Theodore J. Leopold Esq.Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
| Attorney / Managing Partner | |
| phone | (888) 376-1253 (561) 935-4801 (561) 515-1400 |
| fax | (561) 515-1401 |
| Email Me | |
Theodore J. Leopold is nationally recognized in several areas of consumer justice law, focusing on complex managed care abuse, automotive crashworthiness, products liability, and class action litigation. He is profiled in The Best Lawyers in America and has achieved an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating available from the nation's oldest guide to the legal profession. He has earned the Florida Bar Certification, the highest level of recognition by the Florida Bar, for competency and experience of a civil trial lawyer.
Mr. Leopold served as a member of the Plaintiff's Executive Committee of the HMO managed care national class-action litigation. He also served on the settlement committee of the Ford Bridgestone/Firestone national class-action litigation, and was counsel for over 70 families against Menorah Gardens/SCI for desecration of gravesites.
Mr. Leopold lectures nationally to Bar and Professional Trial Associations and community organizations on numerous topics, including managed care abuse, legal and safety issues and has co-authored several legal publications. He is a member of the Florida Bar, United States District Court for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, Florida Justice Association, Palm Beach County Justice Association, The American Board of Trial Lawyers.
- Areas of Practice:
- Managed Care Abuse
- Personal Injury
- Automotive Crashworthiness
- Civil Trial Practice
- Class Action
- Mass Torts
- Certification/Specialties:
- Civil Trial Law, Florida Bar Board Certification
- Bar Admissions:
- Florida, 1987
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 1988
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1988
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1991
- Education:
- Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama,
1987
J.D. - University of Miami, Miami, Florida,
1980
B.A.
- Published Works:
- "The Long Road to Automotive Safety" (Co-Author), AAJ Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA, July, 1993
- "A Systematic Approach to and Analysis of a Crashworthiness Case", Trial Diplomacy Journal, Vol. 18.259-262, 1995
- "Anatomy of an HMO Liability Case", Workhouse Seminar, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Orlando, FL, February, 2001
- HMO Liability in the Medical Malpractice Case", Medical Malpractice Seminar, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Orlando, March, 2001
- "The Cancer of Managed Health Care", 38th Annual Convention, Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, Eureka Springs, AR, May , 2001
- "Getting it Done Right: Trial Strategy and Theming in an HMO Case", AAJ Annual Convention, Montreal, Canada, July, 2001
- "Remedies for HMO Bad Faith", Insurance Bad Faith Seminar, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, September, 2001
- "Bad Faith HMO Litigation", AAJ Annual Winter Convention, Miami Beach, Florida, February, 2002
- "Proof of Damages in Auto Cases", 2002 Auto Negligence Seminar, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Tampa, FL, July, 2002
- "Fires: Lumina/Jeep Cherokee", The Attorney Information Exchange Group, Spring Seminar, New Orleans, April, 2003
- "Fraud in the Boardroom - When HMO's Put Profits over Patients", Trial Magazine, April, 2003
- "Causes of Action Against HMOs", AAJ Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, July, 2003
- "Trends & News in Personal Injury Law", Advanced Personal Injury Practice In Florida, West Palm Beach, Florida, November, 2003
- "Motions in Iimine vs. Objections During Trial", Real Evidence for the Trial Practitioner, West Palm Beach, Florida, November, 2003
- "Daubert v. Frye: State and Federal Court Case in Florida", Real Evidence for the Trial Practitioner, West Palm Beach, Florida, November, 2003
- "Identifying Pre-Auto Crashworthiness Cases", Trial Lawyers Associations, 2003 Last Chance Master Program, New Orleans, LA, Dec., 2003
- "The Minority Gets It Right: The Florida Supreme Court Reinvigorates the Crashworthiness Doctrine in D'Amario v. Ford", The Florida Bar Journal, June, 2004
- "The Use of Technology at Trial", AAJ Annual Convention, July, 2004
- "A Wrong Without a Remedy", Trial Magazine, September, 2005
- "Handling, Litigating, and Trying the Crashworthiness Case", AFTL 21st Annual Workhorse Seminar The Renaissance Orlando Resort at Sea World, February, 2006
- "Florida Insurance Law and Practice", West's Florida Practice Series, 2007
- "Health Insurance on a First Party Case", Florida Justice Association, March , 2007
- "Health Insurance on a First Party Case", Insurance Bad Faith Seminar, West Palm Beach and Tampa, Florida, March, 2007
- Classes/Seminars Taught:
- Lecturer, "Pick the Best Route to Avoid Gridlock: Overcoming Bias During Jury Selection", Florida Justice Association, 2008
- Lecturer, Rules of the Road, Auto Negligence Case Seminar, West Palm Beach, 2008
- Lecturer, "Recognizing the Product Defect Behind Auto Crash Cases - The Law the Science and Reality of It All", Florida Justice Association, Annual Convention, Orlando, Florida, 2008
- Lecturer, "Diversifying Beyond Product Liability", Attorney Information Exchange spring seminar in Seattle, Washington, 2008
- Lecturer, "Jury Selection", Palm Beach County Bar Association, Trial Superstars: Trying the Catastrophic Injury Case, West Palm Beach, FL, 2008
- Lecturer, "Summation in a Products Liability Case", Florida Justice Association, Workhorse Seminar, Orlando, Florida, 2008
- Lecturer, "Health Insurance on a First Party Case", Florida Justice Association, Insurance Bad Faith Seminar, West Palm Beach and Tampa, Florida, 2007
- Lecturer, "Proper Investigation of the Automobile Negligence Case", Florida Justice Association 2007 Advance Trial Skills Seminar, Palm Beach, FL, 2007
- Lecturer, "Handling, Litigating, and Trying the Crashworthiness Case", AFTL 21st Annual Workhorse Seminar, The Renaissance Orlando Resort at Sea World, 2006
- Lecturer, "The Affects of Product Liability Litigation on Issues of Public Health", Tufts University, Boston, MA, 2006
- Lecturer, "Recovering Attorneys' Fees in a Class Action", Palm Beach County Bar Association, West Palm Beach, FL, 2005
- Lecturer, "Dealing with Foreign Manufacturers Who Claim They Don't Have Documents", The Attorney Information Exchange Group, Spring Seminar, Miami Beach, FL, 2005
- Lecturer, "Directing Passion in a World of Managed Care", Elder Law Section of The Florida Bar, Yosemite National Park, CA, 2005
- Lecturer, "The Use of Technology at Trial", AAJ Annual Convention, Boston, MA, 2004
- Lecturer, "Dispelling the Myth that an Ethical Lawyer is an Endangered Species", The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Orlando, Florida, 2004
- Lecturer, "The Cancer of Managed Health Care - Litigating the Managed Care Case", Aspen, Colorad, 2003
- Lecturer, "Identifying and Handling the Automotive Product Liability Case", Aspen Colorado, 2003
- Lecturer, "New Approaches to Discovery, Making the Process Work", The ABA, 2003
- Lecturer, "Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability litigation", Phoenix, AZ, 2003
- Lecturer, "Fires: Lumina/Jeep Cherokee", The Attorney Information Exchange Group, Spring Seminar, New Orleans, 2003
- Lecturer, "Causes of Action Against HMOs", AAJ Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, 2003
- Lecturer, "Identifying Pre-Auto Crashworthiness Cases", The Louisiana Trial Lawyers Associations, 2003
- Last Chance Master Program, New Orleans, LA, 2003
- Lecturer, "Bad Faith HMO Litigation", AAJ Annual Winter Convention, Miami Beach, Florida, 2002
- Lecturer, "Another Brick in the Wall: The Trial and Travails of Discovery Abuses and Stonewalling", ABOTA, Talking Head Series, West Palm Beach, Florida, 2002
- Lecturer, "Ford Explorer Rollovers and its Global Effect on Our Other Cases", Attorney's Information Exchange Group, Spring Seminar, Washington, D.C., 2002
- Lecturer, "Proof of Damages in Auto Cases", 2002 Auto Negligence Seminar, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Tampa, FL, 2002
- Lecturer, "CALLED-TO-THE-BAR", Cumberland School of Law, Birmingham, Alabama, 2002
- Lecturer, "Core Values and Punitive Damages: Getting the Right Reaction, AFTL - The Art & Science of Persuasion", Ft. Lauderdale, Florida , 2002
- Lecturer, "Anatomy of an HMO Liability Case" Workhorse Seminar, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Orlando, FL, 2001
- Lecturer, "HMO Liability in the Medical Malpractice Case," Medical Malpractice Seminar, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Orlando, FL, 2001
- Lecturer, "The Cancer of Managed Health Care", 38th Annual Convention, Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, Eureka Springs, AR, 2001
- Lecturer, "Getting it Done Right: Trial Strategy and Theming in an HMO Case", AAJ Annual Convention, Montreal, Canada, 2001
- Lecturer, "Remedies for HMO Bad Faith", Insurance Bad Faith Seminar, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 2001
- Lecturer, "Seeing Things Clearly" Managed Care, The Florida Society of Ophthalmology, 2001
- Lecturer, "Kids in Crashes", Allamanda Elementary Public School PTA Meeting, 1999
- Lecturer, "Kids in Crashes", Palm Beach Public School PTA Meeting, 1999
- Lecturer, "Emerging Area: Denial of Health Benefits", Personal Injury and Consumer Rights After Tort Reform, Ft. Pierce, FL, 1999
- Lecturer, "Motorists at Risk: Vanguard Issues in Occupant Restraint", The Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, 1996
- Lecturer, "Excellence in Advocacy", 33rd Annual Convention, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, 1996
- Lecturer, "Passive Restraints: Are They Safe Systems or Lethal Weapons", AAJ, Annual National College of Advocacy Seminar, 1995
- Lecturer, "Cross-examination of an Orthopedist", Orthopedics for Lawyers Professional Education Systems, Inc., Miami, Florida, 1992
- Lecturer, "Cross-examination of an Orthopedist", Orthopedics for Lawyers Professional Education Systems, Inc., Miami, Florida, 1994
- Lecturer, "Kids in Crashes", The Importance of Child Safety Restraints, West Palm Beach, Florida, Spring, 1991
- Honors and Awards:
- The American Jewish Committee, Judge Learned Hand Award
- Finalist, Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
- AV Rating by Martindale Hubbell
- The Steven M. Shapiro New Leadership Award
- Top Florida Lawyer, The South Florida Legal Guide
- Best Lawyers in America, 2005
- Best Lawyers in America, 2006
- Best Lawyers in America, 2007
- Best Lawyers in America, 2008
- Best Lawyers in America, 2009
- Best Lawyers in America, 2010
- Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Florida Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
- Florida Justice Association
- Palm Beach County Bar Association
- Indian River County Bar Association
- Palm Beach County Trial Lawyers Association
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Craig S. Barnard American Inn of Court LIV
- Florida Bar Association
- President, Elect of Professional Ethics Committee
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Board of Directors
- Florida Justice Association
- Board of Directors
- Attorneys Information Exchange Group
- Board of Directors
- Public Justice Foundation
- Executive Board
- Samford University's Cumberland School of Law
- Advisory Board Member
- Cabinet of the Business and Professions Division of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County
- Member
- Jewish Family & Children's Services
- Board of Directors
- Florida Bar Association
- Member, Professionalism Committee
- National Center for Victims of Crime
- Member
- American Association for Justice, Product Liability Section
- Past Chair
- Palm Beach County Bar Association
- Immediate Past President
- Palm Beach Justice Unit of B'nai B'rith
- Past President
- Palm Beach County Trial Lawyers Association
- Past Member, Board of Directors
- Jewish Federation for Palm Beach County
- Past Member, Board of Director
- Florida Bar Association, 2004
- Past Member, Advertising Task Force
- Jewish Federation for Palm Beach County
- Past Member, Social Action and Intergroup Relations Task Force
- Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Academy
- Past President, Board of Directors
- Palm Beach County Justice Association
- Past Member, Board of Directors
- Florida Bar Association
- Past Member, Long Range Planning Committee
- Rebekah's House
- Past President
- Safety Council for Palm Beach County
- Past President, Board of Directors
- The Jewish Community Center for Palm Beach County
- Past Member, Executive Board and Board of Directors
- Jewish Federation for Palm Beach County
- Past Co-Chair Super Sunday
- Jewish Federation for Palm Beach County, Professionalism Division
- Past Member, Executive Committee
- Jewish Federation for Palm Beach County
- Past Co-Chair, Judicial Reception
