Hickey, John H.

Current Employment Position(s)

President

Languages

• Spanish
• English

Lawyer Overview

Jack Hickey is a trial attorney. Since 1980, he has been trying personal injury and wrongful death cases in the areas of admiralty and maritime, railroad, medical malpractice, product liability, and general liability.

Hickey is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA). The NBTA is the only national certification program for trial attorneys and is accredited by the American Bar Association.

Hickey is rated A/V by Martindale-Hubbell (the international listing of attorneys, a rating achieved by only 5% of attorneys. The rating indicates that the attorney "has reached the height of professional excellence" and is "recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity". He is also listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in Emerging Leaders in America. He has been chosen by other lawyers as a "Top Lawyer in South Florida" in the areas of personal injury and maritime in the South Florida Legal Guide (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007); "Legal Elite" in Florida Trend Magazine (top 1.7% of attorneys) (2006, 2007); and Super Lawyer in the area of personal injury in Superlawyers.com (2006 - 2008).

Hickey is a member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors. The Board of Governors is the governing body of all 80,000 members of The Florida Bar, that is, every lawyer in Florida. He is also a Past President of the Dade County Bar Association (DCBA) (2003 - 2004). The DCBA is the largest voluntary bar association in Florida.

Hickey also is a Lifetime Member of the Florida Council of Bar Association Presidents, a Fellow and Lifetime Member of The Florida Bar Foundation, and a Sustaining Member of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America).

Hickey was born in Miami and is conversant in Spanish. For the first 17 years of his career, he represented cruise lines, railroads, and other self-insured Defendants as well as insurance companies. 11 years ago, he made the transition to representing plaintiffs, and is a member of the Million Dollar Forum based on the cases in which he has obtained settlements or verdicts in excess of $1 Million. He started his career at Smathers & Thompson and went on to Hornsby & Whisenand, where he became a partner. In 1988, Hickey and The Honorable Gary R. Jones founded Hickey & Jones, P.A. In 1999, Judge Jones left and became a Federal Magistrate in the Middle District of Florida, and the firm changed its name to Hickey Law Firm, P.A.

MEDIA APPEARANCES:

• Interviewed on national television over 25 times from July, 2005 to present on subjects related to cruise ships. This includes shows on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News
• Quoted in newspaper articles and magazines on subjects related to cruise ships

Areas of Practice

• Personal Injury
• Wrongful Death
• Maritime or cruise ship accidents
• Slip and Falls
• Trip and Falls
• Car Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Product Liability
• Sexual Assault
• Assault and battery
• Negligent Security
• Orthopedic injuries which includes broken bones, torn ligaments and tendons
• Injuries to the organs
• Neurological injuries
• Head and brain injuries
• Burn Injuries
• Psychological injuries from trauma
• Scarring and disfigurement

Representative Clients

• Men, women and companies across the U.S. who have claims in Florida.

Representative Cases

• Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. v. Bakalar, 972 So. 2d 1033 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008)
• Narcissus Shipping Corporation v. Armada Reefers, Ltd., 950 F.Supp. 1129 (M.D. Fla. 1997)
• Prida v. Transamerica Insurance Finance Corp., 651 So.2d 763 (Fla.App. 3 Dist. 1995)
• Shute v. Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc., 804 F.Supp. 1525 (S.D. Fla. 1993)
• Industrial Casualty Insurance Co. v. Consultant Associates, Inc., 603 So.2d 1355 (Fla.App. 3 Dist. 1992)
• Gomez v. Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc., 595 So.2d 227 (Fla.App. 3 Dist. 1992)
• Can Am Investments, Inc. v. Banco Industrial de Venezuela, CA, 521 So.2d 184 (Fla.App. 3 Dist. 1988)
• Florida East Coast Properties, Inc. v. Tifco, Inc., 556 So.2d 750 (Fla.App. 3 Dist. 1989)
• Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Co. v. Burdi, 427 So.2d 1048 (Fla.App. 3 Dist. 1983)

West Practice Categories

Admiralty & Maritime Law, Jones Act, Longshore & Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, Shipping, Insurance Law, Bad Faith, Directors' & Officers' Liability Insurance, Errors & Omissions Insurance, Insurance Malpractice, Motor Vehicle, Litigation & Appeals, Class Actions, Complex Litigation, Federal Trial Practice, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Animal Bites -- Plaintiff, Assault & Battery -- Plaintiff, Aviation Accidents -- Plaintiff, Defamation & Privacy -- Plaintiff, Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff, Premises Liability -- Plaintiff, Property Damage -- Plaintiff, Railroad Accidents -- Plaintiff, Slip and Fall -- Plaintiff, Wrongful Death -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Alcoholic Beverages, Apparel, Asbestos, Chemicals & Cosmetics, Firearms, Food & Agricultural Products, Machinery & Tools, Medical Products & Devices, Motor Vehicle Defects, Pharmaceutical Products, Recreational Products, Tobacco, Professional Malpractice Law, Dental Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Other Professionals Malpractice, Toxic Torts, Hazardous Waste, Pesticides, Radiation & Electromagnetic Energy, Toxic Mold, Transportation Law, Aviation, Railroad, Trucking

Bar Admissions

• Florida, 1980
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida Trial Bar

Certification/Specialties

• Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, The Florida Bar, 1990
• Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, National Board of Trial Advocacy

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Dade County Bar Association, 2003 - 2004 (President)
• Dade County Bar Association, 2002 - 2003 (President- Elect)
• Dade County Bar Association, 2001 - 2002 (Vice President)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1991 - 2001 (Secretary)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1999 - 2000 (Treasurer)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1999 - 2004 (Executive Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1991 - 1992 (Executive Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1996 - 1999 (Board of Directors)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1990 - 1993 (Board of Directors)
• Dade County Bar Association, 2001 - 2002 (Chair, Membership Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1998 - 1999 (Chair, Professional Arbitration Sub-Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1995 - 1997 (Chair, Professional Arbitration Sub-Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1987 - 1990 (Chair, Professional Arbitration Sub-Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1992 - 1993 (Chair, Civil Litigation Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1991 - 1992 (Chair, Banking and Corporate Litigation Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1990 - 1992 (Chair, Commercial and Financial Transactions Litigation Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1990 - 1991 (Chair, Banking Law Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, 1987 - 1993 (Recipient, Certificate of Merit)
• Dade County Bar Association, 2001 - 2002 (Recipient, Certificate of Merit)
• Dade County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section, 1984 - 1986 (Board of Directors)
• Dade County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section, 1985 - 1986 (Executive Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section, 1985 - 1986 (Co-Chair, Luncheon and Speakers Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section, 1984 - 1985 (Chair, Sports Committee)
• Dade County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section, 1985 (Recipient, Certificate of Merit)
• The Florida Bar, 2008 - Present (Member, Board of Governors)
• The Florida Bar, 2005 - Present (Member, Judicial Nominating Procedures Rules Committee)
• The Florida Bar, 2000 - 2001 (Chair, Admiralty Law Committee)
• The Florida Bar, 1991 - 1993 (Chair, 11th Circuit Fee Arbitration Committee)
• The Florida Bar, 1986 - 1989 (Chair, Grievance Committee 11-L)
• The Florida Bar, 1996 - 1999 (Member, Grievance Committee 11-L)
• The Florida Bar, 1983 - 1985 (Member, Judicial Evaluation Committee)
• The Florida Bar, 1989 - 1999 (Recipient, Certificate)
• The Florida Bar, 2001 (Recipient, Certificate)
• Florida Council of Bar Association Presidents (Recipient, Certificate)
• Cuban American Bar Association
• Florida Association for Women Lawyers
• Duke University Alumni Advisory Committee, 1984 - Present
• Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Dade County, Florida, 1998 - Present (Committee of 100)
• Marine Counsel, 1997 - 1999 (Board of Directors)
• American Bar Association
• The Vizcayans
• American Association for Justice (Sustaining Member)
• Florida Justice Association
• Florida Admiralty Trial Lawyers Association
• Dade County Association for Justice
• 11th Circuit Ad Hoc Trial Practices Committee, 1993 - 2001

Honors and Awards

• Top 5% of all Lawyers, Superlawyer, 2006 - Present
• Top 1.7% of all Lawyers, Legal Elite, Florida Trend Magazine, 2006
• Top Lawyer in South Florida, South Florida Legal Guide, 2004 - 2007
• Who's Who in America
• Who's Who in American Law
• Who's Who in Emerging Leaders in America
• Fellow, The Florida Bar Foundation
• Rated A/V by Martindale-Hubbell
• "Legal Elite", Florida Trend Magazine (Top 1.7% of Attorneys), 2006 - 2007
• Super Lawyer, 2006 - 2008

Classes and Seminars

• Testified Before Congress, Annual Florida Bar Admiralty Committee Seminar, March 27, 2007
• Lecturer, American Association for Justice Annual Convention, 2007
• Presenter, "Masters of the Courtroom", Dade County Trial Lawyers Association, University of Miami School of Law, 2003
• Lecturer, "Alternative Theories of Liability in Slip and Fall Cases", American Association for Justice Annual Convention, 2001
• Lecturer, "Cruising in the 90s; Defense of Cruise Lines, Crew and Passenger Claims", The Florida Bar, 1994
• Lecturer, "Defending Flood Insurance Claims", National Flood Insurance Conference, Columbus, Ohio, 1991
• Lecturer, "Defending Flood Insurance Claims", National Flood Insurance Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, 1992
• Lecturer, "Defending Flood Insurance Claims", National Flood Insurance Conference, Orlando, Florida, 1993
• Lecturer, "Securities Litigation", Florida Institute of CPAs , 1990
• Lecturer, "Securities Litigation", American Institute of CPAs in Blacksburg, Virginia, 1990
• Lecturer, "Securities Litigation", International Association of Financial Planners, 1989
• Lecturer, "The Mechanics of Court", The Florida Bar Bridge the Gap Seminars, 1983 - 1985

Education

• Duke University School of Law, Durham, North Carolina, 1980
  J.D.
• Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 1976
  B.A.
  Honors: magna cum laude

Fraternities/Sororities

• Phi Beta Kappa

Published Works

• Paper On Passenger Claims Against Cruise Lines, American Association for Justice Annual Convention, July, 2007
• "Evolving Standards of Jones Act Negligence", American Association for Justice Annual Convention, July, 2002
• "Slip and Falls: Alternative Theories of Liability", TRIAL Magazine, April, 2001
• "In Defense of the Stevedore", P & I International, Winter 1996-1997
• "Credit Agreements Required in Writing; the New Statute of Frauds in Florida", The Florida Bar Journal, June, 1990

Address

1401 Brickell Avenue
Suite 510
Miami, FL 33131-3503

Phones

(305) 371-8000

Faxes

(305) 371-3542

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.hickeylawfirm.com