This program is eligible for 4 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 4.8 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
Overview
Lawyers think that prosecuting and defending the slip and fall case is easy, but there are lots of pitfalls. This course focuses on handling the slip, trip and fall case from start to finish, while offering practice tips to new and experienced litigators. The course will open with an update on most recent Pennsylvania Cases in this area of the law; and will provide the audience with an understanding of how to handle a slip and fall case when the accident takes places on government property including litigation involving federal, state and local governmental properties.
Join course planner Heidi Villari and an experienced panel of plaintiff and defense attorneys as they lead you through the law, the mechanics and practicalities of handling a slip, trip and fall case - from initial client contact through depositions and settlement negotiations.
Recorded in February 2024.
Faculty
Carol Murphy Esq.
Ms. Murphy is a partner at Margolis Edelstein in Philadelphia. She has been with the firm since 1988. She has extensive trial and appellate experience in the Pennsylvania federal and state courts. Ms. Murphy received her Bachelor of Arts from Temple University in 1983, and her Juris Doctorate from Delaware Law School of Widener University in 1986, where she was a member of Phi Delta Phi law honor society. While at Delaware Law School, Ms. Murphy was a staff member of the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, as well as a Casenote Coordinator of the Delaware Law Forum. She was the recipient of the Judge J. Cullen Ganey Award and the American jurisprudence Award for Criminal Law in 1986. She authored IRS Need Not Comply With Section 7609(f) In Issuing a Dual Purpose Summons: Tiffany Fine Arts v. United States for the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law in 1985. She was formerly a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph T. Murphy of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.
Heidi G. Villari, Esq.
Ms. Villari is the principal Shareholder of The Villari Firm, LLC, a boutique specialty firm representing people who are catastrophically injured. Ms. Villari is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as the State of New Jersey. She practices actively in both states. Her main office is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was born and raised. Ms. Villari’s career has been diverse. She honed the practice of law first on the defense side, where she was one of the first young female partners of her former firm. She then switched sides and became a plaintiffs’ lawyer where her focus included catastrophic loss, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. Ms. Villari’s aggressive approach to holding people accountable for their wrongdoing has resulted in a number of favorable outcomes for clients. She uses her training on the defense side as well as her past experience in handling significant injuries and complex litigation to advocate for clients. There is no doubt that Ms. Villari’s knowledge of personal injury law and her watchful eye in overcoming the defense strategies have led her to a prolific career. To date, Ms. Villari has obtained over $125 million in settlement and awards. One of Ms. Villari’s most notable cases involved wins include a $11 Million Dollar Jury Verdict in Buck County Pennsylvania involving a woman who suffered a tear when delivering a baby. She also obtained an $8 Million Dollar result in a helicopter crash case where her client was partially paralyzed. Other Notable Settlements include a $20 million settlement on behalf for an obstetrical injury and a $12 Million Dollar settlement in a case involving a bus accident. Ms. Villari most enjoys handling cases where children have been injured as she believes that the work done in pediatric cases can improve the lives of innocent children who are harmed. Ms. Villari is on the Board of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. She served as a Judge Pro Tempore for Philadelphia County. She is a Hearing Committee Member for the Disciplinary Board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She has earned the Clients’ choice award for AVVO with a top rating, and for the last two years, received Top 50 Women in Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Justinian Society. She is a Board Member of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. Outside her practice, Ms. Villari frequently teaches fellow attorneys through continuing education courses and enjoys spending time with her young son, Matteo.
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