Gerson & Schwartz Accident & Injury Lawyers

Miami personal injury attorney Philip M. Gerson is widely recognized as one of the most experienced and top-rated plaintiff trial lawyers in Florida. For more than five decades, he has represented injury victims and grieving families throughout Miami and across the state in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, negligent security, cruise ship injury, and complex maritime litigation matters. Clients frequently describe Philip M. Gerson and Gerson & Schwartz Accident & Injury Lawyers among the best Miami, Florida personal injury lawyers for serious injury and wrongful death representation because of the firm’s courtroom strength, trial preparation, and long-standing commitment to plaintiff advocacy.

Founded in 1970, Gerson & Schwartz Accident & Injury Lawyers has become one of Miami’s longest-standing plaintiff-only personal injury law firms. Alongside partners Nicholas Gerson and Edward Schwartz, Philip M. Gerson has helped build a nationally recognized litigation practice handling high-stakes injury and wrongful death claims involving automobile accidents, trucking collisions, motorcycle crashes, negligent security incidents, medical negligence, maritime injuries, cruise ship accidents, and crime victim litigation. The firm’s attorneys collectively bring more than 100 years of litigation and trial experience representing plaintiffs throughout Florida and nationwide.

Throughout his legal career, Philip M. Gerson has remained focused exclusively on representing individuals and families harmed by negligence, dangerous conditions, corporate misconduct, and intentional wrongdoing. His practice includes catastrophic injury claims, wrongful death lawsuits, defective product litigation, negligent security cases, medical malpractice matters, and federal maritime litigation involving serious passenger and crew injuries. He earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law, where he served on the law review editorial board, received moot court honors, and graduated near the top of his class. He is admitted to practice before all Florida courts, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Claims, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida.

Under Philip M. Gerson’s leadership, the firm has become especially well known for its cruise ship and maritime litigation practice. Gerson & Schwartz Accident & Injury Lawyers is regarded as one of the nation’s leading cruise ship injury law firms and represents passengers and crew members injured aboard vessels operating from Miami and ports around the world. The firm handles cases involving slip and falls, gangway accidents, water slide injuries, shore excursion incidents, vessel malfunctions, onboard medical negligence, shipboard assaults, and negligent security claims arising at sea. Because of the firm’s extensive maritime litigation experience, it has represented clients from all fifty states in claims against major cruise operators, including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages, MSC Cruises, and Holland America Line.

Philip M. Gerson has also played an important role in advancing cruise passenger safety and crime victim advocacy beyond the courtroom. He testified before the United States Senate Commerce Committee regarding cruise passenger safety issues, shipboard crime reporting, and victim protections within the cruise industry. His advocacy has been associated with broader efforts that contributed to the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010, legislation focused on improving passenger safety standards and accountability aboard cruise ships. His work has additionally involved organizations connected to victim advocacy and maritime safety issues, including efforts associated with the International Cruise Victims Association and the National Crime Victim Bar Association.

The firm’s litigation practice also remains heavily focused on negligent security and crime victim representation throughout Miami and Florida. Philip M. Gerson and his legal team have represented victims harmed by shootings, sexual assaults, inadequate security, and other preventable violent crimes occurring at hotels, apartment complexes, cruise ships, entertainment venues, and commercial properties. The firm aggressively pursues negligent property owners, corporations, and cruise operators that fail to implement reasonable safety and security measures to protect guests, passengers, tenants, and visitors.

Over the decades, Gerson & Schwartz Accident & Injury Lawyers has tried more than 350 jury trials to verdict and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of injury victims and families. Unlike many firms that focus primarily on settlements, the practice remains strongly litigation-oriented, with senior attorneys maintaining direct involvement in investigation, discovery, negotiations, trial preparation, and courtroom advocacy from beginning to end. That trial-centered approach continues to be one of the primary reasons many clients and referring attorneys consider Philip M. Gerson among the best and most trusted Miami, Florida personal injury and maritime lawyers.

The firm and its attorneys continue to receive recognition from organizations including Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms – U.S. News & World Report, and Martindale-Hubbell, where Philip M. Gerson holds an AV Preeminent peer-review rating. The firm’s top-rated reputation reflects decades of courtroom success, plaintiff advocacy, client-focused representation, and outstanding results in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and maritime litigation matters. Today, Philip M. Gerson continues leading the firm alongside Nicholas Gerson and Edward Schwartz, representing clients throughout Miami, South Florida, and nationwide in serious personal injury, cruise ship, and maritime litigation cases.