Bio

Alvin A. Wolff, Jr.

Alvin A. Wolff, Jr. is a distinguished Managing Partner at Wolff Trial Lawyers in St. Louis, Missouri, with over four decades of experience in personal injury and medical malpractice law. A graduate of St. Louis University School of Law (J.D., 1979) and Washington University (A.B. in Political Science, 1976), Alvin has established himself as a leader in his field through his extensive legal practice and commitment to advocacy.

Throughout his career, Alvin has been a prominent member of several legal associations, including the Colorado Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice. He has also been board-certified trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and held specialized certification in medical liability from the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys.

Alvin’s contributions to legal literature are substantial, with numerous publications addressing critical issues in trial advocacy, medical malpractice, and personal injury law. He has authored articles for esteemed legal journals and presented at numerous conferences nationwide, sharing his insights on topics ranging from cross-examination techniques to jury bias in medical malpractice cases.

In addition to his practice, Alvin is dedicated to education, having served as an adjunct professor at St. Louis University and as an instructor at the Keenan Ball College, where he taught advanced trial law and mediation techniques. His teaching extends to modern platforms, including podcasts, where he discusses lessons from his extensive legal career.

Recognized for his excellence in law, Alvin has received numerous accolades, including the Albert Einstein Leadership Award and multiple honors from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America for over 10 years, including being named Lawyer of the Year for Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice in St. Louis in 2015.

Outside of his professional achievements, Alvin is actively involved in community service and legal education initiatives, aiming to inspire the next generation of trial lawyers.

Bio

Stuart R. Fraenkel

Mr. Fraenkel has a broad range of experience in civil litigation, including complex, high profile aviation, admiralty/maritime, auto, bus, truck, motorcycle, premises, personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, insurance bad faith, business litigation, mass tort, patent and entertainment matters.

Having handled numerous high-profile personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout his career with notable results, Mr. Fraenkel’s litigation experience has spanned the World, including Africa, Asia, Canada, Central America, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East, South America and just about all 50 states of the U.S. He is well versed in State and Federal Tort claims procedures and requirements in addition to being an authority in national and international conflicts and choice of law issues. He has reached the height of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity as a “preeminent-rated” attorney through the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell ® Peer Review Ratings™.

Mr. Fraenkel has litigated numerous international and domestic airline, commuter, military and general aviation crash cases. He was a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee on the China Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Korean Airlines cases. Mr. Fraenkel was one of the lead attorneys in the landmark Silk Air matter.

Mr. Fraenkel has also handled numerous general and commercial aviation cases involving Airbus, Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Aero Vodochody, Aerospatiale, Beech Cessna, Citabria, Foland, Gulfstream, Icon, Marchetti, Mitsubishi, Pilatus, Piper, Westwind, and various experimental fixed wing airplanes, Augusta-Westland, Bell, Eurocopter, and Robinson helicopters, and blimps.

The military accidents Mr. Fraenkel has handled involved Sikorsky CH-53 Super Stallion, EH-101 Merlin, McDonnell Douglas F/A 18 Hornet, Agusta Westland EH 101 Merlin, and UH-1N Huey aircraft.

Some of the more high-profile general aviation matters Mr. Fraenkel worked on were the:

• 1989 Chuck Norris movie, Delta Force 2 helicopter crash, Tagaytay, Philippines;
• 1990 Stevie Ray Vaughn helicopter crash, near Elkhorn, Wisconsin;
• 1991 Col. Donald Madonna, Foland Gnat crash, Shreveport, Louisiana;
• 2010 Senator Stevens plane crash, Dillingham, Alaska;
• 2012 Michael DeGruy, Robinson R44 crash, Berry NSW, Australia.

Mr. Fraenkel is also often called upon to participate as an aviation and legal source by numerous media, radio and television companies worldwide and has been quoted in various publications on numerous occasions. An article featuring Mr. Fraenkel was written for the Cessna Pilot’s Association magazine and another for an ABA TIPS publication. Mr. Fraenkel was also featured as an aviation law expert on a special NBC segment on Hawaiian Air Tour Safety.

Mr. Fraenkel is a United States Marine Corps veteran. He served as a CH-46 Sea Knight crew chief and A-4 Skyhawk plane captain, receiving numerous commendations during his tour. He also has extensive experience in aviation and vehicle maintenance—including combustion, diesel and turbine engines, electrical systems, hydraulics, structures, avionics systems, ejection systems and airframes. It is this extensive avionic background that has helped Mr. Fraenkel successfully litigate numerous international and domestic airline, commuter, military and general aviation crash cases during a career that has spanned more than two decades.

Mr. Fraenkel has also litigated numerous first party bad faith actions in cases arising out of the failure of insurance companies to defend and/or indemnify its insured, low-balling, fire loss, etc. Specifically, he was part of the team that received the landmark settlement against State Farm arising out of the Northridge Earthquake.

Mr. Fraenkel was also part of the team that litigated the famous, landmark case against PG&E which ultimately was made into the academy award winning movie, “Erin Brokovich.”

Bio

Tom Dickerson

Thomas J. Dickerson is a passionate Kansas City personal injury lawyer and advocate with a strong moral compass. Tom believes in the importance of standing up for individual people and their families against wrongdoers and the insurance companies that defend this wrongful conduct. Tom routinely takes this battle into the courtroom and has tried a significant number of trials, including personal injury trials on transportation collisions, construction zone accidents, boating accidents, premises liability, medical malpractice, dog bites, property damage, and consumer protection matters.

Tom was born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in Overland Park, Kansas. Tom started doing legal work when he was only 19 years old, working for the head of litigation at a mid-size firm that defended large financial institutions. In that position, Tom obtained invaluable experience seeing how some of the largest corporations in the country approached legal cases against everyday people. After seeing numerous cases where everyday people faced insurmountable odds against big business, Mr. Dickerson decided to dedicate his career to standing up for regular, hard-working people and their families. He fights to protect their rights and helps them obtain justice and fair compensation for their injuries and damages suffered due to the negligence of others. Tom started the Dickerson Oxton Law Firm with Chelsea Oxton Dickerson in 2010.

Tom has extensive experience in motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice and nursing home negligence, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, dog bites, job-related injuries, insurance disputes, and consumer protection matters.

Bio

Sean Simpson

Sean Simpson is an attorney specializing in civil trials representing individuals whose lives have been turned upside down because of someone else’s carelessness or intentional wrong.  What sets Sean apart from most lawyers is his dedication and passion, something clients notice right away.  He limits his case load to only a handful so he can leave no stones unturned – often working weekends and evenings to get the job done right!

After graduating from law school in 1986 Mr. Simpson spent three years working as a law clerk for the trial and appeals courts.  Following his term of government employment Mr. Simpson joined a large insurance defense firm in San Diego — McInnis, Fitzgerald, Rees, Sharkey & McIntyre (now merged with Higgs, Fletcher & Mack).  In 1992, motivated by a desire to help those who are the victims of misfortune, Mr. Simpson began representing individuals and families who have been harmed by the careless or intentional acts of others.   Since 2001 Mr. Simpson has obtained numerous noteworthy verdicts, including numerous seven-figure verdicts, two eight-figure verdict, and one nine-figure verdict.  Most of these newsworthy verdicts were won against large corporations for their egregious conduct considered by the jury to be fraudulent, malicious or oppressive. Over the past two decades, Sean has achieved 12 verdicts where the jury found fraud, malice or oppression and awarded punitive damages.  

Mr. Simpson is licensed to practice in California, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri.  He recently served nine years on the Board of Directors of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, and is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, America Association for Justice (AAJ), and the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA).    He frequently serves as a guest speaker at seminars presented by the State Bar of California, California Young Lawyers Associations, Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, and the Continuing Education of the Bar (“CEB”).      

Besides the greatest recognition – from satisfied clients – Mr. Simpson has also received recognition by various bar organizations.  These include five Outstanding Trial Lawyer awards from the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (CASD), being selected CASD’s Trial Lawyer of The Year for 2006, and inclusion in National Trial Lawyers Top 100.  His work was also recognized in a lengthy New York Times article published in March 2014 titled “When Employees Confess, Sometimes Wrongly.”  Even more meaningful than the wall full of law accolades, Mr. Simpson takes great pleasure in his memories of coaching many successful youth soccer teams. If he is not working on a case, you will find him on a soccer field, in the ocean, gliding on snow, or at a music festival!

Bio

Maxwell Szabo

Max Szabo is a veteran strategist, communications expert and licensed attorney. He has developed and successfully executed hundreds of high-profile initiatives for elected officials, agencies, non-profits, labor organizations, developers and Fortune 500 corporations.

Szabo was previously a senior adviser to San Francisco’s top prosecutor where he served as an Assistant District Attorney and Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs. Szabo served as a spokesperson for the agency and the elected District Attorney. There he led several successful landmark legislative initiatives including SB 962, a 2014 law which required the smartphone industry to pre-install a “kill switch” on every device sold. SB 962 has widely been credited with a global decline in violent smartphone robberies. Szabo was also a co-architect of major criminal justice reform initiatives such as AB 1076, a first-of-its-kind effort that leverages technology to automate record clearance at scale and provide expanded employment and housing opportunities for millions of Californians.

Prior to working for DA George Gascón, Szabo managed dozens of land use fights in four states and directed various ballot, candidate, and issue campaigns for private sector clients. Szabo works with the local and national media on a daily basis and is a California media market specialist. He is regularly quoted and has given hundreds of television and radio interviews. He has deep relationships with elected, community, activist and academic leaders across California.

Szabo earned his law degree from the University of San Francisco where he graduated with honors. He is a member of the California State Bar. He’s also an amateur inventor (patent #: 10757468).

Max lives in San Francisco with his wife, Belén.