Miami, FL

John Elliott Leighton

John Elliott Leighton is a board-certified trial lawyer and the Managing Partner of Leighton Panoff Law, P.A., with offices in Miami and Orlando, Florida. He has 40 years of experience successfully trying major personal injury and wrongful death cases, and has won some of the largest verdicts and settlements in Florida, including a $49 million verdict and two $24 million verdicts. He is recognized as a national expert in negligent security and violent crime litigation, authoring 'Litigating Premises Security Cases'. He received the Advocate of Justice Award from the National Crime Victim Bar Association and was recently elected President of the National Crime Victim Bar Association. He is a frequent lecturer and teacher at legal programs, including ATLA’s 'Ultimate Trial Advocacy College' at Harvard Law School. Mr. Leighton believes in educating the public and giving back to the community, regularly appearing on media outlets like NBC’s Today show and CNN. He continues to represent victims of sexual assault and sex abuse. He recently received the Daily Business Review 2015 'Verdicts Hall of Fame Award' and American Lawyer Media’s 'Top 100 Verdicts of 2017' and National Law Journal’s 'Elite Trial Lawyer Top 50 Verdicts' in 2018. He also represents victims of legal malpractice. He has served as Chairman of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America’s Motor Vehicle, Highway and Premises Liability Section, chairs the Inadequate Security Litigation Group, and sat on the Executive Committee of the National College of Advocacy Board of Trustees. He is Chairman of the Academy of Trial Advocacy and President of the National Crime Victim Bar Association. He is a member of ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates) and has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America continuously since 2008. He has been voted into Florida SuperLawyers every year since 2006 and was honored as one of the Top 100 Florida SuperLawyers since 2009. He has been selected as a 'Top Lawyer' in the South Florida Legal Guide for 13 consecutive years and is listed in Florida Trend magazine’s 'Florida Legal Elite.' He was named 'Orlando Legal Elite' by Orlando Style magazine three years in a row. He has an A-V preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell and a 10.0/10 rating from AVVO.com. He is a board certified specialist in civil trial law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He received both his J.D. and B.A. degrees with honors from the University of Florida.

Sean M. Cleary

Sean M. Cleary is a highly skilled personal injury trial attorney with 28 years of experience, having handled hundreds of jury and bench trials in Florida State and Federal Courts, as well as other states. He focuses on serious personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and product liability cases. He has recovered over $300 million for clients, including multi-million dollar verdicts. Cleary is recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America since 2017 for Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice, a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (2023), and a Florida Super Lawyer since 2014. He is also recognized as one of America's Top 100 Medical Malpractice Litigators and Personal Injury Lawyers since 2010. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

Adam J. Zayed

Adam J. Zayed is the founder and managing trial attorney of Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys, a nationally recognized and award-winning personal injury trial attorney. Since the firm's formation in 2009, he has recovered over $50 million for clients. He specializes in trucking negligence, car accidents, highway accidents, medical malpractice, premises liability, product liability, construction accidents, and wrongful death. Mr. Zayed holds an undergraduate degree from Loyola University Chicago (High Honors), a Juris Doctor from Notre Dame School of Law, and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (dean's list). He is licensed in Illinois and the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar, and has handled cases in numerous states including Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, California, Alabama, Arizona, and Texas.

Manuel L. Dobrinsky

Since 1998, Manuel L. Dobrinsky has assisted hundreds of clients in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and auto accident matters. Manuel has achieved numerous verdicts and settlements that individually exceeded a million dollars. On two occasions, Manuel was named “Most Effective Lawyer in South Florida” (medical malpractice and class action litigation) by the “Daily Business Review.” Manuel began his legal career as an associate with Holland & Knight in Miami, where he specialized in commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense. He also worked on significant civil rights matters such as the widely known Rosewood v. State of Florida case and on one of the largest housing discrimination cases in the nation. In 1994, Manuel was appointed as an Assistant Federal Public Defender where he represented clients in federal criminal litigation and appellate work entailing white-collar, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO), and conspiracy cases. In that capacity, he tried more than thirty cases to verdict and handled numerous evidentiary hearings. Manuel is a Florida Bar Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney. He is Peer Rated “AV Preeminent” for the Highest Level of Professional Excellence by Martindale-Hubbell and is consistently recognized in the annual Best Lawyers in America, Florida Super Lawyers Magazine, Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, and the South Florida Legal Guide as one of Florida’s top personal injury attorneys. He is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA.) Manuel is fluent in Spanish, serves as an instructor for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and has lectured and written articles on various legal topics. Presently, Manuel is the Immediate Past Board President of Legal Services of Greater Miami and serves on the Professionalism panel for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. He is a Past President of the Miami-Dade Justice Association and has served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Justice Association. Manuel also served on the Ad Hoc Committee on Attorney Admissions, Peer Review, and Attorney Grievance for the Southern District of Florida. As a testament to his stellar reputation in the legal community, Manuel was named the 2023 Best Lawyers® Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs “Lawyer of the Year” in Miami, Florida. Each year Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” recognizes the individual with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for that specialty and location. In addition, since 2009 Manuel has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Litigation-Plaintiffs. Manuel was selected as a Lifetime Achievement Honoree for South Florida Business & Wealth’s (SFBW) First-Annual 2021 Legal Awards. Since 2006, he has been recognized each year by Florida Super Lawyers® as a Top-Rated Personal Injury Attorney and has been listed in the Top 100: Miami Super Lawyers® and Top 100: Florida Super Lawyers® by Super Lawyers® Magazine.

James L. Ferraro is the Founding Shareholder & President of Ferraro Law, with over 40 years of experience representing clients nationwide in high-stakes cases, particularly in asbestos exposure, personal injury, environmental law, and wrongful death. He has achieved landmark verdicts, including the largest compensatory award in Florida for a mesothelioma case in 1995 and a record-breaking national compensatory jury verdict for a non-malignant asbestos case in 1997. He made legal history in 1996 by successfully prosecuting DuPont for causing a birth defect. A former Certified Public Accountant, he brings a strategic business perspective to complex litigation. He is also a committed educator, author of 'Blindsided,' and a philanthropist, having donated over $25 million to charities.

Jason M. Melton

Jason M. Melton is a partner at Whittel & Melton, LLC, specializing in personal injury and criminal law. He is a former State Juvenile Prosecutor and a founding member of the National Academy of Motorcycle Injury Lawyers. He is admitted to practice in Florida and the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida.

Robin I. Bresky

Robin I. Bresky is founder and president of Bresky Law, a boutique firm in Boca Raton that focuses on appellate law, trusts & estates and corporate transactions. Bresky focuses her practice on appeals and litigation support for civil, commercial, personal injury, family law and criminal matters. She is admitted to practice law in Florida and in federal courts including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Immediately prior to starting her own firm in 2000, Bresky served as a state prosecutor in Broward County.