Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

As a Florida motorcycle crash injury lawyer, I was saddened by the death of Dana St. John, a North Fort Myers, Florida man who died riding home on his brand new Yamaha. According to the "Miami Herald," he had purchased the bike earlier in the day but had absolutely no experience riding a motorcycle, was not wearing a motorcycle helmet and crashed the bike near his own front door. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles there were 8,577 motorcycle crashes in 2010 with 2700 resulting in either an incapacitating injury or fatality.

The State of Florida's motorcycle law requires that all new motorcyclists take and pass The Basic Rider Course through Florida's Rider Training Program before they can obtain a motorcycle license or have a motorcycle endorsement added to a valid Florida driver's license.

Florida has two kinds of motorcycle licenses. An Endorsement License applies to those that already have a valid Florida driver's license. A Motorcycle Only License is for those 16 years or older that have held either a learners permit for at least one year without a traffic ticket conviction or are over 18 years old and have passed the standard class E operates licenses and completed the Basic Riders Course developed and sponsored by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fortunately, Since 2008, Florida has discontinued the temporary instruction permits.

Florida's Rider Training Program Courses use the 15 hour Motorcycle Safety Foundations curriculum and provides a fun introduction to basic safe and responsible motorcycling on both the streets and highways of Florida. The Basic Rider Course (BRC) is a one day course and an excellent way for an entry level rider to develop both the physical skills to control, turn and stop a motorcycle. As a Miami motorcycle injury lawyer I personally took the course many years ago and found it to be an essential starting point for a novice. Sadly, Mr. St. John never had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of motorcycle safety that would have probably saved his life.

Florida's helmet law allows motorcycle riders over 21 year of age and covered by at least $10,000 in medical payments to ride without a helmet. Our Key West motorcycle injury attorneys feel that this is a stupid and dangerous law. We believe that Florida's roads are just too dangerous to traverse without the added protection of a helmet and we strongly recommend that anyone considering purchasing a motorcycle for the first time; attend and pass a Florida Motorcycle Safety Course before leaving the showroom.

I am practicing a motorcycle accident injury lawyer in Florida for over twenty years and I was less than thrilled to see that the USA Network recently announced their show, "Suits," will be returning next summer with all new episodes. The show centers around the offensive and idiotic premise that a high-powered lawyer named Harvey Spector decides to forgo hiring Ivy League law graduates in favor of a high school dropout con artist, Mike Ross, with the hopes of passing him off as his protege and associate.

Apparently Ross has super-human memory and is able to work at all hours of the night and day. That seems to be enough for Spector who misrepresents to his partners, judges, opposing counsel and clients that Ross is a licensed attorney.
The show is nothing more than frightening and dangerous to our system of justice. The reputation of lawyers has been rocked by scandal after scandal as former prominent members of the Bar, especially here in Florida, are currently behind bars for one thing or another. It undermines our credibility with juries who are already distrusting of lawyers and think that they are often playing by their own rules, manipulating juries with fancy suits and ten-dollar words.

Clients who watch this show also may come to question what their lawyers' true motivations are--since Harvey and Company stop at nothing to obtain the desired result, including practicing law without a license, lying, breaking and entering, and destroying evidence.

I wrote my book, "Make It Your Own Law Firm," because I wanted to provide law students a step-by-step guide on how to become a real lawyer. "Suits" provides a dangerous alternative by suggesting all one has to do is to buy a peak-label double-breasted Tom Ford suit and slick you hair back. The practice of law is difficult, time consuming and stressful. The rewards we find are in helping those in need after being involved in a Florida catastrophic accident or from the negligence of a careless doctor or hospital.

Our Miami injury attorneys often work long hours, nights and weekends. Our lawyers have four-year college educations, have graduated from accredited law schools and have taken and passed the Florida Bar examination. They also participate in doing pro-bono work for those who would otherwise not have access to the legal system. Bruce Shemrock and Brandon Stein both work tirelessly for Lawyers to the Rescue, a not-for-profit humanitarian initiative that provides free legal services to Miami's homeless community.

I urge all lawyers and law students to boycott this show as I can think of no more dangerous show on television today. For a more realistic look at the practice of law and the toll it takes on those who devote their lives to the pursuit of justice, watch "The Good Wife." I suggest asking both clients and juries if they watch "Suits" and whether they think that it accurately portrays lawyers and their motives. Lawyers' reputations are at an all time low, the last thing we need is 16 more one-hour episodes of the most dangerous show on television.

Continue reading "TV's Most Dangerous Show For Florida's Personal Injury Lawyers" »