, Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect, Automobile Defects, Surgical Negligence, Medical Malpractice, Hospital Negligence, Legal Malpractice and Defective Products.

Our firm has substantial experience in handling these cases. We regularly and exclusively represent personal injury clients. We have decades of experience in battling insurance companies, large corporations and defense lawyers they hire. We have obtained some of the largest verdicts and settlements in Florida and continue to fight for our clients rights in every case we take.

We are here to help you and will take the time to answer all your questions. During the course of your case we will stay in communication with you and involve you in the progress. We consider our job to help take care of our clients in every respect, whether it is assisting in obtaining the highest quality medical care to processing first party insurance claims. Leighton Panoff Law’s aggressive approach to litigation is complemented by our compassion for our clients’ injuries.

Disclaimer: The information about past verdicts and settlements of the firm’s cases are based on the unique facts of each case. These amounts reflect the gross recovery in each case (before attorneys fees, expenses and medical costs are deducted). Although these results were obtained by our firm, they may not indicate the success or value of any other case as each case is unique. By clicking on Verdicts and Settlements you are acknowledging that every case is different and each case must be evaluated on its own merits. The information contained here has not been reviewed or approved by The Florida Bar.