Wicker Smith Receives 2014 Best Lawyers in America
MIAMI – August 15, 2013 – Wicker Smith O’Hara McCoy & Ford P.A. is pleased to announce that Nicholas E. Christin, Richards H. Ford, Leslie A. McCormick, Jackson F. McCoy, Dennis M. O’Hara have been selected for inclusion in the 20th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
Miami – Litigation: Trusts & Estates and Trusts and Estates – Managing Partner Nicholas E. Christin has nearly 40 years experience handling estate planning and estate administration and its related tax matters and probate litigation for several high profile cases. Since 1979, Mr. Christin has been an adjunct professor in the University of Miami LL.M Program in Estate Planning. He has taught Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates almost every year for nearly 30 years. Mr. Christin also co-authored a Tax Management Portfolio of Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates. An AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, Mr. Christin is the recipient of numerous awards and commendations. Mr. Christin has a Bachelor of Business Administration (1970), a Masters of Science (1971), a Juris Doctor (1974), and a Masters of Law in Estate Planning (1978) from the University of Miami. He is admitted to the Florida Bar and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He is an active member of the American, Florida and Miami-Dade County Bar Associations, and the Florida and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a Florida certified public accountant.
Orlando – Professional Malpractice Law: Defendants – Managing Partner Richards H. Ford In his 30+ year career, Mr. Ford has engaged in active civil trial practice, focusing on the defense of professional and corporate institutions. An AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, Mr. Ford is also a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, certified with The National Board of Trial Advocacy, a Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist and as of 2012, he is a Board Certified Civil Pretrial Practice Advocate by the National Board of Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy. In 2006, he was appointed to the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, an exclusive legal organization that limits its membership to one-third of one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Mr. Ford earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the University of Florida in 1976 and a Juris Doctor from Boston University in 1979.
Miami – Personal Injury Litigation: Defendants – Partner Leslie A. McCormick An AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, Leslie has handled numerous medical malpractice cases for healthcare providers and hospital facilities in a wide range of complex issues involving wrongful death, brain damage, surgical and nursing issues. A dynamic public speaker, Leslie has actively lectured over the course of her 25+ year career to several healthcare organizations including Baptist Hospital of Miami, South Miami Hospital, and Mount Sinai Medical Center, to name a few, sharing her expert knowledge in legal issues related to the healthcare industry. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clemson University in 1984, Leslie went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1987. Leslie is admitted to practice in the State of Florida and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She is currently a member of The Florida Bar, The Federal Bar, American and Miami-Dade County Bar Associations, Dade County Defense Bar Association, ASHRM, Defense Research Institute and the Florida Hospital Association. She was also a member of the AD HOC Trial Practices and Procedures Committee of Dade County for 10 years.
Miami – Personal Injury Litigation: Defendants – Managing Partner Jackson F. McCoy duration of his 30+ year career, during which time he has gained extensive experience in civil trial work focused primarily on matters involving complex litigation, medical malpractice and personal injury cases. In 2005, as a result of his well-respected reputation both in and out of the courtroom, Mr. McCoy was invited to join the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, which limits its active membership to only 500 Fellows from the United States and 100 Fellows from over 30 countries throughout the world. An AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, he has earned numerous accolades. Mr. McCoy has a Bachelor of Business Administration (1970) and a Juris Doctor (1973) from the University of Miami. Admitted to practice in the state of Florida in 1973, Mr. McCoy is an active member in a number of professional organizations and lectures at various seminars, providing his insight on litigation prevention techniques for the medical community.
Fort Lauderdale – Personal Injury Litigation: Defendants – Managing Partner Dennis M. O’Hara In his 30+ year career, Mr. O’Hara has served as lead counsel or sole attorney in numerous civil jury trials involving medical malpractice, products liability, general negligence, automobile liability and aviation law. Mr. O’Hara has been involved in Aviation Law since the late 1970’s. Over the years, he has handled both commercial and general aviation cases, representing clients such as AIG Aviation, Allianz Aviation, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Global Aerospace, Starr Aviation, USAIRWAYS, United States Aviation Underwriters and XL Aerospace. In his healthcare work, he has defended healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies and other health care related clients in cases concerning issues related to wrongful death, infant death, brain damage, paralysis, surgical and nursing issues both in Pennsylvania and Florida. Mr. O’Hara has earned an AV® Preeminent™ rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating awarded by that organization. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Muhlenberg College in 1965, Mr. O’Hara went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from Villanova University in 1968. Mr. O’Hara is a member of the Florida, Pennsylvania and Colorado Bar. He is admitted to all Florida Courts and is active in the Miami-Dade and Broward County Bar Associations, International Association of Defense Counsel, American Society of Law and Medicine, the Florida Medical Malpractice Claims Council, the Florida Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute and is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
About Wicker Smith
Founded in 1952, Wicker Smith O’Hara McCoy & Ford P.A., is a full-service trial firm deeply experienced in handling significant and complex litigation for a broad variety of clients, ranging from multinational corporations to individuals. With nearly 150 attorneys, Wicker Smith services its clients through a network of seven locations throughout Florida in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa, Naples and Jacksonville. Wicker Smith is a member of the USLAW NETWORK, an alliance of more than 60 AV-rated, independent law firms and over 4,000 attorneys across the U.S. and Mexico. For more information, visit www.wickersmith.com.
