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Top-Ranked Personal Injury Lawyers in Pensacola, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.29 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked personal injury lawyers in Pensacola, Florida are Stephen F Bolton (LexRank 84.00), Stephen Herre Echsner (84.00) and Terence Alan Gross (84.00).

This ranking lists 9 personal injury lawyers in Pensacola, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. All 9 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 17 to 46 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
9
Fully verified
9 of 9

The ranking

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

  1. No change

    Stephen F Bolton

    Zarzaur Law, P.A. · Pensacola, FL

    Verified
    • 44 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 28.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

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

    Stephen Herre Echsner

    Independent practice · Pensacola, FL

    Verified
    • 45 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 28.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

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

    Terence Alan Gross

    Independent practice · Pensacola, FL

    Verified
    • 46 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 28.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

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

    Patrick S Martin

    Michles & Booth, P.A. · Pensacola, FL

    Verified
    • 29 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 28.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

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

    Thomas Michael McLeod

    McLeod & Thompson, LLP · Pensacola, FL

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

    Ranks #5 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 28.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

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

    Randle Dave Thompson

    McLeod & Thompson, LLP · Pensacola, FL

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

    Ranks #6 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 28.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

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

    Charles Thomas Wiggins “Charlie”

    Independent practice · Pensacola, FL

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

    Ranks #7 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 28.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

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

    Joseph Anthony Zarzaur “Joe Zarzaur”

    Zarzaur Law, P.A. · Pensacola, FL

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

    Ranks #8 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 28.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)

    Held back by

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

    Adrian Revell Bridges

    Michles & Booth, P.A. · Pensacola, FL

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

    Ranks #9 with 74.40: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (4/20) and Experience (20.4/30). 9.60 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 10)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 4)
    • Experience 20.4/30 (ranking avg 28.9)

    9.60 points behind #8 (Joseph Anthony Zarzaur “Joe Zarzaur”): Experience −9.6.

Personal Injury market in Pensacola

LexRanked tracks 9 lawyers and 3 law firms in personal injury law in Pensacola, Florida. 9 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 22, 2026.

Lawyers
9
Law firms
3
Verified professional data
9 of 9
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
39 years9 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 Pensacola

What sets these Pensacola lawyers apart

All 9 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 9 ranked lawyers Figure
Board Certified in Civil Trial Law 9 of 9
Years in practice 17 to 46 (median 39)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school Florida State University College of Law (4 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Pensacola office address and personal injury as a practice area on record. It compares 9 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 Escambia County is in Florida's First Judicial Circuit

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.

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. 9 of the 9 lawyers in this ranking hold it; 4.9% of Florida lawyers hold a board certification in any field.

Which court handles cases in Pensacola?

State court cases in Escambia County are heard in Florida's First Judicial Circuit.

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?

9 of the 9 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Stephen F Bolton, Stephen Herre Echsner, Terence Alan Gross, Patrick S Martin and Thomas Michael McLeod 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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