Michael D. Eriksen is one (1) of only four (4) active plaintiffs’ trial lawyers in the State of Florida (out of several thousand personal injury lawyers) who are Board Certified by the Florida Bar as a Specialist in both Civil Trial Law and Admiralty & Maritime Law; and he is well-known to the defendants, insurance companies, and defense lawyers he regularly opposes.

Over the last forty-plus years, Mr. Eriksen has completed over 175 jury trials involving severe injuries or deaths (and has successfully settled several hundred more prior to trial)

Over the last forty-plus years, Mr. Eriksen has completed over 175 jury trials involving severe injuries or deaths (and has successfully settled several hundred more prior to trial), including, without limitation, many involving death and severe injuries (only), traumatic brain injuries,  sexual assaults, general negligence, and maritime law (in state and federal courts in Florida).

Mr. Eriksen personally handles all cases accepted by Eriksen Law Firm. He personally deals with his clients, who are not relegated to paralegals or legal assistants. All preliminary client consultations with Mr. Eriksen are absolutely free; and Mr. Eriksen charges a “contingent fee,” which means he gets paid a fee and reimbursed for expenses only if he recovers money damages for his client.

Unless a lawsuit for death or serious injury is settled beforehand, a jury (or, rarely, a judge) sets the entitlement to, an amount of, compensation due.

Often, insurance companies and self-insured defendants wait to offer their “top dollar” settlement amount until just before (and sometimes during) the trial itself. Therefore, to get to that point, it is essential to retain an experienced attorney who is skilled in the preparation and conduct of many actual trials.

Defendants and their insurance companies and lawyers first have to see that the plaintiff’s attorney is a technically-skilled trial lawyer who is willing to spend the time and money necessary to fully prepare a winning case for trial.

However, spending the necessary time and money to properly prepare each legal case for trial may be physically and/or mathematically impossible for some plaintiffs’ attorneys who, unlike Mr. Eriksen, may take on more clients than they can personally handle and/or a high volume of smaller injury cases.

Mr. Eriksen has found that limiting the number of cases he accepts allows him to give each client and lawsuit his personal attention; and enables him to devote the personal time necessary to move his cases to a more rapid conclusion.

Therefore, Mr. Eriksen, at any given time, handles only a few meritorious cases involving death or extremely serious, life-altering injuries.

Having the knowledge and skill necessary to win a major injury or death lawsuit for a plaintiff (the person who is suing) requires much more than just having a law degree and a knack for advertising and self-promotion.

Instead, it comes only from years of experience handling many lawsuits and actual trials; and becoming immersed in the latest relevant, legal, technical, medical developments and literature.

A rational way to evaluate and select a plaintiffs attorney is to identify, contact, and ask lawyers who have opposed them (rather than relying on an advertisement or website of an unfamiliar plaintiffs lawyer). Defense law firms which have opposed Mr. Eriksen in the recent past, and are familiar with him, include Horr, Skipp & Perez; Mase, Seitz, & Briggs; and Fertig & Gramling.