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John Uustal is a trial attorney and a founding partner of the Kelley / Uustal Trial Law Firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Mr. Uustal has been lead counsel in a wide variety of cases representing individuals, families, and consumers in products liability, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death lawsuits. He has tried over 25 cases- some lasting as long as seven months– representing plaintiffs in their claims against reckless individuals, automotive manufacturers, tire manufacturers, seat belt manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, banks, tobacco companies, HMOs, and insurance companies.
Mr. Uustal received his Juris Doctorate degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Miami in 1995. While in school he served on the staff of the University of Miami Law Review. He obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C. in 1991.
Mr. Uustal has been a member of The Florida Bar since 1996. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Justice Association and is Chair of the Appellate Section of the Broward County Bar. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice and the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Uustal has lectured at seminars and meetings on trial practice in relation to automobile defect cases.
Mr. Uustal is admitted to practice in all Courts of the State of Florida, as well as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Uustal served as a law clerk for the Honorable Peter T. Fay of the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Judge Fay was a renowned trial attorney appointed to the Federal Bench by President Nixon, and elevated to the Court of Appeals by President Ford. Judge Fay reinforced Mr. Uustal’s interest in representing the “underrepresented.” Before joining Judge Fay, Mr. Uustal worked in the prosecutor’s office of the Florida State Attorney in Dade County, Florida.
In his most successful trial to date as lead attorney, Mr. Uustal obtained a $51 million verdict. The verdict was one of the largest ever awarded on behalf of an individual. Mr. Uustal represented a Marine veteran paralyzed in an automobile accident, his wife, and their eight children. The Marine lost the use of his arms and legs after another driver ran a red light, slamming into his truck, paralyzing him as he drove home from work for a Fourth of July barbeque. He was ejected from the truck even though he was wearing his seatbelt. Mr. Uustal brought suit against the truck manufacturer, the seat belt manufacturer, and the driver who ran the red light. The manufacturers settled for an unprecedented amount prior to trial.