Biography
Since entering private practice in 1980, Mr. DePaolis has exclusively represented personal injury victims in Virginia and the District of Columbia. As a Virginia and Washington DC personal injury attorney, he has represented personal injury victims of defective products, automobile collisions, medical malpractice, as well as workers' compensation cases.
A large part of Mr. DePaolis' practice has been devoted to people suffering from asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other asbestos-related cancers. Mr. DePaolis has led his firm's fight against the asbestos industry and has recovered over $30 million in damages for asbestos victims and their families. Early in his career, Mr. DePaolis won the landmark decision in Wilson v. Johns Manville, which established the right of asbestos victims to file two separate claims: one for asbestosis and the other for a subsequently diagnosed mesothelioma or asbestos induced cancers. The Wilson decision has been followed by courts throughout the country and has led to successful recoveries for thousands of victims of asbestos disease.
Mr. DePaolis has also represented a large number of Virginia personal injury victims. He has successfully handled claims involving tractor-trailer collisions, automobile collisions, as well as claims involving the WMATA subway system. Mr. DePaolis continues to represent victims of medical malpractice involving negligent care from doctors, hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes.
Mr. DePaolis has handled many cases involving traumatic brain injuries arising from automobile collisions as well as workers' compensation accidents.
Prior to joining the law firm in 1980, Mr. DePaolis was a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable William E. Stewart, Jr., in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Thereafter he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia for three years from 1977-1980. Mr. DePaolis is extremely active in a number of bar associations, having served in a number of capacities, including as President of the Fairfax Bar Association. He is a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers as well as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Virginia Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar, as well as the District of Columbia Bar Association and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. Mr. DePaolis is also a member of the Virginia Boyd Graves Commission. He has also served as a mediator and arbitrator in personal injury and medical malpractice cases.
Mr. DePaolis was born in Hartford, CT, and graduated as Phi Beta Kappa Scholar from Lafayette College in 1971. He served for two years as a Lieutenant in the United States Army from 1971-1973. After discharge from active duty, he attended the George Washington University Law Center where he graduated in 1976, having received recognition as an Order of the Coif Scholar. Mr. DePaolis is active in a number of civic associations in the Northern Virginia area and has coached his children in the West Springfield Little League, Burke Soccer Club and Burke Athletic Club for more than 20 years. He is married to Karen Crist DePaolis and has 4 children.
Significant Cases
1. Virginia Automobile Collision: $1.2 million settlement for 82 year old man who was pinned between two cars in a parking lot. (December 2007)
2. Virginia Child Mauled by Dog: $270,000 settlement for 5 year old child mauled by neighbor's dog.
3. Virginia Traumatic Brain Injury Case: $2 million verdict in Fairfax, Virginia for 50 year old Virginia woman who was struck by teenage drivers speeding on parkway. (Reported in Virginia Lawyers Weekly, June 11, 2007).
4. Virginia Metro Subway Fatality: $650,000 verdict for elderly man, who was legally blind, killed after falling between two Metro subway cars.
5. Asbestos Victims' Verdict: $3.5 million verdict for 10 workers who developed asbestosis after years of exposure to defective products containing asbestos.
6. Virginia Auto Crash - Neck Injury: $300,000 verdict in Fairfax, VA or 27 year old woman struck by another vehicle, leading to a cervical fusion.
7. Virginia Workers' Compensation Case - Traumatic Brain Injury Settlement: $500,000 settlement for worker who suffered traumatic brain injury when struck by a vehicle while working. Worker was on benefits for over 15 years prior to settlement.
8. Virginia Workers’ Compensation Case - Traumatic Brain Injury Settlement: $1.2 Million settlement for construction worker who fell from steel beam on a jobsite.
Recent Honors
1. Recognized by Richmond Super Lawyers for 2009.
2. Received highest ranking by LexisNexis Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating for 2008.
3. Recognized by Washingtonian Magazine, December 2007, as one of Washington's 800 top lawyers.
4. Recognized by Washington, D.C. and Virginia Super Lawyers, 2006 and 2007.
To learn more about Mr. DePaolis, contact our Virginia and Washington DC personal injury attorney today.
