Car Accident

Dondi R. Vesprini earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1996 from Oakland University with a minor in Sociology. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1999 from the University of Detroit – Mercy School of Law where he was on the Moot Court Board of Directors, represented the law school in national moot court competition, and was a member of the St. Thomas More Society. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to joining Buckfire & Buckfire, Dondi worked for 11 years as a trial attorney for the Law Offices of Lawrence S. Katkowsky, P.C., which specialized in motorcycle accidents. Previously, Dondi worked for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for two years where he tried felony drug cases and also worked on criminal appeals. Dondi has recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his injured clients and specializes in issues affecting motorcyclists such as motorcycle accidents, roadway defect accidents, and Michigan No Fault claims. He also litigates wrongful death, automobile negligence, slip and fall, dog bite attacks, and other personal injury matters. In addition to trial work, he has also argued cases in front of the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dondi’s advocacy extends beyond the courtroom as he proposes legislation and meets with the Governor’s office, legislators and lobbyists regarding legislation affecting injured motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists alike, including but not limited to the Michigan motorcycle helmet law and fighting to preserve Michigan’s No Fault system and the benefits it provides to injured people. He recently drafted an amendment to MCL 500.3114, which was formally introduced as House Bill 4809 on May 6, 2021.

Lawrence J. Buckfire (Larry Buckfire) earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1986 and his juris doctor degree from Wayne State University School of Law in 1989. He has been in private practice since successfully completing the bar exam in 1989. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, State of Ohio, and in the United States District Court. Lawrence is the lead trial attorney and managing partner at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. The law firm was founded in 1969 by his father David Buckfire with the principle of representing clients with the highest degree of integrity, compassion, and professionalism. Lawrence’s mother, Vicky Buckfire, joined David in the firm several years later. Lawrence and Daniel both joined their parents upon their completion of law school. Mr. Buckfire has devoted his legal career to helping the most vulnerable members of our society, children and the elderly. He specializes in child lead paint poisoning, wrongful death, nursing home neglect, medical malpractice, and other serious injury cases. “Successfully pursuing these cases is the best way to protect the members of our community from future harm,” said Larry.

Randall M. Blau earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kalamazoo College in 1993 and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1996. He is admitted to practice law in state and federal courts throughout Michigan and has handled cases in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota and Florida. He has obtained numerous settlements that have been listed in the Top Ten Settlements of the Year for the State of Michigan multiple times during the last decade. Randy has obtained millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his injured clients. He specializes in medical malpractice, birth injuries, nursing home negligence, wrongful death, and automobile negligence cases. He is a member of the Michigan Association for Justice, the Oakland County Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. Randy has been an invited speaker at a variety of legal seminars, an invited member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and has been consistently listed in Who’s Who in Law throughout his career.

Michael Bonvolanta earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2011 from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2015 from the University of Detroit – Mercy School of Law where he graduated magna cum laude. He was admitted to the Frank Murphy Honor Society and served as a member of UDM’s Moot Court Board of Advocates. Bonvolanta is admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan, the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, and the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. Bonvolanta joined the firm in January 2020, and focuses primarily on medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, birth injury, civil rights and governmental claims. Prior to joining Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C., Bonvolanta served as an associate at a full-service litigation firm in metro Detroit with a focus on municipal law, land use and zoning, medical malpractice defense and legal malpractice defense. He represented various national clients throughout the state of Michigan. Call (888) 797-8787 for a free case review and speak to Michael J. Bonvolanta about your case today.

Todd C. Barsumian has been named a Super Lawyer in the field of Plaintiff's Personal Injury by Super Lawyers Magazine since 2018. In 2017 he became the recipient of America's Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement Award. Prior to turning 40, he was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers on multiple occasions. Todd has also been selected to The National Trial Lawyers Association: Top 40 under 40 and The National Trial Lawyers Association has since been named Todd a “Top 100 Civil Plaintiff’s Attorney”. In 2018, he was also named to the Nation's Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. Todd started his legal career at a large Evansville law firm, where he was a litigation partner typically hired to defend claims brought by the injured, including multiple cases that made it to the Indiana Supreme Court. In 2010, he started Barsumian Law. In 2013, Todd returned to his roots, opening an office in his hometown of Newburgh. In 2018 he opened offices in Evansville and the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers and in 2021 he and Jonathan Armiger founded Barsumian Armiger Injury Lawyers. Since 2000, Todd has also been licensed in Kentucky, where he has handled cases from trial courts up to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Todd represented a severely injured child in a negligence and product liability case that prompted a national recall of a product purchased off the shelf of a Tri-State retailer. He once defended corporations in similar cases and counseled manufacturers on product safety and recall issues. Shortly after opening his Newburgh office, Todd was part of the trial team for a Gibson County man who was severely injured when the vehicle he was traveling in was struck by another vehicle that had disregarded a stop sign on a county road. After settling the case with the other driver’s insurance company, Todd and his co-counsel turned to his client’s own insurance company. When the insurer balked at paying much more than the man's medical expenses, they took the case to trial in Princeton and recovered their client’s full policy limits, roughly twice what had been offered. Todd has served as the Chair of Medical Review Panels in the past, but now represents victims of medical malpractice before the Indiana Department of Insurance and in courts in Indiana and Kentucky. He also routinely handles serious injuries caused by car accidents, truck accidents, slip and falls, and nursing home negligence, as well as wrongful death claims.

Mr. Montgomery has over 15 years of trial litigation experience in criminal law, personal injury law (car accidents and medical malpractice) and employment law. Mr. Montgomery is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum as he has obtained million dollar verdicts for several clients.

John F. Winters, Jr. is the founding partner of the firm Winters Salzetta O'Brien & Richardson, LLC. Mr. Winters concentrates his practice on representing clients who are injured through medical negligence and personal injury, and has served as lead counsel in many high profile cases. Mr. Winters has been a lecturer at the Chicago Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education classes, as well as an invited speaker before the Illinois House of Representatives on numerous issues involving the protection of injured individuals' rights. To schedule a free consultation with Attorney Winters, visit his website or call 312-236-6324.

Whittel & Melton, LLC is a full service central Florida law practice with an emphasis on representing clients from The Villages in all Personal Injury cases, Wrongful Death tragedies, and serious State and Federal Criminal matters. The firm was formed when Gainesville and Ocala Attorney Robert G. Whittel and Hernando and Sumter County Lawyer Jason M. Melton joined their respective practices to better accommodate their clients in The Villages. The two founding members of the firm are former State Prosecutors and nominees for State and Federal office. Our lawyers and staff are committed to meeting and exceeding our clients' needs. The Villages is a unique and growing area of Florida. No place in Florida is quite like it. We work very hard to accommodate all of our Villages clients. Whittel & Melton's success and reputation has always been based on high quality legal work, performed by well-prepared lawyers who are devoted to their clients. The firm's growth is due in large part to the wide range of services and varied interests of our clients. Our attorneys are proud to deliver a personalized and focused counsel to our many clients in Florida. Whittel & Melton remains dedicated to developing and maintaining long-term relationships in the different communities where we practice. Our firm routinely represents clients from The Villages in the courthouses of Ocala, Bushnell, Tavares, Gainesville, Inverness, Brooksville, New Port Richey, Dade City, Tampa, Orlando and throughout the State of Florida.

Jenifer Placzek was born and raised in Springfield, Missouri. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1997 with a degree in journalism. In 2001, she graduated from Boston College Law School. She practiced at a large law firm in Los Angeles after graduating from law school. In 2005, she moved back to Springfield to practice law with her father and partner, Mathew W. Placzek. Jenifer is a trial attorney who represents individuals and families in personal injury, wrongful death, vaccine and whistleblower cases. You Are Not Alone. We know that you are coming to us during one of the most challenging periods in your life. When a serious accident or other traumatic event happens, it is normal to feel a flood of emotions--fear, anger, confusion and pain. We want you to know that you don't have to go it alone. We are here to help you get through this difficult time. Every person has a different story with their own needs and concerns and we will make it a point to understand yours. Because of the nature of our busy litigation practice, the attorneys in our firm are extremely busy--BUT, our attorneys and staff are NEVER too busy to talk to you or meet with you, either in person or by phone. If you want to meet talk to your attorney about any matter, you will. You will not be handed off to a secretary or assistant when important matters need to be discussed and decided. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.

Jelena Tiemann prides herself on being warm and easy to talk to. She strongly believes in getting to know her clients and all the issues they may be facing, whether related to their personal injury case or not. Jelena has extensive knowledge of insurance companies and how to prevent them from limiting a client from a just and fair settlement, and she will spare no expense or effort to ensure that her clients receive maximum recovery. People from around Sacramento and Northern California come to Jelena not just for her expertise, but for her personality. Jelena Tiemann has been working in law firms for close to 15 years and has been licensed as an attorney for over 10 years. Ms. Tiemann completed her undergraduate degree in political science at Sacramento State University. Upon graduation, Jelena attended Lincoln Law School in Sacramento. Jelena has been a member of the California State Bar since 2003. Jelena was born and raised in Serbia. She immigrated to America when she was 17. She began her legal career working as a prosecutor for El Dorado County. After leaving the District Attorney’s Office, Jelena focused her career on representing plaintiffs in personal injury matters, which is now her sole practice area. Her efforts in 2013 alone include a $1.8 million dollar settlement in a wrongful death case, a $1 million dollar settlement in a fractured hip case, an $800,000 settlement in a back injury case and numerous maximum insurance policy limit recoveries on behalf of injured clients. She has helped clients in all types of accident and injury cases, including wrongful death, automobile collisions, slip and falls, and product liability cases.