Levin Papantonio shareholder Troy Rafferty is the recipient of the 2016 Perry Nichols Award from the Florida Justice Association (FJA). The Perry Nichols Award is the highest award given by the FJA and it is presented to an attorney whose perseverance, commitment, and unmatched dedication to the civil justice system is at the forefront of their lives. Rafferty will be presented with the award at the Florida Justice Associationâs, Masters of Justice Convention in Orlando, on September 29.
âI am truly humbled to receive this prestigious award and it was a total shock to me,â said Rafferty. âI had no idea I had even been nominated.â
Perry Nichols is regarded as a pioneer in the field of personal injury law, and was a revolutionary figure in his time. He was the first attorney in the state of Florida to win a verdict in excess of $100,000. Soon after World War II, Perry spearheaded the organization of the Negligence and Compensation Lawyers of Florida, the predecessor of the Florida Justice Association. In 1954, he became one of the founding fathers of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and was elected president of the organization in 1965. In 1977, the Florida Justice Association created the prestigious Perry Nichols Award in his honor.
Rafferty has been recognized numerous times for his tremendous legal talent, litigating mass tort, pharmaceutical, and major personal injury cases throughout the country. He has been with the Levin, Papantonio Law Firm since 1994 and he now joins four other attorneys at the firm who have also received the prestigious Perry Nichols Award. Fredric G. Levin received it in 1994, Michael Papantonio in 2011, as well as late law partners Lefferts L. Mabie, Jr. and former Florida Governor, Reubin Askew.