Legal Solutions for You,
Your Family & Your Business
Find a Lawyer >
Personal Injury lawyers serving Indian River County, FL >
Louis "Buck" Vocelle
Back to Search Results
Louis "Buck" Vocelle
Vocelle & Berg, LLP
3333 20th Street
Vero Beach, FL 32960
Phone: (772) 562-8111 | Fax: (772) 562-2870
http://www.vocelleberg.com
Board-Certified Personal Injury Attorney
Legal Topic
Personal Injury
Preferred New Clients
Serious injury and death, business, insurance, and construction disputes.
Sub-Categories
Personal Injury
- Dangerous Property
- Wrongful Death
- Personal Injury Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Construction Site Injuries
- Jones Act
- Slip & Fall
- Sports Injuries
- Petrochemical Accidents
- Design Defects
- Manufacturing Defects
- Assault & Battery
- Child abuse
- Dog Bites & Animal Attacks
- Domestic Violence
- Police Misconduct
- Sexual Assault
- Airplanes
- Buildings
- Mass Transit - Bus, Train, Subway
- Ships & Boats
- Financial Malpractice
- Legal Malpractice
- Religious Malpractice
- Anesthesia Malpractice
- Birth Injuries and Defects
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Dental Malpractice
- Elder and Nursing Home Abuse
- Emergency Room Errors
- HMO Managed Case
- Lasik Eye Surgery
- Medication Malpractice
- Optometry Malpractice
- Prescription/Drug Malpractice
- Psychiatric Malpractice
- Surgical Errors
- Wrong Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis
- Nursing Home Negligence
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Asbestos Mesothelioma
- Chemicals & Cosmetics
- Dangerous Drugs & Products
- Hazardous Waste
- Medical Products & Devices
- Pesticides
- Radiation & Electromagnetic Energy
- Tobacco
- Toxic Mold
- Amputation
- Birth Injury
- Burn Injury
- Head/Brain Injury
- Paralysis
Bar Admissions
FL, Oct 1982
Bar Number: 349488
Specialty Certifications
Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education.
Other Court Admissions
• Florida: 10/29/82
• United States District Court, Middle District of Florida: 12/2/82
• United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit: 6/16/83
• United States District Court, Southern District of Florida General Bar: 11/22/83
• Supreme Court of the United States: 2/24/86
• United States District Court, Southern District of Florida Trial Bar: 3/10/89
Association Memberships
• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
• Florida Bar (Trial Lawyers' Section)
• American College of Barristers
• Order of Barristers
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America
• American Trial Lawyers Association
• Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
• American Bar Association
• Indian River County Bar Association
• Phi Delta Phi
Continuing Education
I have lectured in the United States, Mexico and England on topics involving personal injury and business litigation and on ethics and professional conduct. I always exceed the required number of continuing education hours.
May 19 - 20, 1988:
The Rules (and Gamesmanship) for Successful use of Offers of Settlement and Judgment, Demands for Judgment and Offers of Settlement, Sponsor, The Trial Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar, Lecture and Outline, Presented, May 19, 1988, Miami, Florida, May 20, 1988 Tampa, Florida
March 19, 1991:
Bridge the Gap-Discipline and Ethics, Lecture and Outline, Sponsored by The Young Lawyers Division, The Florida Bar, presented West Palm Beach, Florida.
June 26, 1992:
Ethics Seminar: Avoiding Grievance and Malpractice Liability-Hot Topics in Ethics, Lecture and Outline, Seminar Sponsor, The Florida Bar, presented Orlando, Florida.
August 17, 1995:
Basic Commercial Litigation - Selected Issues on Ethics and Professionalism in Litigation, Outline prepared jointly with Martin Earl Rice, Seminar Sponsor, The Florida Bar, presented Miami, Florida.
April 21, 1996:
Current Issues for the General, Solo and Small Firm Practitioner - Personal Injury Litigation for the General Practitioner; Commercial Litigation for the General Practitioner; Hot Topics in Ethics: A Practitioner's View-Next Stop Malpractice Liability, Seminar Sponsor, The Florida Bar - General Practice Section, Lecture and Outline presented Cancun, Mexico.
July 1, 1997:
Professionalism, The Public and You, Sponsor, 19th Judicial Circuit Bench-Bar Committee, Panel Discussion Member, Port St. Lucie, Florida.
April 27 - 28, 2000:
Basic Commercial Litigation - Selected Issues on Ethics and Professionalism in Litigation, Lecture, Outline prepared jointly with Martin Earl Rice, Esquire, Seminar Sponsor, The Florida Bar, presented Miami, Florida, April 27, 2000, and Tampa, Florida, April 28, 2000.
July 1, 2002:
Exploring Our British Connections - An Excursion Seminar, Lecture only. Selected Topics on Ethics and Litigation for the General Practitioner, London, England.
Papers and Publications
"Offers of Judgment, Demands for Judgment and Offers of Settlement: Who's on First?" The Florida Bar Journal, March, 1988.
Example Cases
In 2008, I obtained a $9.7 million verdict in a shareholders derivative action involving an ophthalmology group practice, which also included claims of illegal spying, invasion of privacy and illegal interception of communications. Also in 2008, I achieved a settlement for a personal injury client in excess of $1 million in a case against a large equipment leasing firm based upon a novel ruling which declared a leased piece of construction equipment used on a construction site to be a dangerous instrumentality under Florida law for which the defendant/leaser of the equipment was 100% liable.
Education
Degree:
B.A.
School:
Wake Forrest University
City:
Winston-Salem
State:
NC
Year:
1978
Focus and Accomplishments:
After deciding that pre-med did not agree with me, I majored in politics which assisted me in achieving a position with the office of the Hon. Senator Lawton Chiles (Democrat, Florida.) in Washington, DC the year between graduating from college and entering law school.
Degree:
J.D.
School:
Florida State University College of Law
City:
Tallahassee
State:
FL
Year:
1982
Honors:
Graduated with Honors.
Focus and Accomplishments:
I was an invited member of the Moot Court team and the Order of Barristers. I worked every semester while I was in law school for government agencies and private firms. In my last year of law school I was honored to be awarded an internship at the Florida Supreme Court for the Hon. Justice Ben Overton.
Number of Attorneys
3
State Licensed In
Florida
Firm Focus and History
My firm, Vocelle & Berg, limits its practice to serious personal injury and litigation involving commercial, business and construction disputes. We are proud of our role and honored to be part of our legal justice system. We pledge our skills and efforts to assist and guide you through the legal process while protecting your rights through excellent legal representation.
Both myself and my partner, Paul Berg, have achieved double Board Certifications by the Florida Bar as both civil trial specialists and business trial specialists.
In personal injury and wrongful death cases, we charge no advance fees or costs. Once we have accepted your case, we maintain your continued right to professional legal representation by advancing necessary litigation costs. Only after your case has been settled or a judgment obtained and satisfied do we deduct legal fees and costs from the amount recovered. Our goal is to achieve fair and just compensation for our clients through caring, understanding and compassion, and by using aggressive representation throughout the legal process. Our people are the strength of our firm. All of the lawyers in our firm share similar credentials. We have strong academic records, completed years of legal training and managed thousands of cases for a broad spectrum of clients.
In 1990, after representing insurance companies for many years, I, along with a former partner, formed what is today known as Vocelle & Berg. The focus of the newly created firm was to concentrate strictly on civil litigation and to provide quality representation to individuals sustaining serious injury or death and to individuals and small businesses in business, insurance and construction disputes.
Previous Employment Summary
Prior to forming my current firm in 1990, I practiced at Moss, Henderson and Lloyd in Vero Beach Florida and at Dean, Mead and Minton in Fort Pierce Florida.
Activities and Awards
• AV rated by Martindale Hubbell,
• Florida Trend's Legal Elite-Top Lawyers in Florida
• Super Lawyers of Florida 2005 to Present
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• The Florida Bar Professional Ethics Committee: 1984 to 1995; 2003 to 2004
• Indian River County Bar Association Pro Bono Chairman: 1985 to 1987
• Florida Rural Legal Services Board of Directors: 1986 to 1987
• Chairman of The Florida Bar Professional Ethics Committee: 1988 to 1990
• The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, Board of Governors: 1989 to 1990
• Supreme Court Judicial Management Council of Florida: 1989 to 2003
• Chairman of The Florida Bar 19th Judicial Circuit Nominating Committee: 1993 to 1994
• 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida Grievance Committee B: 1993 to 1995; 2004 to Present
• Designated Reviewer-19th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee: 1995 to 2003
• Business Litigation Certification Committee: 2003 to 2004
• Board of Legal Specialization and Education: 2004 to Present (Chair 2009 to 2010)
• Board of Legal Specialization and Education Executive Committee: 2006
What is your opinion regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?
We encourage our clients to be fully informed about all of their legal issues and our representation. We work to provide our clients with the best possible legal representation: representation that is professional, efficient and timely. To maximize the impact of our services, we have consciously limited the scope of our practice to well defined areas of concentration.
Are you willing to review documents prepared by clients?
We are always willing to review client documents.
Are you willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?
We discourage clients from representing themselves without competent legal representation. However, if a client presents a problem or legal issue that is outside of our area of expertise, we will make every effort to refer to that client the best legal professional to handle that client's matter.
Why did you decide to be a lawyer?
Because pre-med did not agree with me.
What work experience and education helps you be a better lawyer?
I am a third-generation lawyer. My grandfather and father instilled in me a hard work ethic and a responsibility to give back to the community. My firm performs an incredible amount of community and pro bono services. I am involved with local service clubs, fraternal orders, the local community college, local schools and charter schools and numerous other community activities. I enjoy a challenge and pride myself on finding innovative ways to better assist clients. Too many lawyers in our society are concerned with padding their own pockets at the expense of the client, thus giving lawyers a bad name. I work very hard to make sure that will never happen in my firm.
Why did you decide on your primary area of practice?
I love the courtroom. I love to meet people. I love to learn about new businesses and challenges. I can't think of a better way to help people and to assist them with their needs in times of trouble and despair.
What do you like best about your career?
Knowing that every night when I go to bed, I have helped at least one person that day.
Tell us about your law firm:
At Vocelle & Berg, we value our personnel. My paralegal has been with me 20 years and knows more than many lawyers with similar experience. We strive to provide the best workplace for our personnel to develop and thrive.
What are your strengths and style?
I work a 10 hour day every day. My day starts at 7:00 a.m. and rarely ends before 6:00 p.m. I work hard to make sure that my clients receive the best representation possible and that their case is much better prepared than the opposition's case. Further, I have achieved board certifications in two areas of litigation and have achieved the ultimate in recognition by fellow lawyers and judges by receiving the highest possible rating of "AV" in the Martindale Hubbell Law directory, by being voted into Super Lawyers of Florida, Florida Trend's Legal Elite, the American Board of Trial Advocates. and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Personal Interests:
I love to fish and hunt turkey and quail. I am an instrument rated private pilot and donate my time to Angel Flight Southeast, an organization of volunteer pilots who transport cancer and other patients who are unable to afford transportation to medical appointments in other cities and states. I also love to travel, read, and listen to jazz and blues. Every year I try to get back into golf, but the game beats me.
Office Manager/Assistant
Lori Bachus
Fax
(772) 562-2870
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Emergency After Hours
Yes
Foreign Languages
Yesica Fraga speaks Spanish.
Additional Offices
Indialantic, FL
321 Sixth Ave.
Indialantic, FL 32903
Fort Pierce, FL
102 North Second St.
Fort Pierce, FL 34950
Fixed-Price Services and Fees
All of our serious injury and death cases are handled on a contingency basis. Other matters including business and construction disputes are handled on a variety of bases including hourly, fixed rate, flat fee, reverse contingency or a blend or combination of these types of billing.
If a client mentions that they came to us because of Nolo, that client will receive a longer free initial consultation and a negotiated discount on legal work.
Hourly Rates
Our hourly rates vary depending on the experience of the lawyer and are consistent with hourly rates charged by other lawyers in the area.
Free Initial Consultation?
Yes. Every client receives a one half-hour free initial consultation.
Typical Retainer
We do not have a typical retainer. Each case is different. Although, in many business and construction disputes, we do require a retainer if the matter goes into litigation.
Nolo's Licensing Check
Attorneys have passed a licensing check. Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the applicable bar associations upon joining the directory.
Directory lawyers are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any bar association.
