Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

Dr. Bruce G. Fagel

Dr. Bruce G. Fagel is an attorney and physician who represents plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases against doctors and hospitals exclusively on behalf of injured patients. His practice focuses on complex medical malpractice cases resulting in catastrophic injuries. He has obtained over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements, including the largest medical malpractice award in California history ($460 million). He has been nominated eight times for the Trial Lawyer of the Year award by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and is honored as a California Super Lawyer. He practiced emergency medicine for 10 years before becoming a lawyer and maintains his California medical license. He helps victims in California and Nevada and represents clients throughout the United States with local counsel.

Steven Zwick

Steven Zwick is passionate about attaining justice for his clients and has spent his entire career representing people in need throughout the State of California. He has tried an abundance of cases during his 40 years as an attorney and settled many claims resulting in millions of dollars in recovery. Steven’s commitment to providing value is demonstrated by his willingness to always be accessible to his clients while delivering expertise, integrity, and tenacity. As a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States, he devotes his practice to fighting for those who are inexperienced in the system, the language, and the rules insurance companies use. Steven is admitted to practice in the State of California, and he obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. He is a member of the Orange County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Consumer Attorneys of California. Steven is admitted and qualified to represent clients in all the Federal District Courts, every Superior Court within the State of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court. He is active in his local community and supports a number of charities devoted to human rights and our military veterans, including volunteering at Camp Pendleton by distributing food and supplies to active military and their families. When he is not in the office or volunteering in the community, Steven enjoys scuba diving, traveling, dining, as well as going to the movies and attending sporting events with his family.

Edwin B. Brown

Mr. Brown has been a litigator for over 37 years. For over 25 years he was a senior partner in a mid-size firm and has handled numerous jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations and mediations. Mr. Brown has handled cases involving personal and work injuries, insurance coverage, breach of contract, premises liability, malpractice, product liability and wrongful death. Mr. Brown has prepared and argued scores of appeals to the California Appellate Courts, California Supreme Court and Ninth District Federal Court of Appeals. One of Mr. Brown’s cases before the California Supreme Court clarified a retail store owner’s duty to patrons when faced with a robbery in progress. (Kentucky Fried Chicken v. Superior Court (1997) 14 Cal.4th 814. In another case Mr. Brown argued to the California Supreme Court, the court determined the protection that should be given to “Good Samaritans” who to try to help at the scene of accidents. (Van Horn v. Watson (2008) 45 Cal.4th 322). Mr. Brown has extended his practice to include helping immigrants seeking work visas or citizenship, federal employees who have employment concerns and defending people charged with crimes.

Dr. Devon Fagel

Dr. Devon M. Fagel is an attorney and physician who graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Health System. He is licensed to practice law in California, New York, Connecticut, and Nevada. He has worked as a medical malpractice attorney on both coasts, representing injured plaintiffs and accused physicians. Dr. Fagel is also a neurobiologist who completed a four-year NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship in perinatal brain injuries at the Yale Child Study Center. He authored a groundbreaking article on postnatal neurogenesis and therapeutic hypothermia. He brings legal, medical, and scientific expertise to his client representation. He graduated cum laude from UCLA in 1999, earned his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 2001, and his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine in 2014. His medical studies have been published in academic journals, and his advocacy work has appeared in national publications.

Vadim Braslavsky

Vadim Braslavsky joined The Law Offices of Bruce G. Fagel after many years of representing individual and institutional healthcare providers in medical malpractice and related matters. He focuses on complex medical issues and catastrophic injuries. Prior to law, Vadim was trained as a Physician Assistant. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Rochester, graduating cum laude and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where he served as an associate editor of Berkeley Technology Law Journal. He was selected to the list of Southern California Super Lawyers in 2013 and 2014, representing the top 5% of practicing attorneys. He is admitted to practice before all California state courts, including the California Supreme Court, as well as the United States District Court for the Central and Eastern Districts of California.

Richard Akemon

Richard Akemon concentrated his practice in medical malpractice law on behalf of plaintiffs only. He was an important part of The Law Offices of Dr. Bruce Fagel & Associates since joining the firm in 1984. Mr. Akemon represented victims in serious medical malpractice matters including brain injury, birth injury, cancer, wrongful death, and other catastrophic injuries. He was a highly skilled attorney and was well respected by his clients, colleagues and adversaries. Before joining the firm, he represented physicians, hospitals and healthcare corporations in medical malpractice cases. He was a member of several legal associations and served as a Judge Pro Tem for Long Beach Municipal Court from 1980-1984. He received his B.S. and J.D. from Western State University and was admitted to practice law in California and before the U.S. District Court in 1973. He was also an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and held a private pilot’s license.

Brenden Leib

Brenden Leib is an attorney at The Law Offices of Bruce G. Fagel and Associates, representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases against doctors and hospitals. His practice focuses on complex medical malpractice cases resulting in catastrophic injuries caused by healthcare provider negligence. He was honored in Super Lawyer Magazine as a 2022 Super Lawyer - Rising Star, an award given to only 5% of attorneys under 40. He received his law degree from Marquette University in 2015, where he was a member of the Marquette Sports Law Review and clerked for Judge Rudolph Randa. He spent 6 years as an associate for a top-tier medical malpractice defense firm in Milwaukee, WI, before joining Fagel Law.