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Top-Ranked Personal Injury Lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.210 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked personal injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida are Mark Bennett Carroll (LexRank 84.00), Louis Robert Battista (84.00) and Thomas Edward Buser (84.00).

This ranking lists 10 personal injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. All 10 lawyers in this ranking are Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by The Florida Bar, a credential held by 4.9% of Florida lawyers in any field. Their experience ranges from 7 to 46 years in practice. 3 of the 10 list Spanish on their Florida Bar profile.

Lawyers ranked
10
Fully verified
10 of 10

The ranking

Ordered by organic LexRank score; paid placements are labelled and never affect a position. How we rank

  1. No change

    Mark Bennett Carroll

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 36 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.2)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  2. No change

    Louis Robert Battista

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 32 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.2)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  3. No change

    Thomas Edward Buser

    Krupnick Campbell Malone et al, PA · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 43 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.2)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  4. No change

    Robert Joseph Cousins

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 45 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 84.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.2)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
  5. No change

    Bradley James Edwards

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 24 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 82.80: strongest in Experience (28.8/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20). 1.20 points behind #4, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 28.8/30 (ranking avg 24.2)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)

    1.20 points behind #4 (Robert Joseph Cousins): Experience −1.2.

  6. No change

    Mark J Leeds

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 46 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 82.60: strongest in Experience (30/30); held back by Reputation (4/20). 0.20 points behind #5, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24.2)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)

    0.20 points behind #5 (Bradley James Edwards): Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  7. No change

    Brent Matthew Reitman

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 16 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 73.20: strongest in Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (19.2/30). 9.40 points behind #6, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 19.2/30 (ranking avg 24.2)

    9.40 points behind #6 (Mark J Leeds): Experience −10.8.

  8. No change

    Jordan M Kirby

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 17 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 73.00: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (20.4/30). 0.20 points behind #7, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 20.4/30 (ranking avg 24.2)

    0.20 points behind #7 (Brent Matthew Reitman): Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  9. No change

    John Phillip Fischer

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 13 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 69.60: strongest in Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (15.6/30). 3.40 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 15.6/30 (ranking avg 24.2)

    3.40 points behind #8 (Jordan M Kirby): Experience −4.8.

  10. No change

    David De Jesus Hernandez

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 7 years experience
    • Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #10?

    Ranks #10 with 62.40: strongest in Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (8.4/30). 7.20 points behind #9, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 8.4/30 (ranking avg 24.2)

    7.20 points behind #9 (John Phillip Fischer): Experience −7.2.

Data sources behind the scores

Every score on this page is calculated from facts backed by these sources. Each profile shows which source supports which fact and when it was last checked.

  • floridabar.org · Official / regulatory · 10 profile pages122 facts for 10 lawyers

Personal Injury market in Fort Lauderdale

LexRanked tracks 10 lawyers and 1 law firm in personal injury law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 10 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 30, 2026.

Lawyers
10
Law firms
1
Verified professional data
10 of 10
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
28 years10 lawyers

Calculated by LexRanked from its own records on ; data verified . Ratings and review counts count only when backed by a source; figures from fewer than three profiles are withheld. All lawyers in Fort Lauderdale

What sets these Fort Lauderdale lawyers apart

All 10 lawyers in this ranking are Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by The Florida Bar, which only about one in twenty Florida lawyers achieves in any field. Florida Bar board certification requires at least five years of practice, substantial involvement in the field, peer review by other lawyers and judges, continuing legal education and a written exam, and it must be renewed every five years. The figures below come from each lawyer's Florida Bar profile.

Fact about the 10 ranked lawyers Figure
Board Certified in Civil Trial Law 10 of 10
Years in practice 7 to 46 (median 28)
Languages besides English Spanish (3)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school Nova Southeastern University - Shepard Broad College of Law (4 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Fort Lauderdale office address and personal injury as a practice area on record. It compares 10 personal injury lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. How we rank.

Florida rules to know

Most injury claims must be filed within two years, a person more than 50% at fault recovers nothing, and car crash injuries start with your own PIP insurance.

Rule What it means
Filing deadline 2 years for negligence claims that arose on or after March 24, 2023 (Fla. Stat. § 95.11)
Shared fault More than 50% at fault: no recovery; 50% or less: damages reduced by your share (Fla. Stat. § 768.81)
Car crashes Your own PIP pays first, up to $10,000, if you get care within 14 days (Fla. Stat. § 627.736)
Lawyer fees Contingency fees are capped, for example 33⅓% of the first $1 million if the case resolves before the defendant answers (Rule 4-1.5)
Which court Claims above $50,000 go to the circuit court; smaller claims go to the county court
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Broward County is in Florida's Seventeenth Judicial Circuit

Broward County crashes by the numbers

Broward County recorded 40,304 traffic crashes in 2023, the second most of any Florida county. Those crashes injured 24,540 people and killed 219, according to Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: Traffic Crash Facts 2023.

How to choose among these lawyers

Confirm the license, ask who will handle your matter, and get the fee terms in writing before you sign.

  1. Look up the lawyer in The Florida Bar's directory and check the bar number shown on their LexRanked profile.
  2. Ask whether the lawyer you meet will handle your matter personally, and how many matters like yours they have handled recently.
  3. Ask how they charge and what costs are extra, and get the agreement in writing.
  4. If you prefer to work in another language, check the languages listed on each profile.

Further reading

Sources for the rules above

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Florida?

Two years from the date of the injury for most negligence claims that arose on or after March 24, 2023. Claims that arose before that date have four years. Medical malpractice and wrongful death claims also have two-year deadlines, with their own rules on when the clock starts.

Can I recover compensation if I was partly at fault?

Yes, if you were 50% or less at fault; your damages are reduced by your share. If you are found more than 50% at fault, Florida law bars recovery, except in medical negligence cases.

How much does a personal injury lawyer cost in Florida?

Most work on a contingency fee: a percentage of the recovery and nothing if there is none. Florida caps these fees, for example at 33⅓% of the first $1 million if the case resolves before the defendant answers the lawsuit, and 40% after that. You can cancel the agreement within 3 business days of signing.

Who pays my medical bills after a car accident in Florida?

Your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance pays first, whoever caused the crash: 80% of medical bills and 60% of lost income, up to $10,000 combined, if you get care within 14 days. You can claim against the at-fault driver only for serious, permanent injuries.

What does Board Certified in Civil Trial Law mean?

It is a credential from The Florida Bar for lawyers with substantial experience in the field who have passed peer review and a written exam. 10 of the 10 lawyers in this ranking hold it; 4.9% of Florida lawyers hold a board certification in any field.

Which court handles cases in Fort Lauderdale?

State court cases in Broward County are heard in Florida's Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.

Are there Spanish-speaking personal injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale?

Yes. 3 of the 10 ranked lawyers list Spanish on their Florida Bar profile. Each LexRanked profile shows the languages on record.

How is this ranking ordered?

By the LexRank score, calculated only from facts with a cited source: experience, practice-area relevance, awards on record such as board certification, professional credentials, data quality and location. Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Payment never changes a position.

Do client reviews affect the LexRank score?

Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Reviews are shown on profiles for information only, and Reputation counts only awards on record, such as board certification. How we rank

Which lawyers are verified?

10 of the 10 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Mark Bennett Carroll, Louis Robert Battista, Thomas Edward Buser, Robert Joseph Cousins and Bradley James Edwards and others.

About this ranking

Last updated
Methodology
LexRank v1.2 - deterministic, reproducible scoring
Editorial review
LexRanked editorial team,
Independence
Positions are never sold. Paid placements, if any, are labelled and do not affect scores.

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