Medical Malpractice

Kevin C. Ambler served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010, representing House District 47 encompassing most of Northwest Hillsborough County. During his 4 consecutive terms in elected office, he served on over 47 legislative councils and committees, including serving as Chairman of the Health Appropriations Committee in which he was responsible for nearly $20 billion dollars in appropriations for more than 3 million Medicaid beneficiaries and 80,000 health care providers and 15,000 health care facilities. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Rep. Ambler received numerous awards and accolades from professional organizations, boards, and foundations as the top legislator of the year for his outstanding accomplishments for championing numerous important legislative issues. Representative Ambler attended Cornell University on a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Business Administration in 1983. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. In 1986, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California. Soon after, he was appointed as an Air Force judge advocate and assigned to the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he served on active duty for nearly 5 years in several positions including Chief of Claims, Chief of Legal Assistance, Chief of Military Justice and Chief of the Civil Law Divisions. During this same time, he also was appointed by the U.S. Attorney General as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and was responsible for prosecuting criminal cases in federal court against civilians arising on MacDill AFB. Later, his responsibilities expanded to defending the United States in federal court in medical malpractice and personal injury cases arising under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Representative Ambler entered private practice and transferred to the Air Force Reserves in 1991. During his first year as a reservist, he was awarded the Harmon Award by the Air Force Judge Advocate General as the Most Outstanding Reserve Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force. Representative Amblerʼs other military decorations include the Air Force Achievement Medal, two Air Force Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Services Medal. He continued to serve as a Judge Advocate in the reserves until 2005. Representative Ambler began his career in private practice as a litigation attorney in 1991. In 1996, Representative Ambler opened his own firm, the Ambler Law Group, focusing in the areas of medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death and personal injury litigation in both state and federal courts. His firm also handles complex business litigation and transactional matters as well as entertainment and sports law. Representative Ambler is a member of the Florida, Georgia and D.C. Bars and the American Bar Association, Hillsborough County Bar Association and the American Justice Association. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the Middle District Court of Florida, and the U.S. Court of Military Appeals. He previously served as the Chair of the Florida Bar Military Affairs Committee (2002-2003) and Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA) Military Liaison Committee (2002-2003). He has chaired the HCBA Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law Section (1999-2002) and he has been a regular and active participant in the HCBA “Ask A Lawyer” Pro Bono Program from 1995 to 2002. In 2002, he received the HCBA “Have a Heart” award for outstanding pro bono service. Representative Ambler and his firm hold an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell National Law Directory reflecting the highest possible rating for professional competence and ethical conduct. Representative Ambler served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Northdale Special Tax District for 7 years. He was Chairman of the Cornell University Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network Committee for West Central Florida as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Cornell Club of the Suncoast for 5 years. For over 10 years, Representative Ambler served as president and a member of the Board of Directors of the Brentwood Park Homeownerʼs Association. In 2000, Representative Ambler was appointed to and served a one year term on the Hillsborough County Charter Review Board. In his youth, Representative Ambler served on the White House Conference for Children and Youth Task Force and was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement which awarded him the Golden Eagle Award of Excellence as the top student in the United States. Representative Ambler has been an adjunct law professor on the faculty for Stetson University College of Law for the past 8 years.

Marietta Personal Injury Attorney Darl Champion is a dedicated trial lawyer who is passionate about fighting for his clients to ensure that they are fully compensated when they are harmed by someone else’s negligence. His philosophy is to provide client-centered representation that is aggressive and thorough so that the client can get the best possible result. Because Darl is a firm believer that good communication between the lawyer and the client is essential to obtaining the best possible result, he makes it a priority to be accessible to his clients. “Darl was excellent in representing me in my case. He was in constant contact with me and my case, and kept me informed constantly.” The results Darl has obtained for his clients demonstrate that he is willing to work tirelessly to achieve justice on their behalf. In just the last few years alone, he has helped obtain over $60 Million in recoveries for his clients in Marietta, Atlanta, and throughout the state of Georgia – including a $10.2 Million settlement in 2020. In recognition of his success, the National Trial Lawyers organization has consistently selected Darl as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Georgia, and as a Top 40 Under 40. In addition, in each of the last ten years, Georgia Super Lawyers has recognized him as a Rising Star, an honor given to the top 2.5% of Georgia lawyers under age 40 or those in practice for ten years or less. Originally from North Carolina, Darl graduated summa cum laude from Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He then attended Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia. After obtaining his law degree magna cum laude, he was honored to serve in a highly coveted federal judicial clerkship with the Honorable Hugh Lawson in the Middle District of Georgia. Darl presently lives in Smyrna with his wife Julia and their two children, Elizabeth and Daniel. When he’s not practicing law, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, reading, traveling, watching sports, and volunteering in the community.

William Pagan is a 1987 graduate of the St. John’s University School of Law. He obtained in undergraduate degree from Fordham University in 1984. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1988. He is admitted to practice in the Federal Southern and Eastern District Courts of New York and has been admitted pro hac vice to the United States District Court for the Districts of Puerto Rico and Hawaii, as well as New Jersey Superior Court. His professional memberships include the Puerto Rican Bar Association, American Association for Justice, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, New York County Lawyers Association, New York City Bar Association, and the Bronx, Kings, Queens and New York County Bar Associations as well as the Dominican Bar Association. He’s a member of The Pagan Law Firm, P.C. and has accumulated over twenty-five years experience in trying highly complex medical malpractice cases, serious injuries from construction, lead paint poisoning, municipal premise and general accident cases in State and Federal court in all boroughs of the City of New York, statewide in New York and pro hac vice nationwide. He’s a member of The National Trial Lawyers, “Top 100 Trial Lawyers.” Presently, Mr. Pagan’s caseload comprises primarily medical malpractice cases, including birth injury cases, with some construction accident cases, police brutality cases and premises negligence cases as well.

Frank concentrates his practice on civil litigation, with an emphasis on medical malpractice injury, general injury cases, civil rights and class actions. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1992 from the State University of New York at Albany where he also played rugby. Frank then attended St. John’s University School of Law in Queens, New York, during the evening while working as an investigator for the State of New York, followed by the New York City Corporation Counsel, and then AIG Insurance Company as a litigation claims adjuster. Frank obtained his law degree in 1998, was admitted to the New York State bar in 1999, and eventually all four federal district court bars for New York, as well as the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He began his legal career in the New York City office of one of his law school professors representing injury victims and then moved on to a large firm representing corporations in product liability litigation. Frank then relocated to Massachusetts where he had to take two additional bar exams to be admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 2002 and the Rhode Island bar in 2003. Frank continued with injury law there, particularly construction and maritime cases under the Jones Act involving accidents at sea, including several death cases. Frank relocated to Central New York in 2006 and worked for the litigation firm of O’Hara, O’Connell & Ciotoli representing victims of medical malpractice, workplace injuries, general injuries and wrongful labor and employment practices. Frank has been appointed class counsel in several class action cases and achieved over $17,000,000 in class action settlements since 2015 for FLSA and New York Labor Law violations. In all, since 2008 Frank has recovered over $27,000,000 in damages for his injury and employment clients. Frank lives in Fayetteville, N.Y. with his wife and children. He is active in the Fayetteville-Manlius community with coaching soccer and basketball. He has served on the boards of FEAT of Central New York and Enable, Inc., now known as Access CNY. He also remains active with the University at Albany rugby alumni. Learn more about Frank Gattuso. He has more than 20 years of experience in the legal industry. The cases he takes on include, but are not limited to: -Injury Cases -Medical Malpractice Injuries -Wage & Hour Violations -Defective Product Injuries -Slip & Fall Injuries -FLSA & New York Labor Violations -Car Accident Injuries -Workplace Injuries -Unpaid Wages

Charles Boyk is a practicing lawyer in the state of Ohio, who focuses on personal injury law. He has tried cases in the areas of brain injury, car accident, catastrophic injury, mass torts, dog bite, insurance claims, medical malpractice, motorcycle accident, and wrongful death.

Formerly a partner at a prestigious civil litigation firm, Dean has been practicing and trying cases in the areas of complex trucking, medical malpractice, product liability, and general civil litigation for the past 18 years. Dean has successfully represented clients as lead counsel in complex multimillion-dollar jury trials to verdict in Missouri and Illinois. Dean uses his extensive experience in the courtroom to develop an aggressive approach to resolve cases in favor of his clients. Dean received his J.D. from the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law in 1999. Prior to law school, Dean completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri – St. Louis with a B.A. in Communications, graduating cum laude in 1996. Dean participated in a Missouri Trial Academy in 2005 and a National Trial Academy at Stanford in 2007. Dean has an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating an attorney can obtain from that organization. Dean has also been selected to America's Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys for 2020. Selection to America's Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys® is by invitation only and is reserved to identify the nation's most exceptional litigators for high-value personal injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, and medical malpractice matters. Only the top 100 qualifying attorneys in each state will receive this honor and be selected for membership. With these extremely high standards for selection, less than one-half percent (0.5%) of active attorneys in the United States will receive this honor.

Mr. Brumbaugh is the senior shareholder of Walstead Mertsching. He joined the firm in 1992 and has been a shareholder since 1996. He primarily represents victims of motor vehicle collisions and medical malpractice. He is licensed in Washington and Oregon and practices in both State and Federal trial and appellate courts. He has successfully argued before the Washington State Supreme Court. His areas of focus include: wrongful death claims; automobile, motorcycle and trucking collisions; medical and nursing home malpractice; and defective product claims.

Alison received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Georgetown University Law Center, magna cum laude, in 1981. As an undergraduate, Alison attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she received two Bachelor of Science degrees in 1978, one in Chemical Engineering and one in Humanities and Science. Alison has long fought to protect the legal rights of injured victims through her leadership positions in the Maryland Association for Justice (formerly the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association) as well as her representation of clients in the courts. Alison has been a member of the MAJ Board of Governors since 1998, serving as President for the 2005-2006 Bar year and as an Officer between 2001 and 2007. In addition to her activities in MAJ, Alison has been a leader at the bar in multiple ways, including serving as a member of the Trial Courts Nominating Commission for Baltimore County (2006 – 2014), the Maryland State Bar Association Board of Governors, the Bar Association of Baltimore City Executive Council, and chairing various committees for the Baltimore County Bar Association. Alison has served as lead counsel in innumerable complex medical malpractice, premises and products liability, car crash and nursing home cases throughout the State of Maryland in both state and federal courts. Alison brings her analytical skills and deep understanding of the law and medicine to a wide array of complex malpractice cases, including cases involving spinal surgery, abdominal surgery, emergency medicine, hip and knee replacement surgery, sepsis and infectious diseases. Complimenting her legal practice, Alison is presently in the Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle, a past president of the Executive Women’s Network, and a former board member of the Maryland Humanities Council and Grants Committee of the Council. Alison, her husband, and their two children live on a farm in rural Maryland with a menagerie of animals. Alison has been an active volunteer in her church, her children’s schools, and local youth theater groups, helping to produce school and community musicals as well as supporting related school activities. When able to take a respite from her busy trial practice, Alison, a lifelong singer, has been involved with various choral groups and theater companies, ranging from singing with the Boston Symphony as part of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus to participating in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas with Baltimore’s Young Victorian Theatre, singing in fundraisers for the Baltimore Bar Foundation, singing in Carnegie Hall with local choral groups, singing in church choirs and singing with The Deer Creek Chorale. Alison keeps herself active by playing golf, fishing and skiing with her family and friends.

Ms. Burnett is a trial attorney who concentrates her practice in representing people who have been injured as a result of professional negligence, including nursing home abuse and medical malpractice. She is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and was named a Partner in the firm in 2012. Ms. Burnett received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and French in 1996 from the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated magna cum laude. She received a Juris Doctor degree in 2001 from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, receiving multiple academic honors and distinctions. After law school, Ms. Burnett served as a law clerk to the Honorable G. Ross Anderson, Jr. in United States District Court in Anderson, South Carolina. Ms. Burnett began her private practice handling the defense of a variety of claims in both federal and state court, focusing her practice in the defense of nursing home abuse claims. In 2007, Ms. Burnett left her practice to join our firm to represent victims of nursing home abuse and medical malpractice.

Joseph Kopfler is a lawyer in Houma who focuses on Car Accident cases. He has tried cases involving insurance claims, premises liability, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, oilfield and offshore injuries, truck accidents, social security disability, sexual assault, maritime injury, catastrophic injury, boat accidents, and more.