Christian D. "Chris" Searcy, Sr.

CHRISTIAN D. SEARCY is president and CEO of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. and writes and lectures extensively about civil trial practice, personal injury and wrongful death. For 46 years he has litigated cases primarily involving catastrophic injury and death in venues throughout Florida as well as in other states. At age 29, he had the distinction of being the youngest lawyer in the United States to achieve a verdict of $1 million for a single personal injury lawsuit.

In 2006, Mr. Searcy was one of only two lawyers in the country to receive the War Horse Award from the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, honoring his outstanding skill as a trial advocate and his extraordinary contributions to the cause of justice. In 2005, the Florida Justice Association, formerly known as the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, honored Mr. Searcy with its Perry Nichols Award, the highest honor it bestows, in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding service to the cause of justice.

Mr. Searcy is vice president of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Foundation and past president of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a worldwide organization limited by invitation to just 500 attorneys. He is named in The Best Lawyers in America, an independent study by Harvard trained attorneys; is included as one of the Florida Legal Elite in Florida Trend magazine; and is named as a top lawyer in South Florida Legal Guide. He is a Lawdragon Legend, listed in Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America more than ten times and a member of the Lawdragon 500 Hall of Fame.

Other Searcy memberships of distinction include The Inner Circle of Advocates, which limits its membership to the top 100 trial lawyers in the United States, by invitation only; the American College of Trial Lawyers, also by invitation only; and the International Society of Barristers, by invitation only to 500 of the top trial lawyers in the world. Mr. Searcy is a senior fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a trial lawyer honorary society limited to less than one-half of one percent of North American lawyers.

Mr. Searcy is a past president of the Florida Justice Association, where he currently serves on the Constitutional Revision Committee, and is a member of the Florida Bar Association. He is Board Certified in Civil Litigation by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification, formerly known as the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and is a member of the National Center for State Courts. A past president of The National Trial Lawyers, he is a diplomate of the American Association for Justice, formerly known as the American Trial Lawyers Association; an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates; and a member of the board of trustees of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society.

After earning a B.A. with distinction from the University of Virginia, Mr. Searcy received his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law, graduating in the top ten percent of his class. He is an emeritus member of both the board of overseers of Stetson University College of Law and the board of directors of the College Foundation of the University of Virginia. He is a member of the University of Virginia Jefferson Scholars Regional Selection Committee for Palm Beach, the Alumni Association of the University of Virginia Board of Managers, and The Rotunda Society of the University of Virginia.

Mr. Searcy’s personal philosophy of advocacy for those in need has made its mark on South Florida, where he supports numerous non-profit organizations committed to helping persons with disabilities, improving education, and advancing community causes.