On the Pulse...Our Jacksonville, Florida, Office

Jacksonville, which is centered on the banks of the St. Johns River in northeast Florida, is the largest city in area in the continental United States and is a rapidly growing metropolitan city with approximately 850,000 residents. The city's riverine location is home to two U.S. Navy bases and the Port of Jacksonville, Florida's third largest seaport, with a transportation network embracing port and air cargo facilities and rail and trucking routes. Jacksonville's convenient location, mild climate, reasonable cost of living, high quality of life and status as an intermodal transportation hub make it a popular location for corporate expansions and relocations.

In 2003, the Executive Committee recognized Jacksonville's promise as part of the firm's continuing strategic expansion into Florida. After a long courtship, on July 1, 2004, Marshall Dennehey acquired the long-standing and reputable Jacksonville defense litigation firm of Obringer, DeCandio & Oosting. It was an ideal merger. The Obringer DeCandio firm brought an established presence to Marshall Dennehey in the Jacksonville area, which has proven critical to the firm's growing market share in the northeastern region of Florida.

Three of the five shareholders of the Obringer DeCandio firm remain a core presence in the Jacksonville office - Michael Obringer, Michael DeCandio and Tom Roberts.

Michael Obringer, a member of the Casualty Department, has been practicing law for over 35 years, the last 20 of which have been devoted to insurance defense litigation. Michael focuses in two main practice areas. He tries significant product liability cases involving catastrophic damage and/or serious injury or death, and defends doctors, dentists, hospitals and their employees in malpractice suits. To date, Michael has tried over 300 cases to verdict and continues to grow an active litigation practice.

Michael DeCandio, a certified court mediator and former Jacksonville assistant state attorney, has also been practicing law in the Jacksonville area for over 30 years. He focuses on complex construction and design professional litigation, as well as major personal injury litigation. He is a member of the Professional Liability Department and head of the firm's construction defect litigation practice in the Jacksonville office.

The majority of Tom Roberts' practice is in the defense of errors and omissions claims against architects, engineers and surveyors. As well, Tom has extensive experience defending all sides in construction defect litigation, design professionals incident to construction accidents and contractors involved in high-dollar property damage claims resulting from storms, accidents and design failures. Many of the matters that Tom handles stem from condominium warranty litigation, multi-family housing defect issues and hospitality industry construction defect claims. Tom's education in civil engineering has lead to his involvement in numerous site civil design lawsuits, including flooding and uneconomic design claims.

Michael and Tom's market presence in construction litigation not only dominates the northeastern region of Florida, but transcends the entire state. They are invaluable resources to the firm's Professional Liability Department in the areas of construction and design professional litigation.

Later in 2004, Pamela St. John Lynde, a member of the Casualty Department, joined our Jacksonville office. Litigation has consistently been the primary focus of Pam's 23-year law career. She concentrates her practice in the areas of motor vehicle negligence, premises liability and products liability. This includes defending trucking companies and individuals in motor vehicle negligence actions, as well as supermarkets, grocery stores and other retailers in premises liability actions. Pam occasionally works with law firms defending legal malpractice claims. She also has significant experience representing nursing homes and adult living facilities involving negligence and wrongful death cases. Pam recently expanded her practice in the area of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA") litigation.

In 2007, John Viggiani, shareholder in the Professional Liability Department, joined the office. John handles a wide variety of matters, ranging from defending construction accident and defect cases on behalf of contractors and subcontractors, and premises liability cases for two nationally known property owners and managers, to litigating cases involving rental car companies and the application of the Graves Amendment. During his career, John has also handled products liability and negligent security claims and issues. He has tried numerous cases to verdict and is one of the most active litigators in the office. Complementing John's demanding litigation practice is his skill and passion for marketing, which has benefited the Jacksonville office, and the firm.

The office gained another impact attorney in 2007 with the addition of Tashia Small. Tashia actually joined the firm in 2006 as a file clerk while she was in her third year of law school. After passing the Florida Bar, she continued her career with Marshall Dennehey as an associate in the Casualty Department. Tashia's primary areas of practice include automobile , professional , general and premises liability and construction defect litigation. Through her active participation in local, civic and charitable organizations, Tashia has developed a positive reputation in the community, which has also benefited the firm's goodwill.

Although I am the last attorney to become a member the Jacksonville office, I joined Marshall Dennehey in 2004 after my retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps. I began my career with the firm as a member of the Casualty Department in the Akron, Ohio, office where I became involved in all types of civil litigation. In January 2010, the Executive Committee offered me the opportunity to serve as the managing attorney for the Jacksonville office. After much deliberation, support from my family and the minor detail of passing the Florida Bar exam, we relocated to Jacksonville in July 2010, where I had the privilege of becoming the newest attorney in the office. In Florida, my practice focuses on transportation negligence, premises liability, products liability, construction defect matters, design professional negligence and condominium and homeowner's association litigation. Also, in partnership with our New York and Philadelphia offices, I have expanded my practice in the areas of admiralty and maritime law to include cargo recovery matters and maritime personal injury cases. This promises to be a growing line of work for the Florida market, especially considering the state's seaport presence.

The Jacksonville office is fortunate to have a highly qualified construction paralegal - Landor R. (Lenny) Angulo. Lenny, who was a paralegal with the Obringer DeCandio firm, joined Marshall Dennehey in 2004 with the merger. As a result of his background, both academically and professionally, Lenny brings a dimension to the defense of construction and design claims that enhances our in-house service to clients and carriers. With a bachelor's degree in construction management, Lenny has unique experience in analyzing plans, specifications and scheduling, as well as jurisdictional requirements in multiple disciplines. His presence and capabilities allow us to provide expert, quality analysis and focus on a given file prior to retention of more expensive outside experts. While Lenny's office is in Jacksonville, he serves as a valuable resource to the entire firm.

The attorneys and paralegals in the Jacksonville office are complimented by an incredible and dedicated support staff which is managed by Michelle (Missy) Winstead. Although a recent addition to the office, Missy, a long-time resident of Jacksonville, has made an immediate and positive impact on the office with her experience and skills.

Jacksonville's stature in the national and international marketplace promises to be an exciting and expanding market for Marshall Dennehey. The Jacksonville office practices aggressive, well-prepared defense litigation by lawyers who are accessible, practical and highly experienced. Like all of the firm's regional offices, we gain from the support and synergism of a large and diverse defense litigation firm, but we particularly benefit from the culture and best practices espoused by Marshall Dennehey. As the economic outlook for northeastern Florida shows promise of strength and growth, so, too, does the Jacksonville office.

I encourage you to visit the firm's website at www.marshalldennehey.com for an in-depth description of each attorney's background and experience. I also welcome you to call me or any of the attorneys in this office if you have questions or need assistance. Our office is located at 200 West Forsyth Street, Suite 1400, Jacksonville, Florida 32202. My direct telephone number is (904) 358-4234, and our facsimile number is (904) 355-0019.

*Marty is a shareholder and the managing attorney of our Jacksonville, Florida, office. He can be reached at (904) 358-4234 or jhsitler@mdwcg.com.

Defense Digest, Vol. 17, No. 1, March 2011