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Find Lawyers in America for Railroad Law
Practice Area Overview
However, particular to railroads, therefore properly thought of as “Railroad Law,” is litigation in two areas of law: highway/railroad grade crossing litigation and occupational injury litigation under the Federal Employer's Liability Act (FELA), 45 U.S.C. §51, et seq.
Intersections between railroad traffic and highway traffic exist all over the country and are frequently the scene of collisions that result in serious personal injury and property damage, and commensurate litigation. Various provisions of state and federal law along with principles of physics, acoustics, and semiotics affect grade crossing litigation that make it an area of specialization.
A railroad whose business activity affects interstate commerce can be sued under the FELA by its employees who suffer injury from work that is performed in furtherance of interstate commerce. Effectively, this includes most railroads and all of their employees. Claims under the FELA are brought in lieu of claims under state workers’ compensation systems. The types of injuries for which railroads are sued under the FELA include “traumatic” injuries that occur from one or a few incidents and occupational diseases that are claimed to result from a long series of exposures to the disease-causing activity or substance. The FELA has been in effect for more than 100 years, and a specialized body of law has grown up around litigation under the Act.
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Gareth Aden has a broad range of trial experience developed from over four decades of practice. Gareth has tried multi-week cases in state and federal courts in Tennessee and throughout the Southeast. He has successfully represented clients from a broad range of industries, including railroad and transportation, insurance, real estate and construction, among many others.
Paul is a skilled trial attorney whose practice is focused on helping injured railroad workers obtain fair compensation under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. He understands the strategy and tactics required to level the playing field for his clients who bravely bring claims against multi-billion-dollar railroads. Paul excels at his trial work and has mastered the ability to artfully present his case to the jury during a trial, which is reflected in his most recent $8 million dolla...
While his current practice extends to different areas of tort litigation, José has represented families and individuals injured in railroad grade crossing collisions for most of his career. Before starting his own firm in 2011, he was an attorney with a renowned Kansas City law firm with a national practice in railroad litigation. Missouri Lawyer's Weekly has highlighted the results of José's work on several occasions, including his $3 million settlement of a private crossing co...
Tom concentrates on complex litigation matters, including wrongful death, toxic tort, asbestos, insurance defense, and product liability. In addition, Tom has a particular emphasis on railroad litigation, including Federal Employers’ Liability Act (“FELA”) cases. Tom joined the Law Firm of Knudsen, Berkheimer, Richardson & Endacott in 1987 and was made partner in 1991. While in Nebraska, he also served as Adjunct Professor in Trial Advocacy, Evidence and Civil Clinic at ...
Brad Belsome handles matters involving transportation law, specifically within the Rail Industry. He has represented a Class I Carrier in actions brought in the State and Federal courts of Louisiana, as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Court of Federal Claims, Office of Administrative Law Judges, OSHA, including: claims prosecuted pursuant to the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA), 45 U.S.C. § 51 et seq. (1908), the Federal Rail Safety Act (FRS...
During his four decades with Stuart & Branigin Tony has been witness to and participated in extensive changes to his firm, his community and his practice areas. Tony was recently elected by his partners to serve as the firm's first Managing Partner. He also currently serves as Secretary and General Counsel for Greater Lafayette Commerce, an umbrella agency promoting regional economic development with its goal to make West Central Indiana the "Place of Choice" for businesses, industry and ...
Melissa Foster Bird is a partner in Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s West Virginia office. She has served as lead trial counsel in more than 30 trials in state and federal courts in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia. Her experience includes representing clients in complex cases in the pharmaceutical, medical device, transportation, and chemical industries—including other manufacturers, retailers, and convenience stores—in some of the most difficult venues i...
Chris Cardwell is a trial lawyer in GSRM’s Litigation and Labor and Employment practice groups. He serves on the firm’s management, marketing and staff committees, and leads the Litigation and Labor and Employment practice groups. Chris represents life sciences, healthcare, railroad and transportation, and entertainment companies in complex commercial, employment, and intellectual property lawsuits.
Jim is Chairman of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. His primary practice areas include admiralty, business, cybersecurity, data privacy, railroad/transit, and unmanned systems. Jim has tried over 100 cases to jury verdicts for clients involving a broad range of legal disputes. Jim advises governing boards and senior leadership regarding risks and resolution strategies in high-profile cases. His service as general counsel to companies, and as a director and officer of several non-pr...
Bob Clifford is the founder of Clifford Law Offices, which concentrates its practice in helping victims of personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, mass torts and class actions, consumer and health care fraud, product liability, and aviation and transportation disasters. Bob regularly handles complex damage cases and routinely receives multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. He was named one of America's Top 200 Lawyers in Forbes' inaugural list in 2024. Clifford Law Offic...
Tim is a civil trial attorney with over 30 years experience. Tim has tried over 75 jury cases to verdict and has handled many more mediations and arbitrations. He has represented a variety of businesses and individuals in both complex litigation and a variety of challenging cases. He regularly handles the defense and prosecution of civil matters in the following areas: Labor and Employment LawPersonal Injury Railroad FELA and Railroad Crossings and other Railroad related cases Commercial Matt...
Thomas Louis Colletta, Jr. he concentrates his practice on varied areas of casualty litigation in New Orleans and Lake Charles. Mr. Colletta worked as an executive assistant to United States Congressman Jimmy Hayes of Louisiana’s seventh congressional district during and after college. Following law school at Tulane School of Law, Mr. Colletta served as a law clerk for the Honorable Gene Thibodeaux, Chief Judge of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. Upon completion of his clerk...
Earl DeBrine concentrates his practice in oil and gas, railroad, product liability and commercial litigation. For over 30 years, he has represented major energy companies, railroads and manufacturers in lawsuits and negotiations ranging from preferential purchase rights and other disputes under joint operating agreements, environmental and title disputes to oilfield wrongful death claims. He also regularly advises oil and gas producers concerning development transactions and appears before th...
Sarah has been defending railroad operators in difficult disputes for more than 10 years. Described by a national railroad client as a “skilled and talented attorney that gets outstanding results,” Sarah has repeatedly prevailed as a first-chair trial lawyer in litigation related to rail accident and employee injury claims. Sarah’s railroad clients have included major national operators and several Midwest short-line rail companies. Her work centers on defense against claims...
Kevin Durkin is a partner at Clifford Law Offices. Over a career that spans more than 35 years, Mr. Durkin has successfully represented clients in many practice areas, including: Aviation accident litigation and transportation liability Truck, railroad and automobile litigation Premises liability and negligent security Medical malpractice Mr. Durkin has been named a top-tier attorney by U.S. News-Best Lawyers in the areas of personal injury litigation, aviation law and product liability since...
Tim Fields is an experienced practitioner in litigation and insurance defense. For more than thirty years, Tim has represented clients in their civil litigation matters including personal injury defense, railroad, transportation/trucking, insurance coverage/bad faith, medical malpractice, construction defects, products liability, toxic exposure and environmental, and FELA. His practice also includes nursing home/hospital/healthcare litigation defense, complex multi-party litigation, commercia...
Mr. Floyd focuses his practice on transportation, defending railroads in cases that involve toxic exposure, asbestos, grade crossing accidents, the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), and property litigation. Mr. Floyd moved to Colorado in 2014 and joined Hall & Evans as a Special Counsel. Prior to joining Hall & Evans, he was a firm officer at McLeod Alexander Powel and Apffel.
Mary Taylor Gallagher is a trial lawyer in GSRM’s Litigation and Labor and Employment sections. Mary Taylor has tried jury and nonjury cases in state and federal courts throughout Tennessee. In addition to general business litigation, Mary Taylor focuses her practice on the defense of employers in the railroad, transportation and healthcare industries. Mary Taylor advises clients on issues of labor and employment law compliance, including the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA),...
John Graham’s practice includes a significant amount of personal injury litigation, much of which is involved in the regular representation of Norfolk Southern Corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies. He also has a general litigation practice in which he has represented a number of companies and businesses in various commercial disputes. He has extensive experience in jury trials as well as appellate practice in both state and federal courts. Mr. Graham has been assign...
Patrick J. Hagerty is a native of St. Louis. He completed his undergraduate studies at Quincy College in 1981. He received his law degree in 1985 from Saint Louis University School of Law, and served as an editor of the Saint Louis University Law Journal. Mr. Hagerty is licensed to practice in Missouri and Illinois, and in federal district courts and courts of appeal in Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas and the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Circuits. He serves on the Board of Governors of th...
Sean has extensive trial and litigation experience through his 27 years of civil defense practice. He represents national transportation companies in cases involving personal injury, Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), grade crossing accidents, property damage, cumulative trauma exposure and other accident investigation and defense. His litigation experience includes a record of success in jury verdicts and pre-trial motion practice. He regularly serves on initial response teams fo...
William Jungbauer is President and Chief Partner in the law firm of Yaeger & Jungbauer, Barristers, PLC, formerly Yaeger, Jungbauer & Barczak, PLC. Jungbauer has been with the firm for 40 years, starting in 1978. Yaeger & Jungbauer, Barristers, PLC have represented injured railroad workers and their families for over 80 years, since 1929. Jungbauer has served as President of the firm for over 25 years. jungbauer has been selected by Best Lawyers Every year it has recognized lawyer...
Larry Kurth serves as managing partner of Akerman’s San Antonio office. Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he has a broad-based commercial litigation practice with a focus on insurance disputes. Larry has significant experience in policy drafting, interpretation, fraud, malpractice, and coverage matters. His clients include both multinational corporations and top 50 insurance companies. In addition to his insurance practice, Larry represe...
Cortney LeNeave started his law career in 1984 at the DeParcq Law Firm, the premier United States law firm representing injured railroad workers under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. Since that time, he has recorded some of the largest verdicts in the country in railroad, airplane, automobile, and trucking injury cases. Cortney is recognized by his clients and opponents as a fearless, determined, and dedicated trial lawyer who consistently received successful results. His accompli...
Randy LeNeave is a Certified Civil Trial Lawyer with a record of numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and recoveries. He serves as a member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, American Board of Trial Advocates, and International Society of Barristers, and as a board member of the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA). Randy’s practice includes a special focus on representing injured railroad workers under the FELA (Federal Employers’ Lia...
Steve Levine practices in the area of litigation with a focus on environmental counseling. Mr. Levine has wide experience in environmental litigation arising from enforcement, toxic tort, and business-related claims, and as a significant part of these engagements, he works closely with experts in a variety of professional fields. He routinely interacts with the Environmental Protection Agency in several regions and state environmental regulatory agencies in several states in matters relating ...
For Barry, working as an integral part of the American justice system is a way to improve society. He strives to make a difference whether it’s serving high-profile firm clients or people seeking legal assistance through the District IV Pro Bono Corp or Legal Aid Corporation of Tippecanoe County—organizations that have benefited from Barry’s leadership. In life and the pursuit of justice, Barry believes in getting to the heart of the matter and seeking resolution as soon as ...
Crawford McGivaren is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has been listed in Chambers USA for Commercial Litigation since 2002. He has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America in Business and Personal Injury Litigation since 1989, and is recognized for Antitrust Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Professional Malpractice Law and Railroad Law. He has been named by Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top 50 lawyers in the state of Alabama and was listed...
Beth has been with Fulcher Hagler since graduating from law school in 1994. She has many years of experience in both Georgia and South Carolina and has handled high exposure cases in difficult venues. Her primary litigation practice areas are medical malpractice defense and railroad defense, although she has represented clients in a wide variety of areas. She also enjoys an active employment law practice, which includes drafting employee handbooks, providing general employment law advice, han...
Patrick O’Brien has been a trial lawyer representing the rights of injured railroad workers for more than thirty (30) years. He has dedicated his professional career to helping those who have been injured through the negligence of others. Patrick has tried cases to verdict in 15 states and has represented railroad workers from all crafts. Patrick has developed a specialty in handling occupational injury and toxic exposure illness claims under the FELA and has achieved numerous substanti...
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