Robert
Montgomery, Jr. has been a distinguished member of the Florida legal
community for over 40 years. He has also employed and mentored some
of the most successful personal injury trial attorneys to practice
in Palm Beach County.
Montgomery graduated from the University of Florida Law School in 1957 and joined a firm specializing in insurance defense work. He quickly became one of the best trial attorneys in the region. However, financial and professional success was not enough.
Montgomery grew unhappy representing insurance companies - he wanted to help the victims. In 1975, he started his own law firm in Palm Beach County. Since then, Montgomery and his firm has had the sole purpose of representing personal injury victims against big business and insurance companies. In this case, he became both successful and famous.
Montgomery has handled too many high-profile cases (see In the News) in the past 25 years to mention all of them.
- Montgomery has had approximately 65 verdicts and settlements exceeding one million dollars. Including the verdicts and settlements received by the attorneys who have worked for him over the years, the total would be well over hundreds of millions of dollars.
- He was lead attorney in The State of Florida's lawsuit against the "Big Tobacco" companies that resulted in a $13.5 billion settlement to benefit the citizens of the State of Florida.
- He is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, a prestigious group limited to the top 100 plaintiff lawyers in the country. Montgomery's reputation is not only national, but also international.
- He is not afraid to go to trial based upon theories that have never been tested in a courtroom before.
Montgomery doesn't just take high-profile cases. He also takes many cases just because of the issues involved. He says that if he sees an injustice, "it could be [worth] $1.80 and I'll take the case." He's been quoted as saying, "If people treated others fairly, no one would come to my office."
Montgomery loves to take cases to trial. "By the time I am in that trial," he says, "I feel absolutely invincible. I don't want to settle. I want to get a verdict from the jury."
- Certifications/Specialties:
-
Civil Trial Practice, Florida Bar Board Certified
-
Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy
- Bar Admissions:
-
Florida, 1957
-
U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1958
-
U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1975
-
U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1957
-
U.S. Supreme Court, 1960
- Representative Cases:
-
Gore v. Harris, 772 So.2d 1243
-
St. Mary's Hospital v. Brinson, 685 So.2d 33 (Rev. Denied 709 So.2d 105)
-
American Tobacco Co. v. State of Florida, 697 So.2d 1249
-
Delta Air Lines, Inc. v. Ageloff, 552 So.2d 1089
-
Spunberg v. Columbia/JFK Medical Center, 1999 WL 1256428 (1999)
-
Houss v. Nathanson, 717 So.2d 114 (1998)
-
Beasley v. Cadwalder, Wickersham & Taft (1996)
-
Bergalis v. Acer (1991)
-
Grunow v. Valor Corporation (2001)
- Honors and Awards:
-
Listed, Who's Who in America, 1973 - Present
-
Listed, Who's Who in the World, 1984 - Present
-
Listed, Who's Who in American Law, 1985 - Present
-
Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 1983 - Present
-
Excellence in Philanthrophy Award, Florida Association of Nonprofit Organizations, 1994
-
B'nai B'rith Great American Traditions Award, B'nai B'rith Foundation of the United States, 1996
-
Victim Advocate of the Year, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, 1996
-
Child Advocate of the Year, Friends of Abused Children, 1997
-
Humanitarian Award, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1999
-
Haym Salomon Award, Anti-Defamation League, 2000
- Professional Associations and Memberships:
-
Palm Beach County Bar Association
-
American Bar Association
-
Trial Lawyers Association of America
-
American Judicature Society
-
Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
-
American Arbitration Association
-
National Board of Trial Attorneys
-
The Inner Circle of Advocates