We ranked 10 Florida nursing home abuse lawyers. The top pick, Senior Justice Law Firm, reports a $14.7 million Florida nursing home wrongful death verdict. Florida gives you 2 years to file in most cases, and this page lists the phone and address for each attorney, plus the state hotlines.
Quick answer: the first 3 firms in our review
Senior Justice Law Firm, 1-888-375-9998. Handles only elder neglect and abuse; lists Florida verdicts of $14.7M and $12.5M (firm-reported).
Morgan & Morgan, Orlando, (407) 420-1414. Lists 7 Orlando nursing home abuse results, the largest $12,350,000 in 2022 (firm-reported).
Wilkes & Associates, Tampa, 1-800-255-5070. A nursing home litigation firm since 1985; its site lists a $2.7M Hernando County bedsore death verdict upheld on appeal.
Firms we reviewed, in ranked order
1
Senior Justice Law Firm
Best fit for: stage 3 or 4 bedsores and deaths in a nursing home or assisted living facility, anywhere in Florida.
6001 Broken Sound Parkway, Suite 600, Boca Raton, FL 33487 (headquarters). Florida offices also in Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.
Rating:
Michael Brevda, 5.0 (112 reviews, combined Avvo and Lawyers.com) on Avvo, checked Nov 2026
no fee unless the firm wins; the firm states 33.3% to 40% depending on when the case resolves, and it advances case costs.
Results (firm-reported):
$14.7 million jury verdict, Florida nursing home wrongful death; $12.5 million jury verdict, Florida assisted living bedsore case; $1 million settlement, Florida group home, stage-four pressure ulcer that led to death.
fee terms not published on the pages we checked; ask for the contingency percentage in writing.
Results listed on the firm's site (firm-reported; the pages do not name trial counsel): $2.7 million jury verdict, Hernando County, for a resident whose infected bedsores exposed bone and contributed to his death, upheld by Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal; confidential result, Brevard County, assisted living resident who fractured her pelvis.
Founded:
1985, as Wilkes & McHugh; renamed Wilkes & Associates in 2019
contingency fee, nothing owed without a recovery; percentage not published.
Results (firm-reported):
a settlement of nearly $1.6 million with a nursing facility that failed to monitor a resident's medical treatment; a settlement of nearly $550,000 for the family of a neglected resident.
2541 MetroCentre Blvd, Suite 4, West Palm Beach, FL 33407. Florida offices also in Tampa, Orlando, Coral Gables, North Miami Beach, Plantation, Boca Raton and others.
Rating:
Darryl Brent Kogan, 4.9 (75 reviews) on Avvo, checked Nov 2026
Stage 3 or 4 bedsore: a stage 3 sore is an open crater; stage 4 reaches muscle and bone. Start with a firm that publishes wound results: Senior Justice (no. 1) or Wilkes & Associates (no. 3).
Hospital stay or sepsis: the hospital chart is the key evidence. Pick a firm that publishes nursing home results, such as Searcy Denney (no. 4), whose results include a facility that failed to monitor a resident's treatment, or Morgan & Morgan (no. 2).
Death: the estate's personal representative brings the claim (Fla. Stat. 400.023). Look at Senior Justice (no. 1), Wilkes & Associates (no. 3) and Morgan & Morgan (no. 2), which publish death or large verdicts.
She is still in the facility: safety first. Call 911 for immediate danger, then the Florida Abuse Hotline (1-800-962-2873) and the Ombudsman (1-888-831-0404). Then pick the firm nearest her facility from the city sections below.
Timing: if the injury is close to 2 years old, call now. The 75-day presuit period only pauses the clock once the notice is mailed.
An empty patient room in the Clinical Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Photo: Diane A. Reid, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
How we rank
We scored each firm on four things: 40% published nursing home or assisted living case results; 25% focus on nursing home cases; 20% volume of public reviews; 15% access (free consultation, languages, 24/7 intake). We used only facts we found on pages we fetched in November 2026. Ratings come from third-party sites (Avvo) and belong to the named attorney, not the whole firm. Case results are reported by the firms themselves. Firms do not pay to be listed or ranked, and a ranking is not a claim that any firm is the best.
Top rated nursing home abuse lawyers in Florida
On Avvo's nursing home abuse lists for Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, three attorneys on this page had large review counts in November 2026: Michael Brevda of Senior Justice (5.0 from 112 combined Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews), Darryl Kogan of Baker & DiSalvo (4.9 from 75) and Joseph Landy of Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel (5.0 from 57). Reviews measure client service, not trial skill. For trial skill, compare published results: Senior Justice and Morgan & Morgan publish the most Florida nursing home figures on this list. Ask any firm which attorney will handle your file and how many nursing home cases that person has tried.
Nursing home abuse lawyer near me: how to narrow this list
Start with the county where the facility is, not where you live, because the case is usually filed there. Use the city sections below to find firms with an office nearby. Then call two or three. Ask whether the firm has handled a case against the same facility or its owner, who will be your contact, and whether they will get the full chart and the facility's inspection history. Check every attorney's license in The Florida Bar's free directory. If the resident speaks Spanish or Portuguese, ask for a lawyer or staff member who does.
How much does a nursing home abuse lawyer cost in Florida
These cases are almost always taken on contingency: no fee unless there is a recovery. Florida Bar Rule 4-1.5(f)(4)(B) presumes a fee is excessive, without court approval, above 33 1/3% of the first $1 million before the defendant answers, or 40% of the first $1 million after an answer through judgment. Above $1 million the cap falls to 30%, and above $2 million to 20%. An appeal can add 5%. You may cancel the contract in writing within 3 business days of signing. Ask who pays case costs such as expert fees; Senior Justice, for example, says it advances them and is repaid only from a recovery.
Deadline to file a nursing home abuse claim in Florida
For nursing homes, Fla. Stat. 400.0236 sets 2 years from the incident, or 2 years from when it was or should have been discovered, and never more than 4 years from the incident. If the facility hid the injury through fraud or intentional misrepresentation, the limit can stretch to 2 years from discovery, capped at 6 years. Assisted living claims follow the same rules under Fla. Stat. 429.296. Before suing a nursing home, the lawyer must mail a notice of intent and wait 75 days (Fla. Stat. 400.0233); the deadline is tolled during that period.
What to do after you suspect nursing home abuse
If she is in danger, call 911. Then report it: the Florida Abuse Hotline takes reports 24 hours a day at 1-800-962-2873. File a facility complaint with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) at 1-888-419-3456, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, or through its online form. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, at 1-888-831-0404, helps residents and families for free. Take dated photos of wounds and bruises, write down names and times, and ask in writing for a copy of the medical record. Keep every paper the facility gave you at admission.
Bedsores and pressure ulcers (stage 3 and stage 4)
A pressure sore forms when someone lies or sits in one position too long. By stage 3 the skin has opened into a crater and fat may show; at stage 4 the wound reaches muscle and bone, and can reach tendons and joints. Deep sores often mean the resident was not turned, cleaned or fed as the care plan required. Florida's residents' rights law, Fla. Stat. 400.022, gives each resident a right to care that follows that plan and to be free from neglect. Photograph the wound, ask for the wound-care notes, and talk to a lawyer before the facility "updates" the chart.
Falls in a nursing home
A fall that breaks a hip or causes a head injury is one of the most common reasons families call a lawyer. The questions are whether the facility knew she was a fall risk, what its care plan said to do (bed alarm, help to the bathroom, low bed), and whether staff did it. Ask for the incident report and the fall-risk assessment. Two firms on this list publish fall results: Senior Justice lists a $750,000 Florida nursing home fall settlement, and Wilkes & Associates lists a confidential result for an assisted living resident who fractured her pelvis (both firm-reported).
Dehydration and malnutrition
Sudden weight loss, dry mouth, confusion and repeated urinary infections can point to a resident who is not getting enough food or water. Facilities must track weight and intake, so the records will show whether staff noticed. A hospital lab result showing dehydration on arrival is strong evidence. Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel describes a case where a resident left a Lake Worth facility 32 pounds lighter, dehydrated and with wounds to the bone (firm-reported). Ask for the weight log and the dietary notes.
Unexplained bruises or injuries
Bruises on the arms, wrists or inner thighs, a sudden fracture nobody can explain, or a resident who becomes afraid of one staff member can signal rough handling or abuse. Florida law gives every nursing home resident the right to be free from physical, mental and sexual abuse (Fla. Stat. 400.022). Report it to the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873 the same day. Photograph the marks with a date, and write down what she says in her own words. A lawyer can ask for staffing records and any video the facility keeps.
Sepsis and infections
Sepsis is the body's dangerous reaction to an infection, and in nursing homes it often starts in an untreated bedsore or urinary infection. When a resident arrives at the hospital septic, the question is whether the facility missed fever, confusion or a worsening wound in the days before. The hospital admission notes and the facility's nursing notes from the prior week are the key records. Searcy Denney reports a settlement of nearly $1.6 million where a facility failed to monitor a resident's treatment (firm-reported; not described as a sepsis case).
Nursing home wrongful death in Florida
When neglect causes a death, the estate's personal representative files the claim under Fla. Stat. 400.023. After the verdict and before judgment, the claimant elects survival damages or wrongful death damages. The same 2-year limit under Fla. Stat. 400.0236 applies, so open the estate early if no one has been named personal representative. Firm-reported Florida death results on this page include Senior Justice's $14.7 million verdict and Wilkes & Associates' listing of a $2.7 million Hernando County verdict.
Arbitration agreements in admission papers
Many admission packets include an agreement to arbitrate disputes instead of going to court. Federal rules for Medicare and Medicaid facilities (42 CFR 483.70(m)) say the facility cannot require you to sign one to be admitted or to keep receiving care, the agreement must say so, and you can cancel it within 30 calendar days of signing. It must also let you choose a neutral arbitrator and a convenient place. If you signed one, give it to the lawyer; it may still be challenged, and it does not stop you from reporting to the state.
Wilkes & Associates (3550 Buschwood Park Drive, Suite 230; 1-800-255-5070), Senior Justice (412 E Madison Street, Suite 908; (813) 616-5999), Morgan & Morgan (201 N. Franklin Street, 7th Floor; (813) 223-5505), Catania & Catania (101 E Kennedy Blvd, Suite 2400; (813) 222-8545), Searcy Denney (1234 5th Avenue E., Suite A; 813-491-8896) and Baker & DiSalvo (1725 W Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Suite 106).
Miami
Senior Justice (1900 N Bayshore Dr, 1A #180; (305) 780-5166), Morgan & Morgan (703 Waterford Way, Suite 1000; (305) 929-1900), Aronfeld Trial Lawyers (1 Alhambra Plaza, Penthouse, Coral Gables; 1-866-597-4529) and Baker & DiSalvo (2100 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 602, Coral Gables, and 633 167th Street, Suite 812, North Miami Beach).
Orlando
Morgan & Morgan (20 North Orange Ave, Suite 1600; (407) 420-1414), Senior Justice (330 E Central Blvd, #100; (407) 698-3277), The Pendas Law Firm (625 E Colonial Dr; 844-200-0000) and Baker & DiSalvo (8865 Commodity Circle, Suite 13-113).
Jacksonville
Harrell & Harrell (4735 Sunbeam Rd. and 7045 Blanding Blvd.; 904-251-1111) and Senior Justice (301 W Bay St, Suite 14169; (904) 717-3661).
Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach
Fort Lauderdale and Broward: Senior Justice (110 SE 6th St; (754) 312-7202), Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel (261 N. University Drive, Suite 500, Plantation; 954-495-2715) and Baker & DiSalvo (2 S. University Drive, Suite 325A, Plantation). West Palm Beach: Searcy Denney (2139 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.; 561-686-6300), Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel (420 Columbia Drive, Suite 110; 561-655-2028), Baker & DiSalvo (2541 MetroCentre Blvd, Suite 4; (561) 689-9955) and Senior Justice (777 S Flagler Dr, Suite 800 West; (561) 717-0817).
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to file a nursing home abuse claim in Florida?
2 years from the incident or its discovery, never more than 4 years from the incident (Fla. Stat. 400.0236). Fraudulent concealment can extend it to 6 years at most. Assisted living: same limits under Fla. Stat. 429.296.
How much does a nursing home abuse lawyer cost in Florida?
Usually nothing upfront. Florida Bar Rule 4-1.5 caps the presumed fee at 33 1/3% of the first $1 million before an answer is filed and 40% after. You can cancel within 3 business days.
Who do I call to report nursing home abuse in Florida?
Did signing an arbitration agreement at admission end my right to sue?
Not always. A Medicare or Medicaid facility cannot require it for admission, and you can rescind within 30 calendar days (42 CFR 483.70(m)). Have a lawyer read it.
Can the family sue if a nursing home resident died?
Yes. The estate's personal representative brings the claim under Fla. Stat. 400.023 and chooses survival or wrongful death damages after the verdict.
Is there a waiting period before a lawsuit can be filed?
Yes. A notice of intent and a 75-day presuit investigation (Fla. Stat. 400.0233). The deadline is tolled during those 75 days.
How did you rank these firms?
40% published nursing home results, 25% nursing home focus, 20% public review volume, 15% access. Ratings are third-party. Firms do not pay to be ranked.
