Over three decades ago, Douglas E. Fierberg expanded his trial practice in Washington D.C. beyond vehicle accidents, premises liability, and catastrophic personal injury cases, to establish and include the only legal practice representing school violence victims and survivors nationwide. As the leading law firm that developed this field, we have successfully represented clients in some of the most high-profile cases related to these issues. Unlike other law firms, we have established precedent up to the U.S. Supreme Court and created systemic change for our clients, leading Inside Higher Ed to report that “Fierberg is leading one of the most significant college discipline lawsuits in higher education.” If you’re evaluating lawyers to represent you, ask the attorneys you’re interviewing if they have successfully initiated ground-breaking lawsuits in this particular field of law that have received this distinction and caused one of the largest public universities in the country to petition – and lose before – the Supreme Court in requesting relief from its losses and the precedent set in the federal trial and appellate courts.
Our lawyers create, and then lead, legal teams that merge our national expertise with the capabilities of local attorneys to get you the best legal representation. Our attorneys have the training, experience, and confidence necessary to overcome tough legal obstacles and well-heeled lawyers, wherever located. California? Multiple wins (reforms and monetary) for our clients. New York? Multiple wins. Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado . . . won, won, won. We do keep score because what matters so much to our clients truly matters to everyone associated with this law firm. We are very particular in selecting the people and issues we represent, and how such representation advances compelling rights and values shared by the client, the firm, and its attorneys. We do not ascribe to Alan Dershowitz’ mansplain that since everyone deserves a lawyer, great attorneys are free from any moral judgments or constraints when determining who to represent.
We have obtained and collected over $375 Million in verdicts and settlements against individuals, corporations, fraternities, educational institutions, enablers, liars, and con-apologists responsible for harming our clients. While financial recoveries are important, and it is not unusual for firms to tout such results, we take great pride in our unmatched record of establishing legal precedent in numerous states, in both Federal and State Courts, obtaining non-economic concessions and accommodations from Defendants, and creating meaningful legacies and foundations for our clients.
We established the legal specialty, going so far as to create the first and only national school violence practice groups within the American Association for Justice (“AAJ”) and the National Crime Victim Bar Association (“NCVBA”).
Our legal team has the training, experience, and confidence necessary to overcome tough legal obstacles and well-heeled lawyers. If we are not licensed to practice in the state where tragedy has occurred, we obtain special permission to practice and associate ourselves with qualified local trial counsel – combining local attorneys with national expertise – giving you the best legal representation.
The law firm worked hard to put this team together for two principal reasons: We believe in our clients, and we believe our clients’ pursuit of justice must be supported by intelligent, trained, passionate firepower.
Parents and victims justly demand that comprehensive changes be imposed upon those who caused or failed to prevent their trauma. We have sought and secured enforceable concessions from defendants designed to make institutions better managed and safer, allowing personal legacies to endure. We have compelled schools to make their campuses safe by investigating claims of sexual assault, disclosing risk information to the public, holding fair and lawful hearings, punishing perpetrators, and protecting and accommodating survivors by waiving tuition and housing costs, implementing academic accommodations and stay-away orders, revising victims’ grades and transcripts, complying with Title IX, state law, and university regulations, and generally, act responsibly towards victims of such tragedies.