1978, State of Michigan

1979, State of Arizona

U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Michigan State University College of Law (J.D., 1978)

Central Michigan University (B.S., cum laude, 1973)

Gary A. Fadell

Gary A. Fadell is partner in Wicker Smith’s Phoenix office, where his practice is focused on medical malpractice and professional liability matters.

Gary has been a trial attorney in Phoenix for more than 45 years. As a young lawyer he started out in the Office of the Arizona Attorney General, where he honed his courtroom skills prosecuting felony criminal cases including several first-degree murder trials. Later, he was also tasked with defending attending and resident physicians associated with the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and it was here that Gary developed his interest in civil litigation in general and medical malpractice defense in particular. He made the decision to transition into private practice and has been defending healthcare professionals and facilities full-time since 1988.

Gary worked at a few different Phoenix-area firms before launching his own firm in 1996. For 30 years, Gary and his team focused on the defense of hospitals, healthcare facilities, and their employed providers in malpractice litigation and regulatory proceedings. He is an experienced trial lawyer with countless defense verdicts to his credit and has also represented clients before regulatory boards such as the Arizona Medical Board, Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners, Arizona State Board of Nursing, Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners, and the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

In addition to his busy litigation schedule, Gary is a dedicated member of the legal community. He is a faculty member with the State Bar of Arizona College of Trial Advocacy and the Maricopa County Bar Association National Institute of Trial Advocacy, providing continuing education seminars for colleagues on emerging trends in medical malpractice litigation and trial strategy, and a regular presenter at healthcare industry conferences, lecturing on risk management issues. Additionally, he has served as a criminal judge pro tem for the Maricopa County Superior Court for more than 30 years.

Outside of the office, Gary enjoys hiking, traveling abroad, seeing live theatre and new films, and enjoying good meals with his family and friends.

• Arizona Bar Association
• Maricopa County Bar Association; Medical/Legal Committee – Past Chair
• Arizona Association of Health Care Lawyers
• Arizona Association of Defense Attorneys
• State Bar of Arizona College of Trial Advocacy