Legal and Advertising Disclaimers

• Dwayne L. Clark and Kristen A. Zedella at Clark & Zedella P.A. practice law across the nation with co-counsel in many States, but our main office is located in Jacksonville, Florida.
• The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult personally with an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation, facts and case.
• Do not rely only on information in this site, for protection of your legal rights. General statements of law are presented in this website, but the maritime law varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and court to court. Also, case law, rules, codes, and regulations, are modified, reversed, overruled, changed or amended regularly. Do not rely on any general statement of law in this website. The law presented is for informational purposes only and may not apply to your claim or case specifically.
• Do not make legal judgments on your own, based on information in this website, but consult early with a qualified maritime lawyer.
• No information in this website is or should be interpreted as a prediction or guarantee of success or specific results by our firm. In consultation with potential clients our firm never predicts or guarantees success or a specific result. The honest truth is that there are too many factual and legal variables in every case for any firm to guarantee success or a particular result.
• We can, based on our knowledge of the law and your facts, give our best advice and observations about parameters and possible results. Every case is unique on the facts and often the law.
• Our prior successes do not in any way guarantee a specific result in your matter. The specific facts and law applicable to your case must be analyzed before any reasonable projections could be made. Results at trial by judge or jury can be unpredictable and unknown until a judgment or verdict.
• Our firm has recovered millions of dollars over the years for injured parties including seamen and longshoremen involving personal injuries and deaths. This has been during a span of over 30 years. Our past results and successes are not, however, necessarily predictive of future success in your potential case.
• In most cases Clark & Zedella work on a “contingency fee” basis. That is, you only pay fees and costs or expenses, if we win. If we don’t make a recovery for you there are no fees or costs, unless we come to a specific written agreement to the contrary.
• Information provided to or by attorneys is frequently intended to be privileged or confidential. Please understand that we can accept no privileged or confidential information until an attorney-client relationship has been established by both the potential client and by our Firm, and that not all attorney-client relationships that are offered to the Firm can or will be accepted.
• While we encourage early consultation on matters which may eventually require legal advice, please do not tender confidential information by text, e-mail or otherwise until necessary conflicts checks and business arrangements can be completed, and an appropriate attorney-client relationship established with the Firm.
• Additionally, there can be no guarantee that the transmission by text, email or other internet communications can be fully secure or confidential, and methods of communicating confidential and privileged information should be determined after an attorney-client relationship is established.
• You should understand that an engagement letter or an attorney fee contract and statement of client’s rights will be the method employed to establish that attorney-client relationship. Absent such documentation you should understand that no attorney-client relationship has been established and that you should immediately consult with other legal counsel to assure that your legal rights are protected.
• Just because we have a limited call, text, or email does not mean there is an attorney client-relationship. Unless we enter into a written fee contract, we do not represent you and you should seek other legal counsel immediately to protect your potential claims.
• There are strict deadlines, notice provisions and statutes of limitation that apply in all legal cases and you cannot assume that because you have communicated with Clark & Zedella, P.A. and our lawyers and staff through text, email or otherwise that your rights have been protected. Only when formal attorney-client relations have been established by written contract with our Firm you can assume that your legal rights are being protected by this Firm.
• Our past results are from cases that cover decades. In many cases old files have been destroyed in the normal business and legal practice of our firm and consistent with the general practices and rules in the legal industry. We can verify our past results from personal knowledge only, in some cases.
• Our firm’s skills, experience, and training can be verified through past clients and reviews. Our reputation with opposing counsel and colleagues in the maritime industry can be objectively verified as excellent in the maritime field.
• The testimonial reviews on our site are from our actual past clients and based on their perception of the results in their individual cases.
• We have practiced in the areas noted in our website. For the most part our practice is related to maritime personal injury claims, although we do handle civil litigation in other areas from time to time.
• Some potential cases screened by our firm will be referred to other lawyers or law firms in the best interest of the potential client and consistent with the law of the applicable jurisdiction. This may occur when we screen cases that come to us and are not in our specific area of practice or expertise.
• It is important to understand that the lawyers in our firm will never engage in conduct or tactics prohibited by law, court rule, or the Rules of Professional Conduct. We practice law honestly and ethically and will take no case or claim that is not based on honest presentation of the facts and law.
• Our firm claims specialization and expertise in the maritime law field. This claim is based upon our lawyer’s education, training, experience, and substantial involvement in the maritime area of practice for decades. Both of our lawyers have practiced and specialized in maritime law for over two decades.
• Should you decide to proceed with discussions regarding your potential claim, our initial consultation is free with no pressure or obligation to enter into a contingency fee contract.
• Before choosing a lawyer, ask for written information about the lawyer’s legal qualifications and experience. Clark & Zedella’s qualifications and experience are outlined on this website for your information.

Photography Disclaimer

• Maritime photographs have been used throughout this website.
• Whenever possible, permission to use the photographs was obtained from their producers.
• The use of photographs is not meant to represent, state, or imply anything other than the fact these things exist in the marine world. For example: just because a photograph of a ship shows the name of that ship or its owner and operators, this does not mean that we have necessarily taken legal action against that vessel or its owners and operators in any particular case.
• The portrayal of any vessel, person, company, corporation, and/or maritime service provider is meant only to give the users of this website a general picture of the maritime environment and our areas of practice.
• Any images, photographs, sound, or video are not meant to appeal to the potential client’s emotions, rather they are meant to elicit a rational evaluation of our law firm’s suitability to represent you, the prospective client.

Questions About Disclaimers

• We are proud members of the Florida Bar and we fully comply with all Bar rules and regulations including the Rules of Professional Conduct.
• It is our intent that this website is in full compliance with all Rules of the Florida Bar on advertising and websites.
• If you have questions about the above, we are ready and willing to discuss these disclaimers, many of which reflect the requirements of the Florida Bar.