A Daniel Vazquez

Dan Vazquez is an experienced lawyer and advocate for the injured. Mr. Vazquez has successfully prosecuted cases on behalf of victims harmed by the negligence of others.  Dan Vazquez represents victims and their families on matters involving serious personal injuries, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death claims, bicycle accidents, tractor-trailer and trucking crashes, fall injuries, toxic tort and environmental contamination cases, boating accidents, and harms caused by governmental entities and contractors. Even though Mr. Vazquez's main office is located in Florida, he has travelled across the country to personally meet with injury victims to represent them wherever they live or were harmed. Mr. Vazquez has successfully litigated cases across the United States in both state and federal court. Mr. Vazquez is a member of the Florida and Colorado bar.

SUPER LAWYERS "RISING STAR" AND "10.0 - SUPERB" AVVO RATING

Dan Vazquez's professional achievements and peer recognition in the practice area of Personal Injury Plaintiffs Litigation resulted in his selection by Florida Super Lawyers as a "Rising Star." Florida Super Lawyers is an established lawyer rating service that selects outstanding lawyers in over 70 practice areas. Florida Super Lawyers selected Mr. Vazquez following a rigorous peer-review and multiphase selection process in which only the top 2.5% of Florida lawyers are chosen for the Rising Star designation. Mr. Vazquez has also achieved a perfect 10.0 "Superb" ranking by ; a lawyer directory and ranking service.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Dan Vazquez is a "double gator" meaning that he earned both his undergraduate degree in history and his law degree (JD) from the University of Florida. In 2010, Mr. Vazquez served as a Florida Supreme Court law clerk extern for Justice Jorge Labarga in Tallahassee, Florida. The Florida Supreme Court's clerking program is a highly competitive process in which Supreme Court justices choose only the top applicant to work alongside court staff attorneys and the justices in chambers. Mr. Vazquez wrote many legal recommendations for Justice Labarga and the Florida Supreme Court, worked on extraordinary writ petitions, assisted Justice Labarga and his staff attorneys in preparation for oral argument, and worked directly on several last-minute death penalty appeals.

In 2008, Dan Vazquez studied international environmental law abroad at the Universidad de Costa Rica, where he learned from renowned international legal scholars, several of whom regularly litigate before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica. In his first few months as an attorney, Dan Vazquez was selected by former University of Florida College of Law Dean, Jon Mills, Director of the law school's Center for Governmental Responsibility (CGR), to serve on the center's Oil Spill Working Group. Mr. Vazquez collaborated with Professor Mills, CGR staff attorneys, and a student research team to develop emergency legal response and policy solutions to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. Mr. Vazquez has presented numerous legal seminars on topics such as "The Top 10 Mistakes People Make in Auto Accident Cases," "The Personal Injury and Environmental Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill," and "An A to Z Guide on Florida Automobile PIP No Fault Law."

Mr. Vazquez regularly guest lectures at the UF College of Law in courses such as Legal Research and Writing, Appellate Advocacy, and Trial Practice. Dan Vazquez also gives back to the UF College of Law by serving as a coach of the UF Trial Team. Dan Vazquez is an adjunct professor for UF Law and work with the law school's award-winning Trial Advocacy program, where he helps train and mentor law students in preparation for state and national mock trial competitions.

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Mr. Vazquez's studies at the UF Levin College College of Law focused on trial advocacy and environmental justice for impoverished communities affected by corporate pollution. Dan Vazquez was a member of UF Law's Environmental Moot Court team, whose brief placed 4th out of 84 teams in a national moot court competition with Dan receiving a best oralist award for his argument of complex appellate issues. Mr. Vazquez earned a Certificate in Environmental Law and Land Use Planning in addition to his Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Only a small percentage of law school students are able to complete the rigorous certificate program, which required that students take a maximum-course credit load over 3 years to achieve certificate graduation requirements.

Mr. Vazquez received his undergraduate bachelor's degree (BA) in history from the University of Florida, where his senior thesis on pandemics, care of the sick, and hospitals earned high honors (magna cum laude) at graduation. Dan Vazquez is a member of several prestigious leadership and academic honoraries including Phi Beta Kappa and Florida Blue Key.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND, INTERESTS, AND VOLUNTEER WORK

Dan Vazquez was born in Warren, Ohio, and raised in the barrier island community of Satellite Beach, Florida. He graduated from Satellite High School, where he was a letterman athlete rower with Space Coast Crew. In college, Dan was a member of the University of Florida TriGators Triathlon Team. Dan is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys biking, kayaking, scuba diving, adventure travel, and snow skiing.

Since 2010, Mr. Vazquez has volunteered as an executive board member and Legal Chair of the St. Johns-Suwannee Sierra Club, which is an environmental conservation group serving 16 north central Florida counties. Dan has also served as an executive board member of the Young Lawyer Division (YLD) of the 8th Judicial Circuit Bar Association (8JCBA). Dan Vazquez is a state board member of the Young Lawyer Division of the Florida Justice Association, which is an organization of lawyers dedicated to strengthening and upholding Florida's civil justice system and protecting the rights of Florida's citizens and consumers. Dan Vazquez is an active member of The James C. Adkins, Jr. American Inn of Court. Mr. Vazquez is a voting member of the Florida Justice Association, the Florida Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.