You’re walking down the soda and water aisle at the grocery store and, unbeknownst to you, there’s a large puddle in your path, without a “Wet Floor” sign to warn shoppers. You slip. You fall. You get injured. Now what? Call George Stark.
Stark is a personal injury lawyer with nearly four decades of experience who can help you receive justice (and compensation) for a wrongful injury sustained due to someone else’s negligence. Stark specializes in representing people who have suffered injuries sustained in vehicular accidents, as well as cases of medical malpractice, product and premises liability. Stark has two offices, one in downtown Tampa in the Sykes Building (aka the iconic “Beercan”) and one in the Brookside Professional Park off S.R. 54, next to Saddlebrook Resort & Spa in Wesley Chapel.
“I have a personal injury practice,” he explains. “What that usually takes into consideration are accidents, such as automobile accidents, slip and trip & fall accidents, medical negligence and similar cases.”
Stark, who lives in the Saddlebrook community adjacent to the office park where his office is located, with his wife Maxine, is a graduate of California State University and Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1976 and first got started in the Tampa Bay area as an assistant public defender for Hillsborough County that same year. He was assigned to the felony division and continued to work as a public defender until 1981. Then, during the next six years, he worked in a general civil practice, before beginning his own firm in 1987: George M. Stark, P.A.
In addition to the State Bar Association, Stark also is a member of the Hillsborough County and Pasco County Bar Associations, as well as the Florida Justice Association (a group of the state’s trial lawyers) and the American Inns of Court (a legal group that specializes in fostering excellence in attorneys’ professionalism, ethics, civility and legal skills).
Stark says that he has spent the last 18 years practicing in Hillsborough County, and has held offices in many of the familiar buildings in downtown Tampa’s skyline.
But, eight years ago, Stark and his wife moved to Saddlebrook and decided to open the Wesley Chapel location. He says that today, his clients are split between Hillsborough and Pasco counties.
“I’m a solo practitioner because I like it that way and I’ve handled personal injury exclusively since 1987,” Stark explains. “The benefit is that I don’t have to ask anyone any questions about what I do. I enjoy working by myself. At the same time, I also am a member of Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association and I have a lot of dialogue with other lawyers.”
Stark says that he wanted to be a lawyer ever since he was young.
“I’ve always been excited about ‘wearing the white hat’ and trying to help people,” he explains. “We feel really good about what we do here. We feel that people deserve personal attention and I think that we’re very good about that. One of the things that I pride myself on is helping folks. It sounds kind of corny from time-to-time, but we actually get to make a positive difference in people’s lives. When people are down, they need someone to turn to, and we’re able to provide that assistance (when people are injured due to other people’s negligence).”
The main focus of his practice, Stark says, is getting matters resolved for people who have suffered injuries. He says that about 95 percent of the cases that he receives are resolved by way of settlement.
“The economics (of cases) favor working things out, nowadays,” he says. “If we can’t work things out (outside of court), we are trial lawyers. I have litigated in Hillsborough and Pasco counties and all over the state. That’s an important part of my practice, but it doesn’t represent what the average person faces.”
The average person, Stark explains, thinks that they’re going to see go to a lawyer and file a law suit right away, but that’s not always true.
“The average person sees advertisements on TV and feels as though the TV lawyer that they see is going to represent them,” Stark says. “The majority of the time, they never see that lawyer.”
Stark says that the concept of “aggressive lawyers” being “nasty and mean” is overblown. Assuming that a case cannot be resolved (out of court), he says that it has to be resolved in a professional way by competent people who know the system, appeal to juries and know how to secure results whether in litigation or outside the courtroom.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have cases in which I’ve had excellent results at trial,” Stark says. “The key is not necessarily to be nasty or adversarial, nor is it that every case has to be tried to a conclusion. Most cases get solved through settlement. Most trial lawyers spend more time in depositions than in court. On average, (personal injury trial lawyers) end up in court 1-3 times per year.”
Stark says that the actual legal side of things is not even the most important part of the case.
“The average person comes in and they’ve been in an accident, they’re traumatized and they’re not sure who to seek for medical care and attention,” Stark explains. “We encourage people to maintain good relationships with their doctors. The most important thing before getting the case settled is getting good patient care.”
Stark says that, if a patient is unsure where to turn for proper care, he can refer them to physicians he has worked with before.
“We point people in the right direction, so that they get excellent care for their (injuries) and then, if necessary, get appropriate documentation in order to document those injuries,” he explains. “At the end of the day, what we do is help organize their files, have contact with the insurance companies and do our very best to resolve their claim. In order to do that, we need to be able to document their injuries. We never try to exaggerate any kind of injury. As an advocate, all we can do is try to make sure that our clients are fairly compensated.”
Stark says that another key to success in legal cases is an open line of communication, which he says he goes to great lengths to maintain.
“Clients’ number one beef with attorneys is a lack of communication,” Stark says. “While I believe that communication is a two-way street, we make it a point to make sure that the client doesn’t have to labor to maintain communication with us. I always encourage them to schedule phone conferences with me. I never have a problem getting back to people because my clients control my calendar.”
One such client who benefitted from representation by Stark is Wesley Chapel resident Richard Smith.
“When you are in a real serious accident, a near-death experience, you need an attorney to protect you and your family, one who will take a personal interest in your case,” Smith says. “George Stark is that attorney. (He) handled all of the negotiations with police, insurance companies and other interests regarding my accident. I personally recommend him for any legal requirements.”
Have you been injured in an accident because of someone else’s negligence? Call George Stark at 991-6161 or visit StarkInjuryLaw.com.
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