Awards & Recognition

We have been honored to be recognized for our services throughout Jacksonville and the state of Florida for the past 20 years. From guest articles we have written for some of the largest law publications in the country, to peer nominations and recognitions, here are some of the accolades our firm has received throughout the years.

Best Law Firms - Personal Injury Litigation - 2023
Best Law Firms - Medical Malpractice Law - 2023

Best Lawyers®: Personal Injury Litigation and Medical Malpractice Law

Edwards & Ragatz (2014 – 2023)

Best Lawyers® has recognized Edwards & Ragatz as one of the top law firms in the region for the tenth consecutive year. In order to receive this recognition, a firm must have at least one attorney who is recognized in the current edition of Best Lawyers in a “Best Law Firms” ranked practice area / metro area. Edwards & Ragatz was ranked as a “Tier 1”-level law firm in the category of “Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs” and “Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs” for the Jacksonville, Florida area.

Recognition by Best Lawyers® is based entirely on peer review. Their methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. Best Lawyers® employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Their belief has always been that the quality of a peer-review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.

Super Lawyers

Super Lawyers®

Tom Edwards (2007, 2009 – 2021): See his profile here
Eric Ragatz (2014 – 2021): See his profile here

Tom Edwards (selected 13 times) and Eric Ragatz (selected 7 times) have once again been recognized by Super Lawyers® for the 2021 calendar year. Super Lawyers® is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The patented selection process includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations.

Martindale-Hubbell®: AV Preeminent™

Tom Edwards (1996 – 2021)
Eric Ragatz (2010 – 2021)

Edwards & Ragatz has once again received an AV Preeiment™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest rating available by the national attorney peer review rating service. An AV Rating signifies that the law firm has reached the heights of professional excellence, has usually practiced law for a number of years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity.

Martindale-Hubbell® has maintained ratings for lawyers for more than a century. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of bar members and the judiciary, and attest to the firm’s legal ability and adherence to accepted professional standards of ethics. Exclusively developed and assigned by the Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory, ratings are considered valuable benchmarks intended for use by members of the profession.

Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year

Medical Malpractice Law, Plaintiffs, Jacksonville – Tom Edwards (2021, 2019, 2015, 2012)
Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs, Jacksonville – Tom Edwards (2017)

The 27th Edition of The Best Lawyers® in America highlights the top 6% of private practicing attorneys in the US and includes our very own Tom Edwards, recognized for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiff. The 2021 Edition is based on more than 8 million evaluations and recognizes over 65,000 attorneys across 147 different practice areas.

Tom has been recognized in the past for this same accolade in 2019, 2015 and 2012. In 2017, he was Recognized as the Lawyer of the Year for Jacksonville Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiff.

Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite™

Tom Edwards (2020 – 2022)

We are proud to announce that Tom Edwards has been voted as one of the Florida Legal Elite™ for the 2022 calendar year! He also received this award in 2020 and 2021. This prestigious honor recognizes Florida attorneys who possess exceptional legal skills and expertise in their field.

Florida Trend’s Legal Elite selection process began last October. All members of the Florida Bar were invited to vote for the lawyers across the state whom they hold in the highest regard. The results were then reviewed by a Blue Ribbon Panel of prominent attorneys.

American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys (AIOPIA)

Top 10 Personal Injury Law Firm in Florida for Client Satisfaction – Edwards & Ragatz (2019-2020)
10 Best in Florida For Client Satisfaction – Tom Edwards (2019)

Edwards & Ragatz was once again recognized as a Top 10 Personal Injury Law Firm in Florida by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys in 2020. As such, we are honored to announce that our firm has been listed as a Two Year AIOPIA Top 10 Personal Injury Law Firm in Florida for Client Satisfaction. Additionally, Tom Edwards was nominated and accepted as a 2019 AIOPIA’S 10 Best in Florida For Client Satisfaction.

The American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys is a third-party attorney rating organization that publishes an annual list of the Top 10 Personal Injury attorneys in each state. To qualify for this esteemed recognition, nominees are based on client and peer recommendation, as well as passing the AIOPIA’s rigorous evaluation process. One of the most significant aspects of the selection process involves attorneys’ relationships and reputation among his or her clients. As clients should be an attorney’s top priority, AIOPIA places the utmost emphasis on selecting lawyers who have achieved significant success in the field of Personal Injury law without sacrificing the service and support they provide.

Jacksonville Magazine: Top 25 Attorneys in Jacksonville

Edwards & Ragatz (2019-2020)

Jacksonville Magazine is a monthly magazine published in Jacksonville, Florida. Founded in 1983, it is a regional lifestyle and general interest magazine covering Northeast Florida. In addition to the flagship magazine, Jacksonville Magazine also publishes several supplemental publications, including its annual Top Attorneys list. We were honored to be included in the top 25 for both 2019 and 2020.

The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Civil Plaintiffs

Edwards & Ragatz – Members (2020)

The National Trial Lawyers’ mission is to promote excellence and foster diversity in the legal profession through advocacy training, networking, and education of trial lawyers. The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 an invitation-only organization composed of the paramount trial lawyers from across the country who meet stringent qualifications as civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense trial lawyer. Selection is based on a thorough multi-phase process that includes peer nominations combined with third-party research. The result is a credible, comprehensive, and impressive list of trial lawyers chosen to represent their state.

Each of the distinguished Top 100 members encompasses the knowledge, skill, experience, and success held by only the best lawyers in America. We were honored to be included during the calendar year 2020.

The Florida Justice Association: Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award

Tom Edwards (2020)

Bestowed only upon courageous community leaders, Tom Edwards was unanimously elected to receive the Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award. The Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award is named for the founding President of the Florida Justice Association (F/K/A Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers) who dedicated nearly 50 years of his life to protecting civil justice and the rights of everyday working people. The award is presented for lifetime achievements in protecting consumer rights and the justice system.

Tom Edwards was selected for the Al J. Cone Award based upon a lifetime of work meeting the ideals of the award. His leadership includes the past presidency of The Florida Justice Association, Jacksonville Bar Association, and Jacksonville ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates). Recently he has served in numerous leadership roles including The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Management Council, The Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice, The Florida Supreme Court Civil Jury Instructions, The Florida Supreme Court Business Jury Instructions, Chaired the 4th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee, National Board for ABOTA, National Board for the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Board of the Area Legal Aid organization, and the Executive Committee for the Florida Bar Trial Lawyer’s Section.

Tom’s continuing impact on his community is landmarked with this prestigious award.

American Registry: America’s Most Honored Lawyers

Tom Edwards (2020)

The American Registry has confirmed that Tom Edwards has been awarded the recognition of American’s Most Honored Lawyers 2020. All qualifying public recognitions of excellence are certified by The American Registry and include significant mentions in the press, honors by recognized trade groups and acclaimed recognitions by peers or clients.

American Institute of Trial Lawyers: Litigator of the Year

Tom Edwards (2019-2020)

The American Institute of Trial Lawyers is an invitation-only professional organization composed of premier trial attorneys from each state. Membership is extended to only a select few in each state and/or region. Our very own Tom Edwards was included in 2020.

These attorneys exemplify the very best qualities and qualifications of an attorney. Each attorney must meet stringent qualifications as a civil or criminal trial attorney, and practice in a variety of fields to help and promote the ethical and elite practice of law. Selection is based on a multi-phase process that includes peer nominations and third-party research to ensure each member is in good standing with their local compliance organization. Congrats, Tom!

America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys®

Personal Injury Attorneys®: Tom Edwards (2020)
America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®: Tom Edwards(2018)

Jacksonville personal injury attorney Tom Edwards has been recognized among America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys® for 2020. Less than 0.5% of practicing attorneys in the United States receive this honor. This award identifies the most prestigious and successful personal injury litigators in the nation. To qualify, an attorney must focus more than 50% of their legal practice on personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, and/or medical malpractice cases. Additional criteria include the candidate’s experience, peer reputation, and high-value verdicts and settlements. Tom was also honored in 2018 as a Top 100 High Stakes Litigator.

Jacksonville Business Journal: Ultimate Attorneys

Tom Edwards: Best of the Bar (2020)
Tom Edwards: Ultimate Attorney (2016, 2020)

We are proud to announce that Jacksonville personal injury lawyer Tom Edwards has been awarded the prestigious Ultimate Attorney: Best of the Bar designation by the Jacksonville Business Journal!

Tom has already been honored as a Jacksonville Ultimate Attorney for 2020 and in 2016. The esteemed “Best of the Bar” award is based on the last four years of Ultimate Attorney honorees. This is truly an outstanding recognition, furthering Tom Edwards’ reputation as one of the most experienced, hardest-working trial lawyers in the state of Florida.

Martindale-Hubbell® 35 Year Anniversary Community Award

Tom Edwards (2019)

For more than 130 years, Martindale-Hubbell® has been evaluating attorneys for their strong legal ability and high ethical standards through a Peer Review Rating system. In 2019, the organization honored our very own Tom Edwards for his 35 years of service to the Jacksonville community.

Expertise: Best Car Accident Lawyers in Jacksonville

Edwards & Ragatz (2019)

Expertise.com finds and reviews the top service professionals in over 200 industries across the United States. Each month, they research more than 60,000 businesses to help customers find the best-qualified professional for their needs. Their research process is always evolving to keep up with industry changes, so they’re confident that when they say a provider is one of the best, it is.

We were honored to be named the Best Car Accident Lawyers in Jacksonville by Expertise in 2019.

Jacksonville Magazine: Board Certified Lawyers List

Edwards & Ragatz (2019)

Jacksonville Magazine is a monthly magazine published in Jacksonville, Florida. Founded in 1983, it is a regional lifestyle and general interest magazine covering Northeast Florida. In addition to the flagship magazine, Jacksonville Magazine also publishes several supplemental publications, including its annual Jacksonville’s Board Certified Lawyers List. We were honored to be included in 2019.

Topverdict: Top 50 Largest Car Accident Verdicts in Florida

Edwards & Ragatz (2018)

When we take on a personal injury case at Edwards & Ragatz, we always strive to obtain the maximum amount of compensation on behalf of our clients. In 2018, we helped to obtain one of the Top 50 Largest Car Accident Verdicts in Florida.

Davis v. Champion Brands et al., was tried by our attorneys and reached a successful truck accident verdict of $660,000 on behalf of our client. Throughout the years, we have obtained several multi-million-dollar settlements for innocent Jacksonville residents who have been injured due to someone else’s negligence.

Topverdict: Top 100 Jury Verdicts Truck Accidents in the USA

Eric Ragatz (2018)

Due to his work on Davis v. Champion Brands et al., Eric Ragatz helped to obtain one of the Top 100 Largest Truck Accident Verdicts in the entire United States in 2018.

Jacksonville Magazine: Top Attorneys

Selected by Peer Recognition & Professional Achievement – Edwards & Ragatz (2018)

Jacksonville Magazine recently published a feature on the Jacksonville-area attorneys that received a Best Lawyers in America honor in 2018. Among the list were Edwards & Ragatz attorneys Tom Edwards and Eric Ragatz.

The Jacksonville Bar Association: Justice Ehrlich Award

Tom Edwards (2013)

Tom Edwards was honored with the Justice Ehrlich Award in 2013 by The Jacksonville Bar Association. To be the recipient of The Justice Ehrlich Award in Jacksonville is nothing less than a monumental achievement for a practicing member of the bar.

Raymond Ehrlich served as the Florida Supreme Court Justice from 1981 to 1990. From 1988 – 1990 he served as Chief Justice. However, he was most prominently known for his philanthropy and role in his community. His legacy left such an astounding mark on this world that many attorneys strive to leave a legacy behind as great as his.

The Jacksonville Bar Association takes the time to recognize one of its members annually who mimics or represents the spirit of Justice Ehrlich.

Topverdict: #1 Medical Malpractice Verdict in the USA

Edwards & Ragatz (2012)

In 2012, we helped to obtain one of #1 Verdict in the Medical Malpractice field across the entire United States. Chandler v. Laparoscopic Weight Loss Surgery Centers LLC, et al. was tried by our attorneys and reached a successful truck accident verdict of $178,000,000 on behalf of our client. Throughout the years, we have obtained several multi-million-dollar settlements for innocent Jacksonville residents who have been injured due to someone else’s negligence.

American Academy of Attorneys: 100 Million Dollar Club

Over $100M Collected For Clients – Tom Edwards (2012)

Senior Partner Tom Edwards has joined the 100 Million Dollar Club with the American Academy of Attorneys after his work winning one of the largest medical malpractice verdict in the United States in 2012 and the second largest personal injury verdict in 2012.

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid: President’s Award

Edwards & Ragatz (2010)

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid presented Edwards & Ragatz with its prestigious President’s Award at the annual Equal Justice Event. Tom Edwards accepted the award for the firm. Edwards and Ragatz, along with 12 other firms, also received the 100% Firm Participation Award.

In The News.

  • Tom Edwards, Eric Ragatz, and Joel Powell named to 29th edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Read the Announcement
  • Tom Edward’s speaks with Trial Lawyer View Podcast. Trial Lawyer View Podacast 2021 Listen To Podcast
  • Tom Edward’s honored with the Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award. Jax Daily Record 2020 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards’s article published as the lead feature in the March/April edition of The Florida Bar Journal. The Florida Bar Journal 2020 Go To Article
  • Eric Ragatz re-elected to the Board of the Florida Justice Association. Florida Justice Association 2020 Go To Article
  • Giving back to the community at the JBA 12th Annual Charity Chili Cook-Off. Attorney at Law Magazine 2020 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards once again awarded the prestigious Ultimate Attorney: Best of the Bar designation by the Jacksonville Business Journal. Jacksonville Business Journal 2020 Go To Article
  • Successful pedestrian accident case won by Edwards & Ragatz, P.A.: $700,000. Personal Injury News 2019 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards named Top 25 Attorneys in Jacksonville by Jacksonville Magazine. Jacksonville Magazine 2019 Go To Article
  • Edwards & Ragatz win another t-bone accident case: $660,000. Motor Vehicle Accidents News 2018 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards featured on popular law podcast: Titans of Trial. Titans of Trial 2017 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards awarded the prestigious Ultimate Attorney: Best of the Bar designation by the Jacksonville Business Journal. Jacksonville Business Journal 2016 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards appointed to a second term on the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Management Council. The Florida Supreme Court 2014 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards extended an invitation to become a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. International Academy of Trial Lawyers. 2013 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards appointed to the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Management Council. The Florida Supreme Court 2012 Go To Article
  • Edwards & Ragatz win historic medical malpractice case: $178,000,000. Medical Malpractice News 2012 Go To Article
  • The attorneys of Edwards & Ragatz take up case against Memorial Hospital. The Florida Times Union 2011 Go To Article
  • Tom Edwards named a member of the Florida Bar Association Trial Lawyers Section Executive Council. The Florida Bar Association 2010 Go To Article