We're proud to share some big news: five attorneys from Edwards & Ragatz, P.A. have been selected for the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
This isn't an award you can apply for or buy your way into. Other attorneys — the people who see our work up close, sometimes as opponents in the courtroom — nominate and vote on who belongs on this list. Having five of our attorneys make the cut in the same year says a lot about the reputation our whole team has built.
Our 2027 Honorees
These are the Edwards & Ragatz, P.A. attorneys recognized this year, all based in Jacksonville, Florida:
- Thomas S. Edwards, Jr. — Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs)
- Eric C. Ragatz — Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs)
- Douglas Clifton — Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs)
- Katherine Loper — Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs)
- Katie DeSantis McCranie — Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs)
Tom Edwards has now been on this list every year since 2012. Eric Ragatz has made it every year since 2017 — both remarkable streaks in a field where the standards only get tougher.
Why This Award Actually Means Something
Best Lawyers in America® works entirely by peer review. Practicing attorneys evaluate other lawyers in their same city and same area of law — the people best positioned to judge the quality of that work. Best Lawyers then checks the feedback and confirms each attorney is still actively practicing and in good standing before anyone makes the list. In short: this recognition comes from other lawyers who've watched us work, not from a submission form or a marketing budget.
A Reflection of Our Whole Team
This year's five honorees cover both pillars of our practice — personal injury and medical malpractice. Together, our attorneys have represented families dealing with catastrophic injuries, medical negligence, birth injuries, car and truck accidents, unsafe property conditions, wrongful death, and other cases where someone else's carelessness changed their lives.
Our firm has more than 150 years of combined legal experience and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for injured clients and their families. Having five attorneys honored this year shows how deep our trial team really is, and how seriously we take holding negligent people, businesses, hospitals, and insurance companies accountable.
This year has already been a big one for Tom Edwards, who was also unanimously elected Dean of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers earlier in 2026.
Congratulations to Tom, Eric, Doug, Katherine, and Katie on this well-earned recognition in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
If you or someone you love has been seriously hurt because of someone else's negligence or medical malpractice, we're here to help. Our Jacksonville trial attorneys represent clients across Florida & Georgia. Call (904) 295-1050 or contact us online to schedule a FREE consultation.