Law Firm News
Robert R. Hatten, Esq. Inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers
Robert R. Hatten, Esq. of Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein, L.C. in Newport News, VA was recently inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL) at their International Meeting held June 12-25, 2010 in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The International Academy of Trial Lawyers limits membership to 500 Fellows from the United States. The Academy seeks out, identifies, acknowledges and honors those who have achieved a career of excellence through demonstrated skill and ability in jury trials, trials before the court and appellate practice. Members are engaged in civil practice on both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s side of the courtroom, and the trial of criminal cases. The Academy invites only lawyers who have attained the highest level of advocacy. A comprehensive screening process identifies the most distinguished members of the trial bar by means of both peer and judicial review. Mr. Hatten has been evaluated by his colleagues and the judges in his jurisdiction and has been highly recommended by them as possessing these qualifications and characteristics.
Chartered in 1954, the Academy’s general purposes are to cultivate the science of jurisprudence, promote reforms in the law, facilitate the Administration of Justice, and elevate the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession.
PWHD Included in Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Largest Jury Verdicts of 2009”
A $3.8 million verdict against John Crane Inc. was included in Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s survey of the “Largest Jury Verdicts of 2009,” which found 21 seven-figure judgments in 2009. PWHD’s verdict, which ranked at number ten on the list, stemmed from a mesothelioma lawsuit on behalf of retired Command Master Chief Gerald Gray who died from mesothelioma. The lawsuit, Sanders v. John Crane Inc., contended that Gray was exposed to asbestos products manufactured by John Crane Inc. and others during his 20-year career in the Navy. The seven figure verdict yielded a record achievement for PWHD attorney Robert Hatten, who became the only lawyer to have a seven-figure verdict for four years in a row. Also on the case were PWHD attorneys Hugh McCormick, Gary DiMuzio, William W.C. Harty and Erin Jewell. To read more about the verdict, please view the "Largest Jury Verdicts of 2009."
Hatten Selected as “Best Lawyer in America”
Robert Hatten of PWHD has been selected for the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of mass tort and personal injury litigation. Chosen for the 14th time, Hatten continues his membership in the distinguished group of attorneys who have appeared in Best Lawyers for ten years or longer.
For 25 years, Best Lawyers has been regarded as the definitive guide to the legal excellence in the United States. Based on a peer-review survey, Best Lawyers is considered the “most respected referral list of attorneys in practice” by The American Lawyer. Since no fee or purchase is required to be selected, inclusion in the annual, advertisement-free publication is considered a singular honor.
Mesothelioma Kills Retired Navy Command Master Chief
On June 15, a Newport News Circuit Court jury returned a verdict of $3.8 million dollars in the wrongful death lawsuit against John Crane Inc., a ship parts manufacturer. The plaintiff’s decedent Gerald Gray, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a deadly asbestos-related disease, in Feb. 2008. After battling the disease for more than a year, Gray succumbed to the illness, leaving behind a wife and three children. To read the whole article, visit Mesothelioma Kills Retired Navy Command Master Chief.
PWHD Achieves $1.2 Million Verdict for Asbestos Victim's Family
6/16/2009
Represented by PWHD's Bobby Hatten, the family of a retired navy sailor who died from mesothelioma received a $1.2 million verdict against an Illinois-based manufacturer.
Gerald Gray died in April, approximately five weeks before the trial began against John Crane, Inc, a maker of gaskets and other parts used on ships. Once the second highest ranking man in the Navy, Gray performed maintenance on many ships during his 20 years of service. Unfortunately, as he changed out parts on these vessels, he inhaled millions of asbestos fibers which eventually caused mesothelioma. Though his work as a sailor led to this asbestos-induced illness, Gray never blamed the Navy for his disease, Hatten said.
To read more about Gerald Gray and the million dollar verdict against John Crane, Inc., visit the Newport News.
GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
6/1/2006
Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the following appointments to state boards and commissions:
Board of Trustees, Foundation for Natural Resources
Eleanor Weston Brown of Accomack, partner with Patten Wornom Hatten & Diamonstein, and associate professor of law at Regent University School of Law.
Virginia Business Magazines Legal Elite for 2005
4/13/2006
Virginia Business Magazines' Legal Elite for 2005
View the members of our firm selected by Business Magazine as Legal Elite.
Virginias Legal Elite
2/5/2004
The Law Firm of Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein, L.C. congratulates Robert R. Hatten (Civil Litigation) and James H. Shoemaker, Jr. (Labor/Employment)
Every year Virginia Business Magazine surveys members of the Virginia State Bar to determine the top practitioners in approximately 12 legal categories. Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein is pleased that Mr. Hatten and Mr. Shoemaker are once again among 5 Peninsula attorneys honored by Virginia Business Magazine as members of Virginia’s "Legal Elite". The entire listing may be viewed at www.virginiabusiness.com. Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein is a full service law firm that has served individuals, families and businesses on the Peninsula since 1954.
Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein, L.C
223-4500
Local Top Five Corporate Law Firm Named
6/20/2003
PATTEN, WORNOM, HATTEN & DIAMONSTEIN RANKED IN TOP FIVE CORPORATE LAW FIRMS IN HAMPTON ROADS
Corporate Board Member magazine has named the Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein law firm as one of the top five corporate law firms in the Hampton Roads metropolitan region in their third annual Legal Industry Research Study. PWHD, with 20 lawyers, tied with two other firms for third place ranking among the top five. The other firms have between 66 and 840 lawyers.
Alan Diamonstein, a senior partner in the firm, which is based in Newport News, said, "We are very pleased to be included in this regional and national ranking for corporate law firms. Our focus has always been on strategic services and quality for our clients as opposed to increasing the size of our firm, and to have this recognized by the magazine again is a real tribute to our work." This is the second time in three years that the magazine has ranked the firm among the top five corporate law firms in a metropolitan region that includes Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
The PWHD firm includes practice areas for corporate and real estate transactions, tax, trusts and estate planning, civil litigation, domestic issues, labor and employment law, health care issues, product liability and government relations issues.
The rankings were established by the magazine in a national survey of directors serving on boards of publicly traded companies listed with the major stock exchanges, top private corporations and Global 1000 firms. Directors were asked to select which firms they would most likely choose to aid their companies with a broad range of corporate legal issues. William S. Rukeyser, editorial director of Corporate Board Member, said, "New laws and regulations are escalating pressure on corporate directors to do their jobs better, so the ties between good corporate governance and excellent legal advice are stronger than ever." The magazine is a leading information source for corporate executives and directors. Details about their annual legal industry research study can be accessed online at www.boardmember.com/issues/current.
Recognized by their peers in The Best Lawyers in America
5/1/2003
Robert R. Hatten, Donald N. Patten and H. Duncan Garnett Jr., have all been recognized by their peers for publication in The Best Lawyers in America and each of them enjoys the highest Martindale-Hubbell rating for legal competence. To learn more please use the following link www.bestlawyers.com.
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