CCS attorneys selected to ‘Top 100 Trial Lawyers’ list

Two of our Bakersfield personal injury lawyers and partners at Chain | Cohn | Clark have been selected to join “The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers” for 2014.

Senior partners David V. Stiles and Matthew C. Clark have been invited to join the “Top 100” list, which is a premier group of attorneys who practice civil plaintiff law in the state of California. Additionally, Clark was invited to join The National Trial Lawyers’ “Top 40 under 40,” a professional organization comprised of America’s top young trial attorneys.

Membership into The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 40 under 40 is by invitation only, and is extended exclusively to those individuals who meet stringent qualifications and specialize in the legal practice of criminal defense or civil plaintiff, according to The National Trial Lawyers program.

As for the “Top 100,” it’s composed of the premier trial lawyers from across the country who exemplify superior qualifications as civil plaintiff or criminal defense trial lawyers. The national organization provides networking opportunities, advocacy training, and the highest quality educational programs for trial lawyers.

Only the top 100 trial lawyers from each state or highly-populated regions of certain states who are actively practicing in civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense law are eligible for invitation. Invitees must demonstrate superior qualifications, leadership skills, and trial results as a legal professional. The selection process for this elite honor is based on a multi-phase process which includes peer nominations combined with third party research.

Prospective members of The National Trial Lawyers’ are carefully screened prior to receiving an invitation for membership. The criteria used in the evaluation process include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Reputation among peers, the judiciary, and the public
• The previous year’s achievements, settlements and verdicts as a trial lawyer
• Board Certification as a trial lawyer or trial attorney
• Nominations received from leading trial lawyers, current members and/or our executive committee members
• Leadership and membership within other national and state trial lawyer organizations
• Rankings and ratings of the attorney by established organizations.

As part of the selection, the attorneys at CCS will have their photos and biographies displayed on The National Trial Lawyers website. They’ll also receive a plaque, which CCS will proudly display in the lobby of our Bakersfield office, as well as highlight in our various social media sites.

Here’s a little more on the attorneys selected for this honor:

• David V. Stiles is a senior partner in the firm. He is a Martindale-Hubbell AV preeminent rated trial attorney, who has tried over 50 cases to a jury.  He has been with the firm for over 35 years, and has extensive experience in personal injury and wrongful death cases. His areas of interest include auto/truck liability, oilfield accidents, nursing home abuses, and premises liability. Over his career, Stiles has recovered millions in settlements and verdicts for his clients, including a number of multi-million dollar results.  Most recently he obtained a multi-million dollar settlement for the victim of a truck accident, and high six figure verdicts in two trials involving, respectively, an oilfield accident and a fall accident.  He has successfully litigated numerous nursing home neglect cases, and is a Panelist of the California Association for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR).

• Matthew C. Clark is a senior partner with the firm and a recent graduate of the ABOTA National Trial College at Harvard Law School.  He was recently named a Rising Star in Southern California by Super Lawyers Magazine, an honor bestowed upon only 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40.In 2011, Matthew obtained a six-figure verdict on behalf of his client in a public entity premises liability case.  He also was part of the team that helped secure a $10 million settlement on behalf of a client who suffered serious burn injuries in an oilfield accident.