Lewiston attorney becomes only second Maine member of national trial attorney group
Courtesy / Berman & Simmons
Berman & Simmons attorney Benjamin Gideon has been admitted to an exclusive plaintiff attorney organization called the Inner Circle of Advocates. There will be a formal induction ceremony in August in Ireland.
Berman & Simmons attorney Benjamin Gideon expects membership in the Inner Circle of Advocates — an invitation-only, national organization of plaintiff attorneys known for landmark victories in social-justice cases — to provide great opportunities for collaboration.
Gideon is only the second Maine attorney to be invited to join the group, which limits membership to no more than 100 of the top plaintiff trial lawyers in the nation, according to a news release emailed to Mainebiz.
“Members of this group are responsible for some of the most important and ground-breaking trial victories in U.S. history, including automobile defect, pharmaceutical and tobacco litigation, which have not only resulted in landmark victories for their individual clients, but changed entire industries in ways that make us all healthier and safer,” Gideon said in the release. “I look forward to collaborating with the lawyers in this group.”
A Maine native, Gideon joined Berman & Simmons, headquartered in Lewiston, in 2003. He’s tried cases successfully to juries in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and has developed expertise across a broad range of case types, including personal injury, medical malpractice, civil rights, products liability, nursing home, toxic and environmental torts and other complex civil litigation.
According to his biography, many of his cases involve people who were seriously injured or killed because of negligence within large corporations. He’s is a frequent speaker on courtroom and trial strategy at conferences in Maine and across the country, and has published numerous articles on the subjects.
One of his biggest cases was a $22.5 million jury verdict for a client that was one of the top 100 verdicts nationwide. The case took place in Vermont and involved an electrical accident that occurred at a high-voltage electrical utility substation, he told Mainebiz. A flashover jumped off a high-voltage line, traveled down a pipe and struck his client, who ended up losing both legs below the knees.
Most of Gideon’s work is in medical malpractice. A recent case involved a man who died of sepsis due to lack of follow-up after lab results came back, he said.
The purpose of an organization like Inner Circle, he explained, is to share information and provide opportunities to collaborate.
“It’s a great resource for me to be able to bounce ideas off some of the top lawyers in the country and to share information,” he said. “Collaboration is really the key.”
Berman & Simmons was founded in 1914 and provides representation in personal injury, medical malpractice and other serious injuries, according to its website.
Inner Circle of Advocates was formed in 1972, according to its website. At the time, founder Richard Grand, an attorney in Tucson, Ariz., decided on a membership threshold that included at least a $1 million verdict and completion of 50 personal injury cases. Selection is based on an evaluation of an attorney’s experience, reputation, judicial references and peer evaluations.
Maine’s other member is Terry Garmey of Terry Garmey & Associates in Portland.
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