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Andrew Yaffa and Natasha Cortes, partners at Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, had the great privilege of speaking at the AMA Medical Malpractice Seminar to share their trial experience with medical students at Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
The seminar, which took place Nov. 17, 2021, was held in partnership with the Florida Medical Association and the American Medical Student Association.
As the son of a prominent doctor, Attorney Yaffa opened the seminar by touching on his own dreams of practicing medicine—and why he chose to go into law instead. He explained that he initially aimed to defend medical professionals who found themselves in the middle of unfounded lawsuits. However, he soon discovered that many medical malpractice suits were excruciatingly well founded. That’s when he decided to focus on advocating for patients to improve the level of care in Florida.
“If you’re going to practice medicine in today’s society, you’re going to see some very bad stuff,” Attorney Yaffa said.
From here, Attorney Cortes took the wheel to begin the presentation, wasting no time in diving into a comprehensive breakdown of medical malpractice lawsuits and how they are filed, as well as an overview of some of Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen’s past cases. She did, however, take a moment to highlight the unique nature of the seminar and how rare it is for lawyers and doctors to walk with one another.
She stated, “I think the collaboration and the education that we can provide, one to the other, can make you a better doctor and can make us better lawyers.”
Thus, Attorneys Yaffa and Cortes sought to empower medical students to be great, attentive doctors and to stand up for patients when they fall under the hands of not-so-great, not-so-attentive doctors.
“I’m sad to say that the level of care we have in our state is atrocious. … You are in control of that; you can make it better,” Attorney Yaffa said to FIU medical students at the seminar. “You cannot and you should not shy away from speaking up and advocating for these patients.”
Both Attorneys Yaffa and Cortes have handled a truly heartbreaking roster of cases.
Attorney Yaffa is among the state’s most accomplished attorneys—since 1991, he has recovered upwards of half a billion dollars in compensation for his clients. He has taken on (and won) some of South Florida’s most well-known cases, thereby impacting legislation and policy.
Attorney Cortes has been in practice since 1998. In this time, she has handled over 100 multimillion-dollar lawsuits and recovered more than $150 million for her clients in various malpractice cases. From birth injuries to misdiagnosed cancer, she has helped her clients move forward with their lives after traumatic, life-altering medical incidents.
It is evident that Attorneys Yaffa and Cortes deeply care about each case they take on. They both understand that these cases are about so much more than money; they are about winning clients peace of mind and closure knowing negligent doctors have been held accountable. They are also about helping them afford the care they need to heal from their malpractice-induced injuries.
“The purpose of today ... is so that we can educate you guys, we want to put you in a position to understand and see real life cases so that you can learn from them, avoid them, and prevent them from ever happening,” Attorney Yaffa said at the seminar.
The AMA Medical Malpractice Seminar was a great success, with Attorneys Yaffa and Cortes fielding questions from FIU medical students throughout the presentation. They left feeling honored to have had the chance to speak to our state’s future doctors.
“We were blown away at how eager these students were to learn about how they can avoid mishaps and the desire they have to be the best physicians possible,” Attorney Cortes said. “The empathy they expressed for our clients was heartwarming, and their desire to have an honest conversation about malpractice at this early stage in their careers makes me hopeful for the future.”
Contact Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen online or reach us by phone at (866) 629-1061.
