Jeffrey Lee 'Jack' Gordon

ABOUT

Spend a few minutes talking with Jeffrey ''Jack" Gordon about his practice and you're bound to hear terms like hematoma, or hydrocephalus, or oxygen saturation rate or standard of care. You may learn something about anatomy or physiology or hear a detailed description of spinal surgery. You might even be tempted to ask him for a medical opinion.

But Gordon is not a physician. The managing partner of MANEY | GORDON Trial Lawyers is a highly respected medical malpractice trial attorney who has accumulated a wealth of medical knowledge for the over 30 years he’s been practicing.

"You need to express the science in a way that can be felt and understood, without getting lost in technical language. To do that effectively," he says, "you must become immersed in the science." Some weeks, Gordon may spend more time at the medical school library and attending physician lectures than he spends in court.

The majority of cases that Gordon prosecutes have been referred to him by other lawyers which has made his firm one of the most referred to in Florida for cases of medical malpractice, personal injury, car accidents and wrongful death.

"Medical cases take you to difficult, deep and dangerous waters due to the complexity of the legal system. And the currents flow in favor of the doctor or hospital," he says. "Medical entities are sophisticated defendants who have spent significant monies lobbying state legislatures and Congress to pass laws favorable to them."

Florida, for example, imposes a two-year statute of limitations for medical malpractice, as compared to four years for simple negligence. And before a suit can be filed, the claim must undergo a lengthy and expensive screening process. Additionally, prior to rendering care, many physicians require patients to waive their right to a jury trial should a claim arise. Then the medical malpractice victim is subject to legislative limits or "caps" on the amounts of damages recoverable.

"Medical malpractice cases are exceptionally expensive and complex," Gordon says. "A two-week trial with the best expert witnesses and exhibits can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Accordingly, we equip our entire legal team with expertise and resources."

Jeffrey “Jack” Gordon is a highly skilled trial attorney who has been profiled among the TopLawyers© in the Bay Area by Tampa Bay Magazine and has twice been selected a Leading Attorney of the Southeastern United States in Forbes magazine. For a decade, he has been selected for inclusion among Florida Trend's Legal Elite and recognized as one of the Top 100 SuperLawyers® in the state of Florida, and one of the Top 50 SuperLawyers® of Tampa Bay.

Mr. Gordon concentrates on prosecuting claims of medical negligence and was voted by his peers as Tampa Magazine’s Top Lawyer® since 2016 in Medical Malpractice (Plaintiffs). In 2023, he was listed in the 99.8th percentile of all attorneys in the state of Florida as he was inducted into the Florida Trend’s Legal Elite Hall of Fame.

Five times Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by The Florida Bar, Mr. Gordon is also twice certified by The National Board of Trial Advocacy as an expert in both Civil Trial Law and Civil Pre-trial Litigation. He is AV® rated Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.

In 2017, Mr. Gordon earned National Board Certification as an expert in Medical Malpractice law by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys. He is 1 of merely 17 lawyers in the State of Florida to have achieved this distinction.

Mr. Gordon is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, and serves as a member of both the Trial Law Institute and the Diversity Law Institute.

Mr. Gordon garnered a 2014 and 2015 National Litigator Award from the Trial Lawyers Board of Regents and is a Lifetime Member of The Million Dollar Advocates Forum having achieved multiple seven-figure jury verdicts and settlements.

Mr. Gordon was honored in Florida Top Verdicts for having obtained the largest award in a lawsuit against a Dram Shop in 2011 (8.25 Million Dollars). Mr. Gordon prosecutes these claims individually and continues to serve as co-counsel throughout Florida for the purpose of assisting fellow lawyers to represent individuals injured as a result of the improper service of alcohol by bars, stores and restaurants.

In December of 2017, he obtained the largest award in a lawsuit involving a motorcycle accident (14.95 Million Dollars). After jury selection and merely four days of testimony in what was expected to be a 10-day trial, GEICO executives at the corporate headquarters in Maryland authorized consent judgment before verdict.

Mr. Gordon has been elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2020 Edition).

Mr. Gordon has also achieved national recognition for his efforts in seeking to overcome tribal sovereign immunity on behalf of critically injured clients in multiple lawsuits filed against the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Mr. Gordon remains committed to representing individuals who have been injured, and families of relatives who have been killed, as a result of medical malpractice, motor vehicle negligence, and dram shop violations. Mr. Gordon is admitted to practice law in the state of Florida and in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and has tried and argued cases in jurisdictions throughout the United States.

Since 1992, Mr. Gordon has combined his passion for helping others with his precision advocacy and has represented victims of negligence in cases ranging from catastrophic vehicular accidents to boat explosions to surgical errors to failed hospital equipment. In addition to representing families who have lost members due to wrongful death, Jack has represented clients who have suffered a myriad of injuries including spinal perforations, silicone induced fibromyalgia, brain traumas, loss of limbs, paralysis, and organ loss.

With a strong work ethic, established by his family and forged by a father who worked as a brick mason, Jack has been driven to succeed in all aspects of his life — from excelling in school to winning in the courtroom today. While earning his Bachelor’s degree in English at Tulane University, Jack played lacrosse and minored in physiology. At Tulane University School of Law, he combined his passions for health and scholarship, and in 1988 introduced to the Louisiana legislature a proposal forcing pharmacies to provide enhanced disclosure on consumer prescriptions.

Out of law school, Jack clerked for Judge Edward Barfield in the First District Court of Appeal and then received the appointment as Special Assistant Public Defender for the Appellate Division of Dade County, Florida. In 1990, he became the youngest certified Circuit Court Arbitrator in Palm Beach County. Entering private practice in 1992, Jack served as legal counsel to U.S. Total Health and Fitness and Gold’s Gym, and still found time to earn APFC, IPFA and ACE certifications as a personal trainer.

It is this background that naturally led Jack to represent plaintiffs suffering from injuries as a result of negligence and medical malpractice. In 1994, Jack established his reputation by successfully representing more than 120 women injured as a result of silicone breast implants in cases against the pharmaceutical manufacturers.

*Voted by his peers as Tampa Magazine’s Top Lawyer® since 2016 in Medical Malpractice (Plaintiffs).

*Selected for inclusion and profiled as one of the Top 100 SuperLawyers® in Florida and one of the Top 50 SuperLawyers® in Tampa Bay.

*Listed as a Best Lawyer in America® since 2012.

*Recognized by U.S. News & World Report® as leading a Best Law Firm® in the country.

*Selected among the Best Lawyers in the Bay Area by Tampa Bay Magazine.

*Selected as one of the Leading Attorneys of the Southeastern United States, by Goldline Research and profiled in Forbes Magazine.

*Rated AV Pre-eminent by Martindale Hubbell, the highest rating an attorney can obtain in the areas of legal ability and ethical standards.

*Earned a 2014 and a 2015 National Litigator Award from the Trial Lawyers Board of Regents.

*Named to Florida’s Legal Elite by Florida Trend magazine.

*Inducted into Florida Trend’s Legal Elite Hall of Fame which is comprised of merely 185 members.

*Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial Advocacy.

*Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Pre-Trial Practice Advocacy.

*Board Certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys in Medical Malpractice law.

*Elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates. ABOTA membership is by invitation only to trial lawyers of high personal character and honorable reputation, upon nomination, election and approval by the national board.

*Named as Lifetime Member to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members.