District of Columbia

Ben Crump

Washington, DC

Listed amongst the Most Influential People of 2021 by TIME100, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, and the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, Attorney Ben Crump is referred to as Black America’s Attorney General. Through a steadfast dedication to justice and service, renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Benjamin Crump has established himself as one of the nation’s foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice. His legal acumen has ensured that those marginalized in American society are protected by their nation’s contract with its constituency. He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law. Crump’s tireless advocacy has led to legislation preventing excessive force and developing implicit bias training and policies. He has represented families in several high-profile civil rights cases including Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Stephon Clark. He also represented victims in the Holtzclaw Oklahoma City Police rape case and worked on the Robbie Tolan excessive police force case. More recently, he represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, the residents of Flint, Michigan, who were affected by the poisoned water of the Flint River, as well as the family of Henrietta Lacks in a landmark reparations case. Crump has helped reach historic settlements and verdicts for families that have faced injustices, including a $411 million verdict for Duane Washington, a $641 million settlement for Flint, Michigan, a $27 million settlement for George Floyd's family, a $12 million settlement for Breonna Taylor's family, and over $200 million in banking while Black cases. Crump is the President of the National Civil Rights Trial Lawyers Association and previously served as President of the National Bar Association. He was the first African-American to chair the Florida State University College of Law Board of Directors and is the founder and director of the Benjamin Crump Social Justice Institute. In 2023, the College of Law at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, became the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law. He has been recognized with the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award, the SCLC Martin Luther King Servant Leader Award, the American Association for Justice Johnnie Cochran Award, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Eleanor Roosevelt Medallion for Service. He hosted legal docudramas and served as executive producer and writer for a documentary. He is a frequent contributor to MSNBC, CNN, and USA Today. Crump’s book, published in October 2019, Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People, reflects on the landmark cases he has battled, and how discrimination in the courthouse devastates real families and communities. Crump graduated from Florida State University and received his law degree from FSU College of Law. He is married to Dr. Genae Angelique Crump.

Jonathan Schochor

Washington, DC

Jonathan Schochor is a founding partner and chairman at Schochor, Staton, Goldberg & Cardea, P.A. He has practiced law continuously since 1971, focusing on medical negligence cases for 48 years. He has recovered over a billion dollars for clients and has been involved in thousands of medical malpractice cases. He spearheaded the Levy Class Action settlement for $190 million and led the Almaraz case, establishing a new legal precedent for HIV disclosure by healthcare providers. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University (1968) and American University School of Law (1971). He is a frequent lecturer and mentor, and supports charitable organizations.

Steven D. Silverman

Washington, DC

Steven D. Silverman is the managing partner with thirty years of litigation experience in federal and state courts. He is recognized as one of the most able trial lawyers and negotiators in Maryland, with an extraordinary record of success in complex civil and high-profile criminal litigation. He has been recognized as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in Maryland for 12 consecutive years by The American Association of Trial Lawyers and named a U.S. News Best Lawyer in America for civil litigation.

Paul D'Amore

Washington, DC

Paul received a Bachelor of Science degree in business finance from Boston University’s School of Management in 1992 and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University’s School of Law in 1997. Paul began his legal career as an Assistant Prosecutor for the State of New Jersey. Thereafter, he spent 8 years successfully defending corporations, doctors, nurses and hospitals in Maryland and Washington, D.C. against claims of negligence. After a decade of successful practice, Paul decided he would rather help real people instead of the rich hospitals and insurance companies that once retained him. He resigned his partnership at a prestigious defense firm, and began working as a personal injury lawyer serving injured people in their fight for justice against the very hospitals, corporations and insurance companies that once retained him. Since then, Paul has obtained tens of millions of dollars in compensation for his injured clients and their families. The results that Paul has achieved for his injured clients have earned him recognition as a Super Lawyer, a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and Life Membership in the Million Dollar and Multi Million Dollar Advocates Forums.

Peter DePaolis

Washington, DC

Peter C. DePaolis has exclusively represented personal injury victims in Virginia and the District of Columbia since 1980. He specializes in cases involving automobile collisions, truck accidents, defective products, medical malpractice, and asbestos-related cancers. He graduated from Lafayette College in 1971 and George Washington University Law Center in 1976. He has received numerous awards including Washingtonian Top Lawyers Hall of Fame, Virginia Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in America.

Michael M. Wilson

Washington, DC

Dr. Michael M. Wilson is an attorney and physician with legal and medical degrees from Georgetown University. He has focused on medical malpractice law for more than 30 years and has won over $100 million in settlements and verdicts. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is listed in America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators.