Experts

John Elliott Leighton is the Managing Partner of Leighton Law, P.A. based in Miami, Florida. Mr. Leighton litigates and tries significant cases on behalf of individuals throughout Florida and the United States. He has been called upon to provide his trial skills to represent plaintiffs throughout the country, including New York, Texas, Indiana, Wisconsin, Georgia, Illinois and North Carolina.Mr. Leighton recently authored Litigating Premises Security Cases, a two-volume book published by Thomson-West, which provides comprehensive information on investigating, preparing and trying inadequate security cases and representing crime victims. His trial in Jeffery v. Publix Super Markets, a landmark inadequate security case, was the subject of an entire chapter in the book, Persuasive Jury Communication: Case Studies from Successful Trials, Chapter 10 (Shepard’s/McGraw-Hill, 1995). Mr. Leighton received the Advocate of Justice Award from the National Crime Victim Bar Association for his work in representing violent crime victims against corporate defendants. He is a frequent lecturer at national legal programs and has spoken and taught at seminars, colleges and conventions in over a dozen states.Many of Mr. Leighton’s cases are high profile or have wide reaching social implications. Several cases have resulted in policy or procedure changes on the part of the businesses or governmental entities sued. He is often called upon by local and national media to comment on legal issues, including NBC’s Today show, Inside Edition, and many other news programs. As a trial lawyer Mr. Leighton has obtained some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the country, including a $24.3 million wrongful death verdict and $24.1 million medical malpractice birth trauma verdict.Mr. Leighton continues to represent victims of sexual assault and sex abuse, including those who are victimized by institutional and corporate cover-ups. Because many institutions in this country turn a blind eye to abuse committed by their employees or volunteers, sexual abuse and sexual assault continues to traumatize generation after generation. Mr. Leighton is committed to ending this cycle through the civil justice system.Another aspect of Mr. Leighton’s practice is representing victims of legal malpractice. Unfortunately not all legal representation meets the standard of care. When it does not, and a client suffers an injury, it may be a case of legal malpractice. The firm believes that all lawyers have an obligation to stand behind the ethical principles of the legal profession and call to task those whose mistakes have harmed clients.