EDWARDS AND RAGATZ, P.A.
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

You can rely on Edwards & Ragatz, P.A. when you have been injured in a car accident, hurt by a defective product, victimized by medical malpractice or nursing home abuse or hurt on the job. We also protect your business interests by providing personalized attention for contentious and expensive litigation cases. We have a dedicated team of experienced Devastating personal injuries and human loss are often times unexpected, life changing and completely indiscriminate. We have the legal experience and resources to properly use the jury system to help our clients and to get fair compensation for the victims of wrongful acts. As a testament to our relentless work ethic and devotion to clients, many attorneys throughout the state refer cases to our firm. Partners, Tom Edwards and Eric Ragatz have worked together for more than 10 years and focus on personal injury and commercial trials. For more than a decade, Eric has represented many injured clients in complex personal injury, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and product liability cases. He is also a proud member of the Chester Bedell Inn of Court, a group of judges and attorneys who meet to discuss issues of interest in the legal community by emphasizing professionalism, ethics and civility. He is also has the highest rating of AV by Martindale-Hubbell, a national attorney rating service. At Edwards & Ragatz, P.A., we have dedicated ourselves to representing the interests of the individual citizens of Florida and around the country. We are dedicated to achieving justice and ensuring that everyone is treated fairly, regardless of the size or power of the defendants. We work to preserve an effective justice system, one client at a time. The justice system relies heavily on juries to decide disputes and to award appropriate damages. If you have served on a jury, then you probably are familiar with the trial process. The justice system is an adversarial system, which means each party hires an attorney who is devoted solely to his or her client, within certain ethical guidelines. At Edwards & Ragatz, P.A., our attorneys welcome this advocacy role and do everything required to fully represent you. Judges also play an important role in interpreting the law and in deciding legal issues. Certain areas of the law, such as medical malpractice and nursing home abuse, have become increasingly complex. Our attorneys are able to handle all types of cases, from the simplest to the most complex legal matters, in a highly competent manner. The justice system is also designed to force each side to disclose information to the other side before trial. This results in each side being able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their case and to determine whether settlement is appropriate. Both state and federal courts in the northeast Florida area routinely require that mediation be held before trial. Mediation is a settlement conference conducted by a neutral third party. Many cases settle at mediation. We pride ourselves on doing highly effective mediation presentations to maximize the amount offered by the insurance company or other defendant at mediation. In pursuing justice, the client and attorney act as a team. We understand that effective communication between client and attorney is critical to a successful resolution of the case. As team members, we each have responsibilities. The client should provide us with pertinent, truthful information that he or she has regarding the subject, accident or event, medical bills, identification of treating doctors, identification of insurance, etc. The attorney must be responsive to the client’s needs, must promptly return phone calls, must keep the client advised of significant developments in the case, and must give the client the best recommendations regarding the course of action and potential settlement. The lawsuit process begins with the filing of a complaint against the appropriate defendants. The complaint sets forth the facts of the case and the legal claims being made. The defendant then typically has 20 days to respond to the lawsuit and file an answer. Many times the answer contains various defenses, such as comparative negligence or statute of limitations. During the lawsuit process, the parties can engage in what is known as discovery. This is the process of obtaining information from the opposing party and from third parties through the use of subpoenas, depositions, interrogatories, requests for the production of documents and other methods. If the case cannot be resolved during the law suit process described above, the case proceeds to trial. In almost all situations, the trial is held in front of a jury. In Florida, potential jurors are chosen randomly from a pool of residents with driver’s licenses. Jury selection is an important part of the trial. The parties have some leeway to strike certain potential jurors and get other jurors removed for legal reasons. The jury chosen is critical to the outcome. We are fully aware of this process and are always cognizant of trying to obtain the best possible jury for our client. At the trial, the parties present witnesses and enter into evidence documents, photographs and other tangible items. The judge rules on the admissibility of evidence and how the jury is to be instructed on the law. The attorneys get to make opening statements and closing arguments to the jury. Unless the judge rules that there is insufficient evidence for the jury to decide the case, the jury decides the issues in the case and the amount of damages to award to the plaintiff. At the conclusion of the case, either side has the right to appeal. Selecting the proper attorney for your case may be the most important decision you make. Unfortunately, selecting the right attorney is not easy. You should not base your decision on advertisements alone. You should ask about the attorney’s qualifications and the experience of the attorney and the firm in handling your type of case. You should meet the attorney in person to judge for yourself whether you think your interests will be well-represented. At Edwards & Ragatz, P.A. we will provide you with any information you might request about our attorneys, their experience, the types of cases they have handled and the results. We are proud of our achievements and the level of service we provide. Feel free to contact us for more information about our attorneys or a case evaluation.