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WHEN IT MATTERS The trial lawyers at Votava Nantz & Johnson specialize in claims involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death. It attorneys have consistently secured for their clients many verdicts and settlements totaling millions of dollars since the law firm was founded. We focus on cases involving trucking and commercial motor vehicle crashes, worksite and construction accidents, bad faith insurance claims and other cases involving death or catastrophic injury. Call or email us when you or a loved one suffers injury or is killed due to someone else’s negligence. We happily provide free consultations to potential clients. Contact us at 816.895.8800 or help@vnjlaw.com to request your FREE consultation to get started.

Eric started Jones Law Group in 2007 right after he graduated from law school. He has extensive legal experience with Social Security Disability and the healthcare industry. Eric also served as Special Counsel to the Ohio Attorney for 12 consecutive years. Prior to attending law school Eric served as Vice President ofr an Ohio hospital where he was responsible for physician contracting, recruitment and relations. During law school Eric was the Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Managed Care for O.D.J.F.S. where his responsibilities included designing, implementing, and regulating the statewide expansion of Medicaid Managed Care. Eric also served as legal assistant to the General Counsel of the Ohio State Medical Association. Currently, Eric devotes much of his practice Social Security disability, civil litigation and representing health care providers. Eric is a recipient of the Capital University Law School G.O.L.D. award. The G.O.L.D Award is given annually to a Capital University Law School JD “Graduate of the Last Decade” who has made significant achievements as an attorney and has made notable contributions to the legal profession and/or the Law School. Eric has proudly to served as a Board Member of the OhioHealth Foundation and as a member of the Community Board of COSI. Eric earned his bachelor degree from Ohio University (B.S., 1995) and continued his higher education by receiving both his Master of Business Administration and his law degree from Capital University.

Marsh Law Firm focuses our legal practice exclusively on representing survivors of sexual abuse and discrimination. We pride ourselves on being survivor focused, trauma informed, and justice-oriented lawyers. We advocate for our clients both in and out of the courtroom to secure justice and hold perpetrators and the institutions that enable abuse accountable. Our legal team understands that disclosing sexual abuse is an incredibly difficult process. Our goal is to work closely with each of our clients and approach each situation with empathy, respect, and understanding. Our first promise to our clients is that we will support them throughout their healing journey. Marsh Law Firm has a robust legal practice in New York and Pennsylvania. Our attorneys have substantial experience handling claims involving childhood sexual abuse, including claims against the Catholic Church and other institutions, adult sexual abuse, as well as online sexual exploitation and child sex abuse material (CSAM). Our attorneys represent survivors of campus sexual assault and discrimination in educational settings at the K-12, college, or university level, state and federal administrative proceedings, and in the courts. Marsh Law Firm celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive atmosphere that is welcoming to all. We help survivors rebuild their lives with dignity and respect through comprehensive legal representation. Contact us today for a free legal consultation.

Richard has been in private practice since 1968 and has tried numerous civil and criminal cases in his 40 plus year career. Although he no longer practices criminal law, he successfully defended two capital murder clients in back to back trials within the first year of passing the bar. Richard exclusively represents injured people, and has never represented insurance companies or corporations. He has obtained verdicts and settlements from $10 million on down.

Brian Custy is no stranger to hard work, securing his first paying job in rural Colorado after 2nd grade working in grain elevators and maintaining physical jobs through college including drilling water wells, maintaining government wildlife property, and fencing acreage throughout the Rocky Mountains. He carried this work ethic through undergrad where he studied Civil Engineering while starting all 4 years on the varsity football team. Brian then attended law school where he earned scholarships based on his academic performance and graduated among the top 10 students in his law class. Following law school, Brian secured a position with a well-known Indiana and Illinois personal injury firm, where he was closely mentored and assisted the firm founder in obtaining a significant verdict in his first jury trial. Brian then accepted a position with Sidley Austin in Chicago, one of the largest and most prestigious international law firms in the world, where he represented major institutional clients including Wall Street investment banks. Desiring to be closer to his growing family and help people, Brian began representing one of Indiana’s most successful entrepreneurs and his business and personal interests before he founded Custy Law Firm. Brian was accepted to and attended the prestigious Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College in 2016. The Trial Lawyers College was established by legendary trial lawyer Gerry Spence to train attorneys who represent people and not insurance companies, the government or large corporations. He enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 boys, the outdoors, coaching his sons’ sports teams and working out. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire Please describe a case(s) in the last year or two where you made a big difference. We’ve recently helped Clients obtain successful results in cases that other attorneys previously handled, referred over or brought us into including: - $550,000 recovered for client injured in car wreck in a case referred in by a local injury attorney; - $500,000 recovered for client hit by commercial motor vehicle after attorneys who filed the case quit and many others refused to get involved; and - $300,000 jury verdict for injured railroad worker after original union designated counsel quit the case. How did you build a successful practice? We provide the harmed with real, honest representation built on human interaction and trust. By always striving to adhere to these core principles, our Clients will be served well and our practice will benefit. What should clients look for in a lawyer? Clients should listen to their gut when selecting a lawyer to entrust with their case and lives. Clients come to us with difficult and life-changing problems that they did not create and have suffered financial losses and have often had valuable health and freedom to enjoy their lives taken from them.  Clients should ask themselves: Do I trust the lawyer? Does the lawyer listen to me? Can I communicate freely and openly with the lawyer? Does the lawyer care? If the answers to these questions are all “yes”, then the lawyer is likely one that will serve the Client’s best interests first and foremost.  Oftentimes, legal matters can take time to resolve, especially if a trial is needed to obtain a fair outcome. The strong Client and lawyer relationship is a close personal one. What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community? We focus on the Client and understanding the impact of the event at issue on the lives of them and their Family. By working to understand the true story of their situation, we are able to provide powerful and effective representation by sharing the truth with a jury or the other side.   What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? Helping people who cannot help themselves through trying situations is a reward in and of itself. We often come to know our clients as friends, we spend time with them and their Families. These relationships allow us to learn and effectively share the truth of their case with jurors, judges or insurance companies as if we were telling the story of a close family member who has been harmed. Gerry Spence teaches that we cannot ask a juror to do something we will not. If we do not care about our Client and what has happened to them, we cannot ask a juror to do so. What are your other interests in addition to law? I enjoy the outdoors, being physically active, and spending time with my wife, our 3 boys and our family dog “Bandit.” Are you involved in your community? I’m an active coach of my son’s pop warner and flag football teams and a board member of Our Greater Good which focuses its efforts on improving opportunities for disadvantaged youth and strengthening family relationships.

Ryan Tatum grew up on the Tatum family farm and ranch in central Oregon, where he learned the importance of hard work. He moved to the Treasure Valley to attend Northwest Nazarene University and also attended Boise State University. He worked for the Payette County Sheriff’s Office from 2005 until he left in 2013 to finish his undergrad and attend law school. While at Payette County, Mr. Tatum worked as a Detention (jail) Deputy and then as a Patrol Deputy. Mr. Tatum was a Field Training Officer, Breath Testing Specialist, DUI Detection and Legal Update Trainer, and was certified in Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (A-RIDE). Mr. Tatum took calls for service of all types and specialized in DUI detection and testing. Many DUI impairments were due to alcohol, but Mr. Tatum also placed an emphasis on accurate determination of whether a driver was under the influence due to prescription drug(s) or illicit drug(s). Mr. Tatum was a resource to other officers dealing with suspected DUI-D (drugs) stops and administration of sobriety tests during Spanish language stops. Mr. Tatum led all in-county officers in both total arrests and DUI arrests in 2010, 2011, and 2012, yet he also strived to treat all individuals fairly, preserving not only incriminating evidence but also all evidence favorable to a defendant (exculpatory evidence). Mr. Tatum believed that his job as a law enforcement officer was to protect people, treat everyone fairly, and always tell the full truth about what had happened. In addition to local and administrative testimony, Mr. Tatum testified several times in federal district court on motions to suppress and at trials in cases resulting in sentences of greater than 30 years. Mr. Tatum completed a Bachelor of Science in Public Safety from Capella University, graduating Summa Cum Laude in September of 2014. In August of 2014, Mr. Tatum began law school. During the summer following his 1L year, Mr. Tatum interned at a local law office that practiced criminal defense and family law. Mr. Tatum was selected for a Summer Associate position with the same law office following his 2L year. In his 3L year, Mr. Tatum participated in the Criminal Law Clinic as a Prosecuting Extern through the Boise City Attorney’s Office, where he worked a partial deputy prosecutor’s caseload for academic credit. Like many law students, Mr. Tatum balanced studying and experiential classes with other obligations. These included staying involved in the lives of his four children, a part-time job, being a two-term President of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society Student Chapter, serving as President of the Student Bar Association, and serving in church leadership positions. Mr. Tatum graduated in the top third of his class and was admitted to the Idaho State Bar in 2017. In the fall of 2017, the Tatum family moved to Helena, MT. While in Helena, Mr. Tatum worked for the Department of Health and Human Services as a skilled and unskilled nursing home facility surveyor, auditing facilities and medical providers’ compliance with federal Medicare and Medicaid regulations as well as state regulations. When the opportunity arose to move back to the Boise area in 2018, the Tatum family did so, and Mr. Tatum accepted a position with another local law office where he practiced criminal defense and law enforcement officer representation until leaving to co-found Tatum Wysocki Law. Mr. Tatum is a member of the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association. Prior to the closure of Concordia University-Portland, which causing the closure of Concordia Law in Boise, he also served as a mentor for law students at Concordia Law, where he was also active with leadership of the alumni association. Mr. Tatum is a devoted father to his four children. They enjoy playing basketball and tennis, rafting, camping, floating the river, and attending the children’s numerous athletic events and musical or theatrical performances.

Mark is a trial attorney and founder of Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm where he represents individuals or families who have suffered an injury or the loss of a loved one. He has civil litigation experience in the areas of motor carrier/transportation liability (tractor-trailer wrecks), motor vehicle accidents, product liability, premises liability, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, employment discrimination, and insurance bad faith. Mark was voted as one of Georgia’s Elite Lawyers by his peers. He has also been voted by the people of the Columbus Community as a Reader’s Choice Award Winner in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Mark has litigated cases across the State of Georgia and other states including, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Texas and New Jersey. Garnering Courtroom Experience as a Former Prosecutor Mark’s career began at the Office of District Attorney where he prosecuted numerous cases and was specifically assigned to prosecute child victim crimes. Mark acted as lead prosecutor in over 50 jury trials in Superior Courts of Georgia with an astonishing success rate. Mark was a sole practitioner attorney for almost five years. In his sole practice, Mark gained extensive experience in representing the injured victim due to others' neglect. Mark, also, handled numerous criminal defense cases including the successful trial defense of an individual accused of murder. Additionally, Mark handled contested and complex domestic/divorce cases. All in all, Mark has developed a great skill in the presentation of his cases at trial. The History of Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm In January 2006, Mark was a founding partner of The Law Firm of Bennett and Casto. Mark’s practice focus on injured persons expanded to include personal injury, workers compensation, Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse, medical malpractice and employment discrimination claims. Ten years later, in April 2016, Mark founded Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm on the premise of providing superior service to his clients. Believing that it is hypocritical to sue medical doctors when also asking these doctors to care for his personal injury and worker’s compensation clients, Mark will not file a claim against a doctor for medical malpractice, but rather the hospital or other negligent parties. Successful Appellate Practice Mark also has handled numerous cases on appeal. He has argued in person before the Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals. He has never lost an appeal in which he was allowed to argue in person before the Appellate Judges.

Brett C. Drouet, Esq., is a sixth generation Southern Californian, who has served Southern, Central and Northern California clients for over two decades as a member of the California State Bar. Mr. Drouet is recognized as a litigator’s litigator, who is uniquely experienced in catastrophic personal injury and death actions for trauma victims in auto accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bus accidents, bicycle accidents, worksite accidents, DUI victim/plaintiff, construction defect, product liability and medical malpractice. Having represented Fortune 500 companies and major insurance companies’ insureds in thousands of catastrophic personal injury and death actions for over a decade, Mr. Drouet is a seasoned litigation veteran representing trauma victims, who have suffered life-changing injuries for over a decade. Traumatic, catastrophic personal injuries require an attorney with extensive, broad-based knowledge of evidence based medicine, treatment, and medical causation to best serve trauma victims, which is why Mr. Drouet is called upon to co-counsel and consult with other attorneys and law firms representing California trauma victims. Mr. Drouet has significant experience and expertise in product liability in catastrophic personal injury and death actions involving consumer products, chemical products, toxic substances, industrial products, industrial machinery, construction equipment, vehicles, tires, wheels, housing components, construction materials, and finished products. Mr. Drouet has substantial experience and practice in brain injury, loss of brain function, burn injury and Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome injuries.

For much of the past decade, Jeff has been recognized annually by his peers as a New York “Super Lawyer” (one of the Top 25 in Westchester County), and selected as one of US News & World Report’s “Best Lawyers in America” in the area of commercial litigation. He has also been named a lifetime member of “Elite Lawyers in America,” “The Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum,” and “Top Trial Lawyers in America.” He is a Fellow in the prestigious Litigation Counsel of America, and a member of the venerable American Bar Association Foundation. Jeff’s versatility with a wide array of subject matters has led to his handling of many high profile, difficult cases. Among other matters, Jeff successfully led the defense in federal court of a boat-builder wrongfully implicated in the “Ethan Allen” tragedy on Lake George in which twenty persons perished, winning summary judgment on the client’s behalf; prosecuted a $4.5 million jury verdict in Columbia County against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI); argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court the landmark consumer fraud class action, Lee v. Basic Research, which resulted in a unanimous, 9-0 opinion overturning the lower courts’ decisions denying class certification; and argued before the Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court the precedent setting case of Tyler v. Michaels which declared unlawful the collection of personal identifying information in connection with retail credit card transactions. Jeff’s reputation for excellent results and dogged preparation, make him a formidable adversary, regardless of which side of the aisle any particular dispute may place him. Jeff is no stranger to the Courtroom, and has successfully tried to verdict a diverse number of matters, including securing a defense verdict for Madison Square Garden and Amtrak in a federal jury trial in the Eastern District of New York; winning a multi-million dollar jury award in a state court breach of contract action in White Plains; prevailing in a nine month real estate fraud arbitration in New York City in which he recovered a multi-million dollar judgment; and securing on the eve of jury selection tens of millions of dollars for clients with catastrophic losses. Jeff’s experience in the sports, media and entertainment industries has also allowed for his successful handling of a variety of matters including claims of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, breach of television Executive Production Agreements, royalty disputes, and artist-management conflicts. Jeff has advised television broadcast journalists, senior media executives and executive producers on a wide range of issues concerning non-competes, first amendment rights, and compensation and severance disputes. Jeff led the successful prosecution of the wrongful death action of Baltimore Orioles’ pitcher Steve Bechler, helped extricate former light heavyweight World Champion boxer Reggie Johnson from an onerous promoter’s contract, and counseled the Estate of Tito Puente, the Latin Salsa King, in a misappropriation of name and likeness litigation. Jeff also spearheaded the successful prosecution of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) multimillion dollar breach of contract action against a sponsor of the US Open, as well as defended the USTA against a claim of disability discrimination which he successfully had dismissed, and successfully represented Heineken in a breach of contract action arising from a marketing services agreement. Jeff regularly counsels media and entertainment clients in contract negotiations, severance disputes, and intellectual property matters. Jeff’s skill with complex litigation has also helped the Firm to develop significant experience handling a diverse array of maritime and admiralty matters. Jeff has successfully defended boat builders, marinas, charter vessels, stevedores and other marine interests in both federal and state litigations throughout the Country. Among other successful outcomes, Jeff defended a marine terminal operator in a federal wrongful death action in Portland, Maine; represented a luxury yacht manufacturer in a premises liability action in federal court in New Jersey; defended a Manhattan sight-seeing tour operator against a personal injury claim; and handled a Society of Maritime Arbitrators (SMA) arbitration concerning the scope of a contractual indemnity between a terminal operator and a multinational transport company. The Firm’s experience includes handling claims arising under the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act, and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as well as prosecuting exoneration from and limitation of liability actions. Jeff is a cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, a graduate of Columbia Law School and began his career as a litigator at Cravath Swaine & Moore. He lives in West Harrison, New York, with his wife Lauren, a pediatrician, and their two children, one of whom works in New York City and the other who is attending college.

Melissa R. Chandy is a Partner with Pond Lehocky and has focused her practice exclusively on Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law since graduating from Penn State – Dickinson School of Law. Ms. Chandy was born and raised in Canada where she attended the University of Toronto and was accepted into a highly competitive Specialist Program in Commerce and Finance. Following law school, Ms. Chandy served as a law clerk for two Commissioners on the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board. She then joined a leading regional firm, where she developed her legal writing and trial advocacy skills. When Ms. Chandy joined Pond Lehocky, she continued to devote her time to protecting the rights of injured workers. While working at Pond Lehocky, Ms. Chandy earned the title of Partner. Additionally, she manages the brief writing department in the law firm. In this role, Ms. Chandy uses her knowledge to train and teach new associates the nuances of the brief writing processes, to ensure that from start to finish, Pond Lehocky cases are passionately and articulately argued. Ms. Chandy also plays an active role in Pond Lehocky’s Summer Associate and Clerkship Program.