Catherine Timilty | Saint Petersburg Personal Injury Lawyer

In the last year or two, I have handled a variety of different cases, from a case where an elderly gentleman was hit by a car, and did not know he had a claim against his own insurance company for uninsured motorist benefits. I recovered over $75,000.00 for him, which greatly assisted in his long term care costs.

I'm still in the process of building a successful practice, but we try to do it with hard work, and satisfied clients. I always zealously advocate on behalf of my clients, either in court, or in the pre-litigation stage. I always tell them the truth about their claims, good or bad, and work with them to get the best result we can.

I think clients should look for a strong advocate when seeking out a lawyer. I always tell my clients, "I am not here to tell you what you want to hear, I'm here to tell you the truth, and get you the best result from your case. I am your lawyer first, and your friend second."

In a free phone consultation, I usually give as much advice as I can with regard to the type of case they have. If I can't help them, I refer them to someone I think can, and if there are any initial issues or problems with the fact pattern that may hurt them or their claim, I tell them that as well. I would rather spend 20 minutes giving free advice on the phone than have someone waste valuable time and energy chasing a fruitless matter through the system. Hopefully, being honest will make people remember me when they really need a lawyer.

I have 15 years of experience. I graduted in the top 15% of my law school class at the University of Miami. I am a one woman show at the moment, heck, I even answer my own phones half the time. I like my clients. I like advocating for them, either in a court room or outside of it.

I went to law school to help people. I started my career in the law as a Public Benefits Attorney with the Senior Citizen Law Project at Legal Aid of Broward County. The best and most rewarding part of my job is being able to help people navigate the system. I love to win, because hey, who doesn't? But winning is better when it helps someone get what they need.

I have a three year old daughter, Gabby. She is the center of my world. I volunteer to help out at her school when I can. I try to participate in every election by canvassing for candidates and making phone calls. I love to bake. In my next career, I'm going to run a cheesecake shop.

• Member, Florida Bar Association

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