Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley

Overview

<p>Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart &amp; Shipley, P.A. has maintained its primary office in West Palm Beach, Florida since the late 1970s, with additional offices in Tallahassee and Tampa. The firm fields more than 30 trial attorneys whose practice centers on personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, mass torts, wrongful death, and commercial litigation throughout Florida, with bar admissions held statewide.</p><p>Founding shareholder Christian D. Searcy is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates — a body capped at 100 trial lawyers nationally, by invitation only — as well as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. Lawdragon has placed him in its Hall of Fame and listed him among its 500 Leading Lawyers in America more than ten times. The Florida Justice Association presented him its Perry Nichols Award, its highest honor, in 2005. Partner Brian R. Denney is Florida Bar Board Certified in Civil Trial Law, a credential held by fewer than seven percent of Florida attorneys, and serves as President of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Palm Beach Chapter. For 2025, Best Lawyers in America listed 24 of the firm's attorneys, including four 'Lawyer of the Year' designations awarded to Jack Scarola (medical malpractice), Greg Barnhart (personal injury litigation), James Gustafson (mass torts), and Cameron Kennedy (product liability). The firm also appeared on the 2025 U.S. News &ndash; Best Law Firms roster.</p><p>The firm's website reports aggregate verdicts and settlements exceeding $6.2 billion. Among matters in the public record: the $50 million verdict in Palank v. CSX Transportation (1997), affirmed on appeal; a $37,159,053 verdict in Matthew Davies v. C &amp; W Trucking (Palm Beach County, April 2012), handled by F. Gregory Barnhart; a $21,621,439 jury award in Beers v. Hulick (Palm Beach County, June 2007), a fatal cell-phone distraction case tried by Christian Searcy and Jack Scarola; and a $256 million verdict in a wrongful death and catastrophic injury matter arising from a Riviera Beach intersection collision, as documented in the firm's published press materials. Prior outcomes in any matter do not predict or guarantee results in future cases.</p><p>Beyond personal injury trial work, the firm handles national mass torts, tobacco claims, nursing home abuse, premises liability, and sexual abuse representation, with Brenda S. Fulmer and C. Calvin Warriner III leading mass tort matters. The Palm Beach Post People's Choice Awards recognized the firm as Best Overall Law Firm.</p>

Source: www.searcylaw.com

Practice areas

Peer recognition

• 2025 Best Law Firms source ›