Previous Law Firm Name

• Steven M. Ziegler, P.A.

Law Firm Overview

Since 1984, the Law Offices of Steven M. Ziegler, P.A. has maintained a boutique practice in defending claims in the areas of health care, employment law, and general liability across Florida and throughout the United States. We were one of the first and only law firm in Florida and nationwide to sub-specialize in the representation of health care organizations and related entities in all aspects of their businesses. The result is we have an exceptionally broad base of expertise. Since then, we have been litigating cases on behalf of our clients in numerous venues across the country, both state and federal, and solidly growing our reputation for excellence and efficiency, one case at a time.

In addition to litigation, the Firm has provided Risk Management Services nationwide to its clients since its inception. As an outgrowth of these services, the Firm was named National Managed Care Claims and Risk Counsel for Lexington Insurance Company, one of the largest insurers for professional liability for MCOs in the nation. Through our partnership with Lexington, the Firm provides Risk Management Services to hundreds of MCO insured throughout the country including document review, responding to managed care questions via a 1-800 number and e-mail, and conducting regional and individual seminars addressing issues related to managed care liability.

Like our managed care expertise, the Firm's unique understanding of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) has been instrumental in obtaining excellent results for our clients in the defense of health, life and disability claims. We are also expert at representing health care providers in medical malpractice defense. Our clients in that area of malpractice defense include physicians, nurses, psychologists, therapists, ARNPs, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, clinics, diagnostic facilities and hospitals.

The Firm also has exceptional knowledge of employment law. We represent numerous employers across Florida in a wide variety of employment-related matters. Those include: administrative proceedings before the EEOC and other state and federal agencies, litigation in both state and federal courts, and we are expert in the complex web of employment laws, including ERISA, Title VII, the ADEA, ADA, Section 1983, the Florida Civil Rights Act, Florida Whistleblower's Act, and other similar employment-based lawsuits.

The Firm also defends claims of general liability, including toxic tort, contracts and coverage issues, defective product, automobile negligence, premises liability, negligent security and property damage.

The success of the Law Offices of Steven M. Ziegler, P.A. is based on this overriding philosophy: exceptional service to our clients in a cost-effective, comprehensive manner, at the trial and the appellate levels. We implement this through a strong, team approach to defense. We have developed strong client-oriented approaches into an art and made them routine:

• Reviewing each new matter for case analysis and appropriate staffing, promptly upon assignment.
• Promptly analyzing the seriousness of a particular case for appropriate resource allocation.
• Promptly giving our clients candid, realistic assessments of exposure, the chances of success, potential settlement and verdict value, costs of defense and potential issues, including appellate, that may affect the assessment.
• Maintaining a proactive and results-oriented approach to case handling.
• Formulating a written, case specific work plan for defending the case from assignment.
• Frequently participating in firm-wide case management and case strategy panels during the pendency of the case, at no additional charge to the client.
• Getting appellate involvement from inception to ensure the case remains strong at all levels of litigation.
• Employing attorneys with experience and specialized knowledge in managed care, medical malpractice defense, insurance defense and employment related disputes.
• Employing uniquely qualified paralegals and legal nurse consultants with practical experience in the medical field and operational experience in managed care.
• Developing a firm-wide, centralized library containing all Briefs, Petitions for Extraordinary Writs, Pleadings, Motions, Memoranda and Legal Research for easy reference and cost-effective updates on the law.

The results of our service-oriented approach to anticipating and meeting client needs in a practical, cost-effective manner speaks for itself: our expanding practice and our Firm's AV rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the highest available rating, is based on the results of confidential questionnaires to other lawyers and to judges within the community.

Areas of Practice

• Managed Care
• Insurance Defense
• Employment Practice Defense
• General Liability Defense
• Appellate
• Business & Commercial Law
• Employment Law -- Employer
• Health & Health Care Law
• Insurance Law
• Legal Malpractice
• Litigation & Appeals
• Medical Malpractice
• Professional Malpractice Law

West Practice Categories

Business & Commercial Law, Employment Law -- Employer, Affirmative Action -- Employer, Americans with Disabilities Act -- Employer, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) -- Employer, Employee Rights -- Employer, Employment Contracts -- Employer, Employment Discrimination -- Employer, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) -- Employer, Municipal Employment -- Employer, Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) -- Employer, Pensions, Benefits & Compensations -- Employer, Sexual Harassment -- Employer, Wage & Hour Laws -- Employer, Whistleblower -- Employer, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act -- Employer, Wrongful Termination -- Employer, Health & Health Care Law, Insurance Defense, Insurance Law, Bad Faith, Insurance Malpractice, Life & Health, Motor Vehicle, Property & Casualty, Litigation & Appeals, Class Actions, Complex Litigation, Federal Claims Court, State Trial Practice, Personal Injury -- Defense, Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Defense, Premises Liability -- Defense, Property Damage -- Defense, Slip and Fall -- Defense, Wrongful Death -- Defense, Products Liability Law, Asbestos, Chemicals & Cosmetics, Food & Agricultural Products, Machinery & Tools, Motor Vehicle Defects, Pharmaceutical Products, Recreational Products, Professional Malpractice Law, Dental Malpractice, Legal Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Other Professionals Malpractice, Whistleblower/Qui Tam