Meet Trisha Widowfield | Attorney- Medical Malpractice

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trisha Widowfield and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trisha, what is the most important factor behind your success?
So the answer to this is two-fold, as I focus on not only building the brand of myself, but also in reinforcing my firm’s brand. Since there are so many attorneys and law firms in Florida, I’ve focused on what makes me unique as a litigator and what brings my firm to the top of our industry. In my specialty of medical malpractice, there are very few female attorneys. I’ve highlighted and embraced this “minority” status by cultivating relationships with other female attorneys in different practice areas- both in the social media world as well as in the live or-for now-Zoom world. I’ve emphasized my expertise within the specialized field of medical malpractice through serving on panels, writing articles and simply responding to posts asking for advice. Within this realm, I’ve become the go-to “med mal gal” and these platforms have created the ability to build and maintain relationships with a larger number of people. As to my firm, we emphasize our unique experience of being a firm who represented doctors and hospitals for over 20 years before completely “switching sides” to represent patients and families. Our clients appreciate and respect that our history allows us to anticipate the other side’s strategy which reinforces the brand of Haliczer, Pettis, & Schwamm as a medical malpractice firm with this distinctive strength.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our firm, Haliczer, Pettis, & Schwamm is a well-known boutique litigation firm specializing in medical malpractice, wrongful death, and catastrophic injuries all across Florida. As I previously mentioned, what truly sets us apart from other firms is we have extensive experience representing hospitals and doctors for decades before switching sides to represent injured patients and their families. This means that we’ve handled literally hundreds, if not thousands, of medical malpractice cases. Our experience on the “other side” has served our injured clients immensely not only in evaluating the case and determining how we can prove negligence, but also in predicting how the hospital or doctor or carrier will attempt to defend the case or value the injuries or damages. We employ in-house nurse paralegals who assist in the evaluation of each case. When I say that we’re a boutique firm, I mean that we have this highly-specialized niche and we intentionally accept fewer cases so that we can give each of our clients the attention and focus that they deserve to bring their case to resolution.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So I’m assuming this is a pandemic-free trip right? I’ll try to organize this into geographical areas so I don’t just ramble because I love to do so much in Miami. We’ll start with the obvious- South Beach. You have to do the iconic places like Lincoln Road during the day and the Delano at night and Joe’s for either dinner or a late lunch. For late night, nowhere is better than the Fontainebleau- also great for a pool day as well. Speaking of pools, a day at the Biltmore in Coral Gables is always beautiful and historic. Ending the day with the boutiques on Miracle Mile is a nice way to support the local businesses. Working my way north, Wynwood Walls especially during one of their night art walks is fun and all of the restaurants in that corridor are fun and unique. If there’s anything happening at the Arscht Center, I love to support their shows. It’s a gorgeous facility and we in Miami need to embrace the culture it brings. Finally, as anyone who knows me would expect- we would spend a day at the horse races at Gulfstream Park. It’s a beautiful and exciting venue and definitely a place for people-watching. My husband and I are part of a syndicate ownership where we own a very small percentage of a thoroughbred- I like to say that we own the nose, since it’s the most important part!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Wow- now I know why award winners always say “there’s so many people I want to thank”! While some generally think of their own effort in the realization of our goals, we must recognize and appreciate that many others are investing in us. First, I would recognize the mentorship and support of my firm, Haliczer, Pettis, & Schwamm as I have truly come up under their wings in learning not only litigation and medical malpractice, but also professionalism in every aspect. They have given me time, guidance, and support throughout my entire legal career. Additionally, I have to thank my “Tribe”- those other female attorneys I previously spoke about have been amazing at recognizing the value my firm and I can provide to the cases that they refer to us. The online female attorney groups are not only about supporting each other, but also about but lifting each other up to more opportunities. I’ve definitely benefited from that and I hope that I’ve created an echo effect of opportunities for others. Isn’t this where people forget to recognize their spouses? My husband has been such a supporting and patient presence, as this can be career can be consuming.

Website: www.hpslegal.com
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/trisha-widowfield-5048126 linkedin.com/company/hpslegal
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trisha.widowfield/ https://www.facebook.com/HPSLegal
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCon5issZbXaDck3K9D20_Uw