Personal Injury

Carlos D. Perez-Mesa has been an active trial attorney in New Jersey and Hawaii since 1986. In Hawaii, he has tried over 20 jury and bench trials to verdict in state and federal court and participated in over 300 arbitrations and meditations. Mr. Perez-Mesa has wide ranging experience practicing in both federal and state court handling a broad range of litigation, including products liability, construction law, employment discrimination, personal injury, the Americans with Disabilities Act, environmental law, automobile and slip and fall accidents, Title VII civil rights law and workers compensation law. He also handles private arbitrations and mediations involving all types of civil actions, including auto cases, sexual harassment, age discrimination, wrongful discharge, racial discrimination, UM and UIM auto cases and AOAO disputes. Upon graduation of law school, Mr. Perez-Mesa served as a law clerk to Judge Nicholas in Mandak, Passaic County, New Jersey. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Perez-Mesa focused on litigation concerning personal injury, employment discrimination, products liability and condominium law. He defended AIG™ and Farmers™ Insurance insureds involved in automobile and slip and fall accidents. Mr. Perez-Mesa worked seven years as a trial attorney for AIG™’s Staff Counsel’s office in Honolulu. He also has three successful published Hawaii Supreme Court opinions.

I am B. Patrick Agnew Esq. I represent Personal Injury Victims, Injured Workers, and people who have been improperly denied Social Security Disability benefits. I am here to help.

Mark Peake has been practicing law in the areas of personal injury, insurance defense, civil litigation, products liability, and criminal defense since 1988. He has extensive trial experience in Virginia’s state and federal courts, and he has successfully appealed a number of cases to the Supreme Court of Virginia. He is a former President of the Lynchburg Bar Association. In addition to his law practice, Mark represents Virginia’s 22nd Senate District in the Senate of Virginia, which includes the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Prince Edward County, and parts of Louisa County and the City of Lynchburg. In the Virginia Senate, Mark serves on the Courts of Justice Committee, the Transportation Committee, the Education and Health Committee, and the Privileges and Elections Committee. Mark is a 1985 graduate of Virginia Tech, and he received his legal education at Washington & Lee University, where he was a member of the Washington & Lee Law Review.

Whether you have suffered an accident while on the job or suffered an injury during a car accident or semi truck accident, The Law Offices of Claude S. Smith III devote personal attention to your case. Our attorney and legal staff understand the pressure and emotional stress experienced by those involved in legal cases. We strive to bring personalized attention and care to every single client.

Jake is the founder of Anderson Hinkins, LLC. His areas of practice include general litigation, business law and litigation, family law litigation, personal injury law, and wills and trusts. Jake finds satisfaction in helping his clients navigate the legal system to achieve the best possible solutions.

Nicholas Clekis focuses his practice in the areas of Personal Injury, Workmens’ Compensation, Medical Malpractice, Litigation, Criminal Defense and Family Law. Founding partner, Nicholas J. Clekis received his B.S. from the College of Charleston in 1982 and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1985. After working with such firms as Morris, Duffy & Boone (formerly known as Hollings, Hawkins &Morris and now known as the McNair Law Firm, PA) and Grimball & Cabaniss, LLC, Mr. Clekis decided to set out on his own, concentrating on personal injury, criminal, and family law.

Ben knows there are a lot of smart lawyers to choose from and attributes his success to “out-working” the other side. He always strives to develop positive relationships with his clients and is available to them for the long haul. Joining the Steinberg firm in 2008 was a natural choice because of how well its culture fit his perspective. “The Steinberg Law firm has been around for almost 100 years because each attorney understands the vision and principles of our founder, Irving Steinberg: to give a voice for the voiceless,” Ben says. ”We have a commitment to honor and carry on his legacy.” Ben joined the Steinberg Law firm in 2008 and became a partner in 2016. His practice focuses on personal injury, workers’ compensation, and social security disability law. After a personal injury or workers’ comp-related accident, Ben’s clients want to know how they are going to pay their bills and possibly adjust to a life of pain. While the COVID-19 crisis has changed some of the ways his workers’ compensation cases are proceeding, Ben is not afraid to fight the insurance companies — and, if necessary, go to trial. He keeps in constant communication with his clients and lets them know that “it might take a little longer, but I will keep you safe and get you to court if needed.” Ben earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston, where he was a member of the Communications Honor Society. He was also a scholarship athlete in both basketball and baseball during his first two years of college. While at Emory University’s School of Law, he served as staff attorney at the Indigent Criminal Defense Clinic, representing individuals in Georgia’s criminal courts. He also received the Morton H. Aronson Franchise Law Award. Ben is a member of the South Carolina Bar, Charleston County Bar, and Berkeley County Bar, where he served on the board of directors and as president of the Young Lawyers Division. He serves on the board of governors of the South Carolina Association for Justice and is a member of the Injured Workers Advocates. Other lawyers often refer clients to him because they can be confident that Ben will provide exceptional service. For four years in a row, Ben has been listed in Best Lawyers in America (2016-2020, 2022). He was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2017 and nominated by the National Trial Lawyers Association as one of the Top 40 Attorneys Under 40 in South Carolina. He is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In addition to his service in professional organizations, Ben is an active member of Crosstowne Christian Church and serves as chair of the board of directors of Healing Farms. He lives in West Ashley with his wife, Apryl, their two daughters, and a son.

Our firm’s founder and principal, Jody McKnight is a Personal Injury Attorney and a native of Charleston, S.C. He attended the University of South Carolina, and earned his B.A. in Political Science in 1987; as well as his law degree, Juris Doctorate in 1993. Jody McKnight as well as his entire team at McKnight Law Firm works hard for the people of the State of South Carolina every day to above all, “balance the scales of justice.”

Jeffrey Tennyson is a practicing lawyer in the state of Wyoming handling personal injury matters.

A co-founder of the firm of Dudley & Lake, Mr. Dudley handles complex medical malpractice and personal injury litigation. He has obtained numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in counties throughout Illinois. Many of these results have represented the highest jury verdict or settlement in that county’s history. Mr. Dudley serves on the Executive Committee for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and is the Second Vice President for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. He has been recognized as one of the top 100 lawyers in the State of Illinois by both Illinois Super Lawyers and Illinois Leading Lawyers.