Great trial lawyers are often renowned for their unique paths to success.
Premier New York Trial Attorney James Wilkens owns a record nearly unmatched in trial law.
He’s won for his clients some of the landmark jury verdicts of his generation, including a $96.4 million verdict, and a $109 million medical malpractice award, the largest in the U.S for that year. In many years his verdicts make the list of the top 100 personal injury verdicts in the country.
He landed his first law-firm job after reading a Daily News classified riding the subway. Of course, his career now is the envy of any Ivy League J.D.
Jim enjoys an occasional round of golf, and he’s a certified Scuba diver, but “I rarely get the chance to do it.” Their daughter Jaclyn is an oncology nurse following the family tradition of caring for those in need.
Trial lawyers should never make promises about the outcome of a case.
But I make this promise on every case:
“No one will outwork me on a case. The day I can’t put in the maximum effort on every case is the day I start looking for something else to do.”
Verdicts & Settlements
- Jordan v St. John’s Episcopal Hospital verdict of $96,400,000 was the largest medical malpractice verdict in the United States for that year.
- Dockery v Peninsula verdict of $109,000,000 was the largest medical malpractice verdict in the United States for that year.
- Nelson v Narwal verdict of $60,000,000 was the largest medical malpractice verdict in the State of New York for that year.
- Verdict of $26,000,000 after hospital botched the birth of twins, leaving one dead and the other deaf and mute.
- There have been 4 additional verdicts of $10,000,000 or more.
Professional Memberships
- Past President, New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers
- American Association for Justice
- Brooklyn Bar Association
- Nassau-Suffolk Trial Lawyers Association
Awards and Recognition
- New York Law Journal Verdicts and Settlements Hall of Fame
- Best Lawyers’ Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year, New York City
Court Admissions
- United States District Courts for the Northern
- Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
- State of New York
Education
- Marist College, B.S.
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