Monday, October 7, 2002
Page 3
Lawyers Group Honors Orange County Attorney Daniel Hodes
By LORELEI LAIRD, Staff Writer
Medical malpractice trial attorney Daniel M. Hodes, who won the largest wrongful death verdict in the history of Orange County, has been named “Top Gun Attorney of the Year” by an association of his peers.
Hodes, a partner in the Newport Beach-based firm Lopez, Hodes, Restaino, Milman & Skikos, was named the top medical malpractice attorney of the year by the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association on Sept. 26. He was given the award for the breadth and significance of his cases, as well as his volunteer work and standing in the legal community.
“It should mean a lot to Dan, because it takes a lot of experience and a lot of good results to get the award,” Eric Traut, president of the OCTLA, said.
Hodes, who was not available for comment Friday, specializes in HMO, breast cancer and birth trauma cases. According to a press release, he has handled hundreds of malpractice cases that won six- and seven-figure verdicts, including a 1997 wrongful death verdict of $10.96 million, the largest medical malpractice wrongful death verdict in the county’s history. Traut said Hodes’ firm was involved in the nationwide tobacco settlement, and is currently involved in litigation relating to the phen-fen weight loss drug and to “toxic” mold.
Traut said Hodes is notable not only for his work in the courtroom, but his volunteer efforts with industry associations. In addition to being a past president of the OCTLA, Hodes currently serves on the board of the Consumer Attorneys of California and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization Traut described as prestigious. In addition, Hodes volunteers on the Orange County Arbitration and Judge Pro Tem panels as a court-appointed arbitrator and settlement officer.
But what made him stand out from the competition, Traut said, is that Hodes is liked and respected in the legal community, even by those he opposes in the courtroom.
“Not only is he an effective litigator, but he is extremely well liked by both other plainfiffs’ lawyers, defense lawyers and judges,” Traut said.
Hodes earned an undergraduate degree from SUNY Oswego and a Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law. His firm, based in Newport Beach with offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Cincinnati and Minneapolis, handles litigation related to HMO malfeasance, medical product liability, pharmaceutical drug liability, employment law and elder abuse cases.
He will receive the award at the OCTLA’s Top Gun Award Banquet at the Sutton Place Hotel on Oct. 18.
Copyright 2002, Metropolitan News Company