PENSACOLA, Fla., March 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pensacola attorney Fredric G. Levin, Chairman of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Echsner & Proctor, P.A. has been inducted into the American Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame. Levin was inducted in a five-member class along with Gerry Spence, Morris Dees, Bobby Lee Cook and Stanley Preiser.
"I take great pride in being inducted into the American Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, particularly because we were selected by our peers," said Levin. "It is an honor to be among such an esteemed group of attorneys."
Levin has earned more than twenty-five jury verdicts in excess of $1,000,000 (six in excess of $10,000,000). At various points in his career, he has held the national record for jury verdicts involving the wrongful death of a child, the wrongful death of a housewife, the wrongful death of a wage earner, and the largest personal injury verdict in the state of Florida. He is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization limited to 100 members throughout the country, and has been listed in every edition of the publication "Best Lawyers in America."
One of the nation's most successful civil trial lawyers, Fred Levin spearheaded Florida's 1998 class action lawsuit against the tobacco industry by rewriting the Florida Medicaid Third Party Recovery Act. This legislation resulted in a $13 billion settlement for the state of Florida and was described as "the single biggest blow to the tobacco industry in United States history."
Induction into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor that a civil plaintiff's attorney or criminal defense attorney can achieve. Nominees were selected by a panel of the top-100 trial lawyers in each state.
The celebrated honorees were inducted into the Hall of Fame and presented with an award during The American Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Luncheon held in conjunction with the Mass Torts Made Perfect and Torts Made Perfect Seminar at the Encore Wynn Las Vegas on March 19 and 20.
Attorneys inducted posthumously include John Adams, Thurgood Marshall, Melvin Belli, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. and Clarence Darrow.
About the American Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame
The American Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame was established by The American Trial Lawyer magazine and The American Trial Lawyers Association to honor exceptional civil plaintiff and criminal defense trial lawyers throughout American history. These extraordinary trial lawyers have exceeded the expectations of the public and their peers by clearly establishing themselves, through their practice, as true champions and crusaders for American justice.