James L. Ferraro is an experienced and accomplished trial lawyer with a long list of accolades and case wins. Ferraro has fashioned his law practice with a focus on cases involving personal injury, product liability, wrongful death, and environmental toxic torts.
For over 20 years, he has focused his career on asbestos / mass tort litigation, achieving major results in injury cases, including jury verdicts totaling multi-millions of dollars. Mr. Ferraro obtained the highest compensatory recovery in a Florida mesothelioma lawsuit in 1995. He also achieved a nationally record-breaking compensatory jury award for a benign asbestos case in 1997.
He was among just 10 finalists from around the country considered for 1997 Trial Lawyer of the Year after being the first to successfully prosecute a case against a major chemical giant whose products led to birth defects. In a nationally televised and recognized case, Mr. Ferraro held chemical giant DuPont responsible after a woman’s baby was born missing eyes after she was exposed to a dangerous fungicide during her pregnancy. The Supreme Court of Florida re-affirmed this verdict seven years later.
Mr. Ferraro later wrote a book about this case called Blindsided. This book chronicles his experience taking on the industrial giants in a real-life David and Goliath fashion. You can read this incredible courtroom drama and get an insider’s perspective of Mr. Ferraro’s relentless approach to litigation.
Education & Background
A native of Greenwich, Connecticut, Mr. Ferraro graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1978 and, in 1979, a Master of Science degree in accounting. The following year, in 1980, he went on to become a certified public accountant (CPA). He also instructed an accounting class in 1982 at the University of Miami. Then he went to the University of Miami School of Law in 1983 to receive his law degree.
Previous Experience
Mr. Ferraro founded The Ferraro Law Firm in Miami and is one of the two founding partners behind the Cleveland, Ohio firm Kelley & Ferraro LLP. His firms currently represent nearly 50,000 asbestos claimants.
Education
J.D., University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida, 1983
Master’s Degree, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida; Major: Accounting
B.B.A., University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, 1978
Bar Admissions
Florida, 1983
U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1984
Massachusetts, 1985
U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1994
U.S. Tax Court, 1994
U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit, 2000
New York, 2002
U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 2002
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 2002
Ohio, 2003
U.S. Supreme Court, 2004
Professional Associations
American Bar Association
Florida Justice Association
Massachusetts Bar Association
Florida State Coordinator for The Public Justice Foundation
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Fellows of the American Bar Foundation
Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
American Association for Justice
National Italian-American Bar Association
Million Dollar Advocates Forum®
Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®
Sports Lawyers Association
Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
Awards
Florida Super Lawyer 2014-2023
Florida Super Lawyer 2010
Florida Super Lawyer 2007
Florida Super Lawyer 2008
Ellis Island Medal of Honor, 2001
Order of Saint John Knights of Malta, 1999
Case Results
Roy L. Taylor v. Georgia-Pacific, Miami Jury Awards $17 Million in Asbestos Case
Castillo v. E.I. Du Pont De Memours & Co., Inc., 854 So.2d 1264 (Fla. 2003)
Galotti v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas, 679 So.2d 291 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1996)
McKenna v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas, 726 So.2d 361 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999)
Pine Island Farms, Inc. v. Donner, 674 So.2d 138 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996)
Castillo v. E.I. DuPont de Memours and Company and Pine Island Farms, Circuit Court, Miami-Dade County, Florida Case Number 93-141699. Read more here.
Community Involvement
William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, Trustee
Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Inc., Board of Directors
The Children’s Home Society of Florida Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, Board of Directors
National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame, National Leadership Committee
Advisory Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida
Bowman Foster Ashe Society at the University of Miami
Member of the Board and Advisory Council of United Way of Miami-Dade
Jackson Memorial Foundation, Director of the Board
Project Blindsided
Blindsided is the true story of Mr. Ferraro’s relentless fight against one of the top industrial giants in the U.S., DuPont. Mr. Ferraro took on this chemical corporation on behalf of a boy with no eyeÂÂÂs—a boy who suffered after his mother was doused with dangerous chemical fungicide outside a u-pick farm. It was this chemical fungicide that was believed to have caused his birth defect, as well the birth defects of numerous other children across the country. While everyone told Mr. Ferraro the battle was unwinnable, he only saw a boy and his family who needed help. Blindsided details the courtroom drama that unfolded over a decade-long battle between a real-life David and Goliath. It depicts how Mr. Ferraro, standing alone, was able to secure justice for a hurting family and hold a negligent chemical company accountable, despite the odds stacked against him.
You can learn more about the story and getting your copy of the book here: http://projectblindsided.com/
