Fortunately, there are several easily accessible research tools that can help you find highly experienced medical malpractice law firms. You can check the credentials of the firms and their attorneys by visiting “The Best Lawyers in America,” (www.bestlawyers.com), the American Board of Trial Advocates (www.abota.org) and the American College of Trial Lawyers (www.actl.com) and Martindale-Hubbell (www.martindale.com).

“The Best Lawyers in America” is a national organization that lists by specialty the attorneys and firms in each geographical area who other attorneys rate among the best in their specialty. As you would expect these attorneys are highly experienced in their fields. Look for firms who have attorneys listed in the medical malpractice section – the more attorneys listed, the greater the firm’s overall medical malpractice experience.

The American Board of Trial Advocates and the American College of Trial Lawyers are two other excellent resources because they have rigorous admissions standards and only admit highly experienced trial attorneys. For example, The American College of Trial Lawyers only admits those trial lawyers who are outstanding and considered the best in a state or province. This is very important because the better medical practice attorneys are all highly experienced trial attorneys. This is also very important because highly experienced and regarded medical malpractice trial attorneys are more likely to obtain better settlements and verdicts.

In matters as serious as birth trauma injuries you want to know if in addition to superior medical malpractice experience and legal skills, the attorneys and firms also practice at the highest ethical standards. “Martindale-Hubbell” is a highly respected national publication that uses peer reviews to rate attorneys and firms on both the quality of their legal work and their ethical standards. Look for attorneys and firms that receive both an “A,” their highest legal quality grade and a “V” their highest ethical grade.

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Stephen G. Schwarz, Faraci Lange LLP’s managing partner, has been appointed the Upstate New York Chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL).

Schwarz’s tenure as chair began at the completion of the ACTL’s 60^th annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on September 26, and it runs from 2010 to 2011. Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was inducted at the meeting as an honorary fellow of the college joining all of her other Supreme Court colleagues. Schwarz joined 61 other state and province chairs and over 1400 fellows of the college from across the U.S. and Canada at the meeting which was addressed by Sotomayor as well as the chief justices of the United Kingdom, Canada and the retired chief justice of the Supreme Court of Australia.

A Fairport, N.Y. resident, Schwarz focuses his legal practice on personal injury and business litigation, including medical malpractice, serious auto accident cases, product liability, and toxic tort and environmental contamination cases in both state and federal courts.

The American College of Trial Lawyers, is an invitation only organization composed of the most experienced and respected members of the trial bar from the U.S. and Canada and is widely considered the premier professional trial organization in America. Founded in 1950, the ACTL is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession. Angelo G. Faraci and Brian M. Zorn of Faraci Lange also are ACTL fellows.

On September 27, 2008 Faraci Lange partner Brian M. Zorn was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers at the organization’s annual meeting in Toronto, Ontario. Brian joins his partners Angelo G. Faraci and Stephen G. Schwarz as Fellows in the College. Also at the College’s annual meeting was United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., who was inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the College, joining all of the other justices of the United States Supreme Court and judges of Canada’s highest court. In addition, at the meeting Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, Judith S. Kaye, already a Fellow in the College, received the Samuel E. Gates Award for her outstanding contributions to the profession during her long and distinguished judicial career. More…