Injury, Death Or Accident: Lawyer For Auto & Motorcycle Accident Cases & More. Clifford A. Blackman

Attorneys

Cliff Blackman - California
Robert Gibson - Nevada and California
Patrick McNicholas - California

Matthew McNicholas - California
Robert Klein - California
Jacob Shapiro - California

Attorney Biographys

Clifford Blackman, CEO Blackman Legal Group The founder of Blackman Legal Group, Clifford A. Blackman was admitted to practice in the State of California in 1976. Mr. Blackman obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama from Hofstra University in New York in 1971, and a Master of Arts degree in Television in 1974 from Hofstra University. Mr. Blackman received his Doctorate in Law in 1976 from San Francisco Law School.

As the senior partner and trial expert at the Blackman Legal Group, Mr. Blackman has studied an extensive amount of medicine relating to traumatic injury cases. He has tried cases successfully in Courts throughout the State of California as well as in Texas and New York. He is a recognized expert in head injury cases and spinal injury cases, with many major settlements and verdicts. Mr. Blackman has tried cases throughout California during his 27 years of practice.

Mr. Blackman is the founder of Bay Area Lawyers Network. Formed in 1996, the Bay Area Lawyers Network is a select group of expert attorneys that concentrate their practice in one area of law. All members have a minimum of ten years of experience in their chosen area of practice. The BALN is an approved provider of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.

Mr. Blackman is a member of the State Bar of California, the San Francisco Bar Association, the San Mateo County Bar Association, The Santa Clara County Bar Association, The Consumer Attorneys of California, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

Teaching positions that Mr. Blackman has held over the years include U.C. Berkeley, Continuing Education of the Bar courses in personal injury and civil litigation; Center for Continuing Education courses in personal injury practice and ethics; and Consumer Attorneys of California programs on courtroom presentation technology.

Mr. Blackman commenced his legal career in 1976 in San Francisco. During the 1980's, the practice was expanded onto the San Francisco Peninsula, as far south as San Jose. During the 1990's additional offices were established for meeting new clients in both the South Bay and East Bay, as well as offices in Los Angeles and San Diego.

Mr. Blackman is also founder and CEO of Courtroom Impact. Courtroom Impact provides consulting, services and equipment for today's litigators, focusing on demonstrative evidence, computer-aided graphics and other technologies.

Robert Gibson graduated "With Distinction" from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. He was also a member of the "Traynor Honor Society" along with winning the ABOTA student trial lawyer of the year honors.

He began his career as a defense attorney with a well-known law firm in Century City. While there he learned the nuances of how defense attorneys and insurance claims persons handled personal injury cases. He then began representing injured persons, exclusively, in 1996 and has been doing so ever since.

Robert is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation only organization reserved for those with extensive jury trial experience, the Consumer Attorneys of California, and the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association. He also has been a guest lecturer at Western State School of Law.

Robert handles all types of personal injury matters ranging from auto accidents, slip/trip & fall, wrongful death, motorcycle accidents, dog bites and dog attacks, construction site accidents, medical malpractice, and insurance bad faith. Robert also represents people who have been wrongfully terminated and/or discriminated against in the workplace.

Patrick McNicholas specializes in civil trials, including complex personal injury, negligence, and insurance bad faith. His major verdicts and settlements include:

In William S. v. Bonita Unified School District, the jury awarded $10,800,000 to a minor child who was molested by a school teacher.
Pasillas v. LAMTA verdict for family whose father was crushed to death during an accident while working on a subway tunnel.
The jury in Francois v. City of Los Angeles returned a verdict of $5,430,000 against the LAPD for racial discrimination.
Prouty v. Doe Apartment Owner and Hot Water Manufacturer settled for $1,000,000 for a tenant burned by overheated water in the shower.
The Wirta v. Oliver & Williams jury awarded $1,750,000 for the victims of an elevator crash.
Baby Roe v. Dr. John Doe settled confidentially for $1,250,000 for brain damage suffered by a newborn as a result of medical malpractice.

A partner of McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, Mr. McNicholas earned his law degree from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, and is admitted to California state and federal courts. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Consumer Attorneys of California Board of Governors, and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. He is an Associate with the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. McNicholas is admitted to the California Supreme Court and all intermediate and trial courts in California, and the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Whittier College School of Law employed Mr. McNicholas as an Adjunct Professor in Trial Advocacy, and the legal community has benefited by his publications and presentations in the areas of expert examination, trial preparation, and maritime injuries. He also serves as Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court, as an Arbitrator and as a Settlement Officer for the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Mr. McNicholas has published scores of articles, including "Cross-Examination of the Defense Expert" (CAALA Law Vegas Convention, 1997); "Preparing the Employment Case for Trial" (Forum Vol. 28, No. 9, 1998); "The Danger Creation Doctrine and Section 1983: Governmental Liability for Third Party Torts" (Forum Vol. 29, No. 5, 1999); and "The Essentials of Representing the Injured Seaman" (Forum Vol. 31, No. 2, 2001).

Mr. McNicholas was selected by Los Angeles Magazine and Law and Politics as a Southern California Super Lawyer in the area of personal injury for 2004.

Patrick McNicholas is of counsel to Blackman Legal Group.

Matthew S. McNicholas was recently ranked as one of the Top Twenty Lawyers in the State of California Under 40 Years Old by the California Law Business section of the Los Angeles Daily Journal (May 6, 2002). His settlements and verdicts include:

A $5,340,000 verdict against the LAPD Bomb Squad for an employee-victim of racial harassment and discrimination.
A $3,450,000 settlement for a seaman who tripped and fell in a boatyard, and later developed Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (Complex Nerve Disorder) as a result of his injuries.
A $842,000 verdict for a motorcyclist who was seriously injured when a passenger van made a u-turn in front of him causing a collision.
A $500,000 settlement for the wrongful death of a 29-year-old man who died in an apartment fire in San Francisco.
A $400,000 settlement for the employee-victim of sexual harassment whose supervisor retaliated against her when she reported the harassment.
A $350,000 settlement for a man injured when a temporary wooden wall designed to keep people out of a construction site at a theme park blew over onto him.

A former federal law clerk with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Judge William J. Rea), Mr. McNicholas formerly externed with California Court of Appeals Justice Richard Aldrich and U.S. District Judge John G. Davies. Mr. McNicholas is a prolific writer, with many publications on trial advocacy, products liability, and tort law. These publications include Dismiss ERISA, published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal (September 5, 2001) and Eight Motion Tips From a Former Federal Law Clerk, 13 Trial Excellence 1 (January 2001). He is a frequent speaker and panelist to the Consumer Attorneys Association of California and other legal organizations. He is admitted to practice in California state and federal courts.

Mr. McNicholas is a graduate of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he belonged to the Phi Delta Phi Honor Society and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law.

Mr. McNicholas is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, where he serves on the board; the Consumer Attorneys of California; the Irish American Bar Association; and the Malibu Bar Association, where he also serves as a board member.

Matthew McNicholas is of counsel to Blackman Legal Group.

A native of Los Angeles, Robert Klein graduated from the University of Arizona in 1981 and South Western School of Law in 1983. In addition to belonging to the California bar, Mr. Klein was admitted to the US District Court in 1984. He is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and the American Bar Association, in addition to serving as the President of the Braemoor Business Alliance.

Mr. Klein practices exclusively in plaintiff's personal injury cases. His cases include auto accidents, slip and fall, trip and fall, premises liability, dog bites, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, defective products, and professional malpractice.

Mr. Klein prides himself on adding a personal touch to his practice. Clients always receive a call back the same day, and can expect to speak with a lawyer not a secretary. Mr. Klein is committed to giving each client personal attention.

Robert Klein is of counsel to Blackman Legal Group.

Jacob Shapiro is a trial attorney and litigation specialist for the Blackman Legal Group.

Mr. Shapiro majored in Political Science at U.C. Berkeley and received his degree with high honors in 1992. Attending law school at the University of Santa Clara, Mr. Shapiro received his Juris Doctorate in Law in 1996, graduating summa cum laude.

Mr. Shapiro finished first in his class in both tort law and business organizations and received the highest individual award in the university’s extremely competitive Moot Court Competition. The award indicating exemplary oral advocacy skills was bestowed upon Mr. Shapiro by former California Supreme Court Justice, the honorable Edward A. Panelli. He is a member of the State Bar of California and a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California.

Mr. Shapiro has handled hundreds of cases to successful completion during his years with the Blackman Legal Group, including numerous trials in Bay Area courts.

The results on this page in other cases do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.