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December 21, 2007
RICK ALVAREZ is a native of Tampa and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and the Fisher School of Accounting at the University of Florida. He began his practice in Miami under the primary guidance of two past presidents of The Florida Bar, Gerald Richman and Herman Russomanno. His service at the firm of Floyd Pearson Richman Greer continued until Mr. Alvarez was invited to join the firm of Sheftall, Alvarez & Torres as a founding member. At the age of only twenty-seven years, Mr. Alvarez became a partner in this well-known and successful Miami firm. His work as a trial lawyer in cases involving wrongful death and products liability, including multi-district litigation arising from the off-label use of orthopedic bone screws, provided the opportunity to serve as many as seventy-five aggrieved families at once and to establish new law while doing so. In 2000, Mr. Alvarez returned home to continue his litigation practice. He did so first alongside noted trial attorney, C. Steven Yerrid, and then at his own firm, Alvarez Garcia.
Over his years of litigating, Mr. Alvarez has developed particular interest and skill in cases which some might find too difficult or challenging, such as those involving complex commercial transactions, deaths in the workplace, and occurrences on both private and public properties. As a result, Mr. Alvarez has experienced the good fortune of obtaining verdicts or settlements in excess of one-million dollars for a significant number of clients during his career, including the recovery of $3,000,000 following an on-the-job fatality for which the employer and related companies all asserted the defense of absolute immunity.
However, not all of Mr. Alvarez' work has been directed towards large verdicts and settlements alone. In 2000, Mr. Alvarez was appointed as Special Counsel to the Office of the Chief Judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and thereafter spent over three-hundred hours representing the court and its judges against claims brought by The Tampa Tribune and WFLA-TV. The pro bono representation featured work before both the Second District Court of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court. Mr. Alvarez not only serves before the state courts, but is admitted to practice before the Eleventh Circuit Court of the United States and the Middle and Southern District Courts of the federal judiciary in Florida. He is an active member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (EAGLE), and his service has included numerous lectures on the topics of complex litigation, products-liability and catastrophic injury. His discussion of pharmaceutical liability and analysis of the rights of children to recover damages for their parents' injuries earned separate publication in The Florida Bar Journal. Mr. Alvarez has also contributed to the Florida Bar by serving on its Judicial Administration, Selection and Tenure Committee. In 2005, he earned the prestigious rating of "AV" or "very high to preeminent" from both judges and peers in the legal community.
Finally, Mr. Alvarez spends the balance of his time gathering with family, enjoying the company of his friends, and playing his guitar for whomever will listen. He also serves on the board of directors for the Boys Clubs of Tampa Bay and the board of trustees for the West Tampa Boys Club, where he was an active member from 1976 to 1982.
Posted by alvarezgarcia at December 21, 2007 04:37 PM
