News

Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C. welcomes Wendy Moore, RN to our full time staff.  Wendy has extensive experience in critical care, cardiac, and pre-operative nursing.  Wendy is a graduate of the MCV School of Nursing and has fourteen years of experience as a legal nurse consultant.  As a nurse consultant, Wendy will assist us in evaluating cases, researching medical and nursing literature, locating experts, and preparing complex medical cases for trial. 
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Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C. is pleased to announce that we have launched a Spanish language version of this website to better serve the Latino community.  The Spanish version of this website has detailed information about our practice areas, our experience, frequently asked questions about medical malpractice, defective products, nursing home abuse, and more.  Please click here to visit our Spanish website.
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One of the biggest challenges in pursuing medical malpractice lawsuits is finding qualified experts who are willing to testify for the plaintiff. New to our website is Tom Williamson's article on effective strategies to locate experts. The article was published in the VTLA Journal. Tom's article is supported by over 30 years of experience representing victims of medical malpractice and defective products.
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The magazine Virginia Super Lawyers 2007 mailed surveys to approximately 19,000 active Virginia attorneys and asked them to nominate the best attorneys they have seen in action. Only the top 5% were selected for publication in Virginia Super Lawyers 2006. For the second year in a row Tom Williamson was recognized as one of the top 50 attorneys in Virginia. He was also one of only seventeen Virginia attorneys recognized for expertise in representing victims of medical malpractice.

Tom has 30 years of experience trying cases involving serious injury and death. For more information about Tom, please view his profile or contact us for more information.
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Carolyn Lavecchia is one of only seventeen Virginia attorneys recognized in the publication Virginia Super Lawyers 2007 for expertise in representing victims of medical malpractice. The magazine Virginia Super Lawyers 2007 mailed surveys to approximately 19,000 active Virginia attorneys and asked them to nominate the best attorneys they have seen in action. Only the top 5% were selected for publication in Virginia Super Lawyers 2007.

Carolyn has over 20 years of experience handling serious injury and death cases due to medical malpractice. Prior to becoming an attorney, Carolyn was a nurse practitioner on the faculty of the Medical College of Virginia. Combining her health care experience with her skills as a trial lawyer has earned Carolyn the admiration of her clients and the respect of her opponents. Carolyn leads the elder abuse section of Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C. representing victims of abuse at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. For more information about Carolyn, please view her profile or contact us for more information.
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Jonathan Petty was included as one of only six “Virginia Rising Stars” in the publications Virginia Super Lawyers 2007 (Rising Stars) and Richmond Magazine for his skill in handling medical malpractice cases on behalf of injured persons and their families. The lawyers selected for inclusion on this prestigious list were nominated and selected as the best up-and-coming lawyers in their practice areas aged 40 years and younger. Only 2.5% of the total lawyers in Virginia are listed in Rising Stars.

Jonathan has been handling medical malpractice and other cases involving serious injury and death for over twelve years. For information about his background, please visit Jonathan’s profile.

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The American Academy of Trial Counsel is a lawyer honorary comprised of experienced and effective litigators throughout the United States, and represents less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellowship in the Academy is limited and by invitation only. Academy Fellows are deemed to be among the best trial lawyers in the American bar, who have exhibited accomplishment in litigation and trial work, and have superior ethical reputations. The composition of the Academy is aggressively diverse, with recognition of excellence in litigation across all segments of the bar. In addition, the Academy is dedicated to promoting superior advocacy, professionalism and ethical standards among its Fellows and Members.
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Tom Williamson joins a distinguished group of lawyers who have been listed in the book The Best Lawyers in America for twenty years or longer. Tom was recognized in the specialties of medical malpractice law and personal injury litigation. Selection in the book The Best Lawyers in America is based on confidential surveys of the top lawyers around the country. Click here to read the letter from the editor-in-chief of Best Lawyers congratulating Tom.
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Bausch & Lomb recently recalled its ReNu with MoistureLoc® contact lens solution from the worldwide marketplace. This solution has reportedly been linked to dangerous fungal eye infections known as fusarium keratitis. If untreated this infection can damage the cornea and possibly lead to blindness.
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Tom Williamson was recently appointed by Chief Justice Hassell to serve on the Futures Commission. The Futures Commission was established in 1987. This year the Commission will be looking 10-15 years into the future to address the challenges of providing for the fair and efficient administration of justice.
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PLEASE NOTE THE RESULTS OBTAINED IN SPECIFIC CASES DEPEND ON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. PAST CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN FUTURE CASES UNDERTAKEN BY A LAWYER OR LAW FIRM. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A CASE, PLEASE CONTACT US SO WE CAN DISCUSS THE SPECIFIC FACTS OF YOUR CASE AND YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS.

In this case, Tom obtained a $1.5 medical malpractice verdict in Richmond Circuit Court for a patient who suffered brain damage when he underwent a procedure to implant an ICD, which is commonly called a pacemaker. According to Virginia Lawyers Weekly this was tied for the fifteenth highest verdict of all cases tried in Virginia in 2005.

After the device was placed, the plaintiff was administered 50mg Brevital for deep sedation in order to test the device. Defendant cardiologist had been trained and certified in deep sedation anesthesiology and was responsible for administration and monitoring of the patient during deep sedation; an electrophysiologist was implanting the ICD. Testing was uneventful. During the procedure the oxygen saturation levels dropped and following the testing the electrophysiologist noted that plaintiff was not breathing properly. At some time after the device was implanted and before patient was intubated, defendant had left the procedure room and was in the monitoring room when he was called back to the patient.

Plaintiff's expert was an anesthesiologist who testified as to the standard of care for monitoring during deep sedation. Plaintiff's expert testified that the injury was caused by failure to manage the airway and assist the breathing of the sedated patient.

Click here to read the full trial report published in Virginia Lawyer's Weekly on December 16, 2005.
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Tom Williamson was again selected by his peers to be included in the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Tom is one of a distinguished group of attorneys who have been listed in Best Lawyers in America for ten years or more.

Corporate Counsel magazine describes Best Lawyers as "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice." Selection is based on peer review surveys. Over 18,000 leading attorneys cast their votes on the legal skills of their colleagues.

Best Lawyers in America, in its 12th Edition, is subscribed to by more than 4,000 law firms in the United States and abroad.
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Tom Williamson was again chosen for inclusion in the Legal Elite civil litigation category published by Virginia Business Magazine, in its December 2005 issue. According to Virginia Business Magazine, the Legal Elite represents an effort to identify the very best lawyers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With help from Virginia Bar Association and the research resources of Virginia Business, the magazine polled more than 7,500 lawyers asking them to nominate lawyers in 12 categories of law picked by Virginia Business. Tom was one a select group of attorneys chosen by his peers for inclusion in the Civil Litigation category.

Tom Williamson practices with Williamson & Lavecchia L.C. of Richmond, Virginia. For more than twenty five years, Tom has represented persons harmed by medical malpractice, defective products, insurance company misconduct and other types of negligent and wrongful conduct. Richmond Magazine previously named Tom the top Product Liability, Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice lawyer in Richmond, Virginia based upon a survey of 2,000 practicing lawyers. Please see Tom's full curriculum vitae to learn more about Tom's background and experience.
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