Dean W. Karikas | Saint Petersburg Personal Injury Lawyer

• Member | Florida Bar Association
• Member | Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Member | American Association for Justice
• Member | St. Petersburg Bar Association
• Member | Hillsborough County Bar Association
• Member | Federal Court Middle and Southern District of Florida
• Member | Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association
• Member | Florida Justice Association

• Distinguished Martindale-Hubbell
  2021

I was retained on a wrongful death case where the insurance company was willing to pay their policy limits to the decedent's widow . Instead of settling for that amount she retained our firm and we found additional coverage and settled the case for four times the initial policy limits. By retaining our firm she recovered considerably more than she originally was willing to settle for.

We built our practice on providing hands on personal service to our clients. On day one our clients meet with their Lawyer, not a Paralegal or Legal Assistant for the initial consultation. Then throughout the duration of their case they have access to their Lawyer. If we cannot obtain a fair settlement for our clients we file suit and go to trial. We represent our clients from the beginning of the case until it is concluded either by settlement or jury verdict.

Experience, honesty, Integrity and the willingness to ultimately go to trial if necessary.

Very important. When you have a positive history with the local judges and opposing counsel it makes for a much smoother process.

In an initial phone conference we advise our clients if we think they have a viable case. We answer any questions they may have and if we cannot help them we try to refer them to someone who can.

Everything that might be applicable to the situation. Time, place, and facts of what happened. Any pictures of the scene and property damage. An incident report or police report if applicable and available, insurance information and any applicable medical records.

We live in the same community as our clients. We know who our clients are and provide them with access to their Lawyer. We care about our clients and are genuinely concerned about their health and well being.

Helping people and making a difference in our clients lives. Years ago I received a thank you card from a former client who bought a house with her settlement. She was a single mother with a daughter. In that card she said " Thanks to you and your law firm my daughter and I will always have a place to live". That meant so much to me and reinforced why I do what I do for a living.

I am an avid scuba diver and spear fisherman. I also teach Scuba as a Dive Master. i enjoy water sports and fishing. I have a second degree Black Belt in karate. I act in local community theater plays and enjoy traveling and exploring.

We are very involved in our local community. We have sponsored community sports programs and fishing and spear fishing tournaments. We have donated money to local Charities such as Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Suncoast Blues Society. We are and have been very involved with Veterans' organizations and Mr Karikas has co founded and local charity called Dive Care which teaches disabled Veterans how to scuba dive at no cost to them. We have recently partnered with the Wounded Warriors' Project regarding Dive Care. I sever on the board of directors and am VP of Dive Care. I have volunteered numerous hours in support of Abilities of Florid which helps support our Veterans. I am a member of the Gulfport Community Players theater troupe and participate in fundraising for Cancer research.