Richards “Dick” Ford Office: Orlando Direct: (407) 317-2170 rford@wickersmith.com Practice Areas: Admitted to Practice:
Corpus Christi, TX |
Richards FordRichards Ford Richards H. Ford is one of Wicker Smith’s four Managing Partners. He joined the firm in Miami in 1983, and opened the firm’s Orlando office five years later. Today, Orlando is the second-largest office in the firm, and the lawyers developed there under Dick’s tutelage have gone on to open new offices in Tampa, Jacksonville, Melbourne, Pensacola and Atlanta. For over 40 years, Dick has been the trusted trial counsel to some of the firm’s biggest clients. He exclusively handles complex litigation matters with the potential for high damages and public exposure across an array of practice areas. He has represented doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, major automobile insurers, trucking companies, national retailers, lawyers and professional service providers, and other corporate clients in a variety of matters, including catastrophic injury and birth injury claims, wrongful death, general liability and bet the company litigation. He serves as national counsel for several clients, and is frequently called to assist or take over a case that has had counsel assigned previously. He has tried well over 125 civil jury trials throughout Florida, and is admitted to practice pro hac vice in nine other states. Many of the cases he has worked on throughout his career have had significant public exposure, including the “super fog” multi-vehicle pile-up case in Florida in 2022, and the hazing death of a member of the FAMU marching band in 2012. In 2019, he was associated as national counsel to represent a hospital in rural Georgia in a medical malpractice case valued in the tens of millions of dollars, involving an alleged failure to diagnose sepsis that resulted in quadruple amputations in a 57-year old Army veteran. Known for his calm and poise under pressure and his exceptional track record at trial, Dick has solidified his reputation as a masterful advocate, consistently delivering favorable outcomes across multiple industries. He has cultivated lasting relationships with hundreds of loyal clients, who entrust him with their most challenging legal matters time and again due to his dedication to excellence and deep-seated commitment to client service. Dick is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Board of Legal Specialization. He is also certified with The National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate and by the National Board of Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy as a Board Certified Civil Pretrial Practice Advocate. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, one of only five hundred Fellows in the United States; he is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. He holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been named to Florida Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America 12 times since 2010, and has twice been named as a Lawyer of the Year in the area of professional malpractice. Dick is a devoted husband, father, and grandfather whose community involvement includes serving as a member of the Vestry of All Saints Episcopal Church, and as a member of the Interlachen Country Club Board of Directors. Professional & Civic Affiliations
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Richards "Dick" Ford - Partner
- Profile
- Practice Areas
- Professional Credentials
- Perspectives
Profile
Richards H. Ford is one of Wicker Smith’s four Managing Partners. He joined the firm in Miami in 1983, and opened the firm’s Orlando office five years later. Today, Orlando is the second-largest office in the firm, and the lawyers developed there under Dick’s tutelage have gone on to open new offices in Tampa, Jacksonville, Melbourne, Pensacola and Atlanta.
For over 40 years, Dick has been the trusted trial counsel to some of the firm’s biggest clients. He exclusively handles complex litigation matters with the potential for high damages and public exposure across an array of practice areas. He has represented doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, major automobile insurers, trucking companies, national retailers, lawyers and professional service providers, and other corporate clients in a variety of matters, including catastrophic injury and birth injury claims, wrongful death, general liability and bet the company litigation.
He serves as national counsel for several clients, and is frequently called to assist or take over a case that has had counsel assigned previously. He has tried well over 125 civil jury trials throughout Florida, and is admitted to practice pro hac vice in nine other states. Many of the cases he has worked on throughout his career have had significant public exposure, including the “super fog” multi-vehicle pile-up case in Florida in 2022, and the hazing death of a member of the FAMU marching band in 2012. In 2019, he was associated as national counsel to represent a hospital in rural Georgia in a medical malpractice case valued in the tens of millions of dollars, involving an alleged failure to diagnose sepsis that resulted in quadruple amputations in a 57-year old Army veteran.
Known for his calm and poise under pressure and his exceptional track record at trial, Dick has solidified his reputation as a masterful advocate, consistently delivering favorable outcomes across multiple industries. He has cultivated lasting relationships with hundreds of loyal clients, who entrust him with their most challenging legal matters time and again due to his dedication to excellence and deep-seated commitment to client service.
Dick is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Board of Legal Specialization. He is also certified with The National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate and by the National Board of Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy as a Board Certified Civil Pretrial Practice Advocate. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, one of only five hundred Fellows in the United States; he is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.
He holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been named to Florida Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America 12 times since 2010, and has twice been named as a Lawyer of the Year in the area of professional malpractice.
Dick is a devoted husband, father, and grandfather whose community involvement includes serving as a member of the Vestry of All Saints Episcopal Church, and as a member of the Interlachen Country Club Board of Directors.
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Credentials
Education
- Boston University (J.D., 1979)
- University of Florida (B.A., with honors, 1976)
- Rijks Universiteit te Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands (1974-1975)
Practices
Professional Credentials
Admitted to Bar
- 1979, Florida
- 1981, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida including Trial Bar
- 1989, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
- 1994, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
- 1996, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Honors
- Top 50: Orlando Super Lawyers List; General Litigation, Professional Liability: Defense, Personal Injury – General: Defense (2021)
- “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers of America, Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants (2017,2018)
- Best Lawyers in America, Professional Malpractice Law- Defendants (2012 – Present)
- Florida Super Lawyers (2006 – 2016)
- Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite (2004 – 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2018)
- Appointed to Fellows of the American Bar Foundation 2006
- AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell
Professional Affiliations
- The Florida Bar – Health Law Section
- American Bar Association
- Orange County Bar Association
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers
- Florida Defense Lawyers Association
- Central Florida Medical Malpractice Claims Council Board of Directors
- Trucking Industry Defense Association
- International Association of Defense Counsel
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Defense Research Institute
- Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, 2007
Member, Amicus and Public Policy Committee, 2018
Florida State Representative, Membership Development and Retention Committee State Representatives, 2018
Speeches
- Setting the Stage and Hired Guns and Summation, USLAW Fall Client Conference, Montreal, QB, CA (September 7, 2018)
- Handling and Defending Sepsis-Related Claims, ASHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition, Seattle, WA (October 17, 2017)
- Medical Malpractice – 10 Minute Drills, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar, Orlando, FL (May 20, 2016)
- Defending the Negligent Credentialing Claim, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar, Orlando, FL (May 20, 2016)
- Are We Afraid to Take Cases to Trial, USLAW Fall Client Conference, Boston, MA (September 18, 2015)
- Beware the Reptile: No Longer a Rare Deposition Trend, Florida Healthcare Association Annual Conference & Trade Show, Orlando, FL (July 8, 2014)
- Bad Baby – 10 Minute Drills, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar, Orlando, FL (June 13, 2014)
- McCall: The Beginning of the End Of Non-Economic Caps On Damages, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar, Orlando, FL (June 13, 2014)
- The Reptile Brain Canadian Chiropractic Protective Association Toronto, Ontario (June 7, 2014)
- When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough-Decline of “Judgmental Immunity Defense”, DRI Professional Liability Seminar, New York, NY (December 13, 2013)
- Bad Faith, Swiss Reinsurance Corporation, Overland Park, KS (October 2013)
- Social Media and Smartphones, Axis Insurance, Kansas City, MO (October 2013)
- The Reptile Brain, NCMIC, Kansas City, MO (September 27, 2013)
- The Reptile Brain, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar, Orlando, FL (June 7, 2013)
- Owe No! Beware of the Liability or Violating Consumer Protection Statutes When Collecting Fees from Former Client, USLAW Fall Client Conference, Washington, DC (October 6, 2012)
- Status of No Injury Warranty Claims, USLAW Fall Client Conference, Washington, DC (October 5, 2012)
- Is Anything Safe to Eat?: Defending Food Borne Illness Claims, FDCC, Whistler, British Columbia (August 2, 2012)
- Handling the Difficult Patient, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (June 8, 2012)
- The Social Network, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (June 8, 2012)
- Social Networking Sites—Your Best “Friend” for Investigating and Defending Claims, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (June 10, 2011)
- Developments in Law Governing Sexual Harassment in Florida, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (June 10, 2011)
- Effective Use of Medical Records & Journey Through Government “Neverland”, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (June 11, 2010)
- The Bad Faith Set-Up: A Booby-Trap for Insurance Carriers and Defense Counsel, USLAW Radio (November 17, 2009)
- Lawyers Beware! Becoming Liable for Bad Faith Judgments, USLAW (September 25, 2009)
- Medicare Reporting and Set Aside Accounts, MAG Mutual Insurance Company (August 5, 2009)
- The Trouble with Sex, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (May 8, 2009)
- Liability for Firearm Safety in an Environment of Changing Technology, USLAW (March 28, 2009)
- Bad Faith Litigation in Florida, SwissRe Insurance America Corporation (October 9, 2008)
- Punitive Damages, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (June 6, 2008)
- Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (June 6, 2008)
- The Do’s and Dont’s of Representing Professional Malpractice Clients, USLAW (October 6, 2007) – Moderator
- Hospital Litigation, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (July 27, 2007)
- Florida Claims Handling Tips & Procedures, AIG/Lexington Insurance Company (January 30, 2007)
- Medical Malpractice: Statutory Caps in Medical Malpractice Cases, Wicker Smith Claims Seminar (August 18, 2006)
- Florida’s Medical Malpractice and Determining Non-Economic Damages and Related Topics, CNA HealthPro (May 23, 2006)
- Florida’s Medical Malpractice and Determining Non-Economic Damages and Related Topics, Orlando Regional Healthcare System (March 9, 2006)
- Florida’s Medical Malpractice and Determining Non-Economic Damages and Related Topics, First Professionals Insurance Company (FPIC) (March 9, 2006)
- Florida’s Medical Malpractice and Determining Non-Economic Damages and Related Topics, The Medical Protective Company (February 20, 2006)
- *Complete List Of Presentations Available Upon Request.
Publications
- Authored: Who Pays for Crime? Defending the Property Owner in Negligent Security Claims, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel 2011 Winter Meeting (June 2011)
- Co-Authored: Negligent Security in Government Subsidized Apartment Complexes, USLAW Magazine (Fall/Winter 2010)
- Co-Authored: Radiologists Defense in Failure to Communicate Cases, For the Defense Magazine (November 2007)
- Co-Authored: Preparing for, Taking and Defending the Expert Deposition, Defense Research Institute Trial Manual (September 2006)
- Co-Authored: Preparing Your Experts for Deposition, Florida Defense Lawyers Association Defense Manual (August 2006)
- Co-Authored: Chapter 7 – Pain and Suffering in Pediatric Neurology, Medical-Legal Aspects of Pain and Suffering, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Co., Inc. (2003)
- Co-Authored: On the Defense—Preparing to Defend Yourself in Court, Chiropractic Business Journal (September 1999)
Perspectives
- WICKER SMITH ATTORNEYS RECOGNIZED BY BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA® 2024: 17 NEW HONOREES
- WICKER SMITH ATTORNEYS NAMED TO 2023 FLORIDA SUPER LAWYERS LIST
- WICKER SMITH FEATURED IN ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE: 70 YEARS OF UNPARALLELED SERVICE
- WICKER SMITH ATTORNEYS RECOGNIZED BY BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA® 2023
- WICKER SMITH O’HARA MCCOY & FORD P.A. CELEBRATES MILESTONE 70TH ANNIVERSARY
- Wicker Smith Ranked in 2022 Chambers & Partners USA Edition
- 16 Wicker Smith Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® 2022
- Wicker Smith Sponsors 41st FSHRMPS Annual Meeting & Education Conference 2021
- 11 Wicker Smith Attorneys Named Among 2021 Florida Super Lawyers And Rising Star Lists
- Wicker Smith’s Virtual Seminar 2021 Draws in Over 3,200 Professionals!
- 13 Wicker Smith Attorneys Recognized By Best Lawyers In America© 2021
- Wicker Smith Ranked Among Top 10 in Florida Trend Magazine’s 2020 “Biggest Law Firms In Florida”
- Twelve Wicker Smith Attorneys Recognized by 2020 Florida Super Lawyers
- Update: Wicker Smith’s ‘A Slice for a Life’ Effort to Aid Local Pizzerias and Healthcare Workers Continues
- Wicker Smith Launches ‘A Slice for a Life’ Effort to Aid Local Pizzerias and Healthcare Workers
- Wicker Smith Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020
- 12 Wicker Smith Attorneys Named 2019 Florida Super Lawyers
- Eight Wicker Smith Partners Listed in the Best Lawyers In America© 2017
- Three Wicker Smith Lawyers Receive “2017 Lawyer of the Year” Distinction by Best Lawyers In America©
- Wicker Smith Cited As “Preferred Counsel For Florida” By Iheartmedia’s Senior Corporate Counsel-Litigation
- Wicker Smith Receives 2014 Best Lawyers in America
- Wicker Smith Receives Successful Defense Verdict in Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death Trial
- Wicker Smith is a Proud Platinum Sponsor of 2013 ACC Seminar