Expanding our firm to serve your needs

Welcome to our new website and my inaugural blog. As you can see our firm has undertaken some major changes in the last few months to insure that our clients are getting the best possible legal representation all over the state. We have incorporated all of the best parts of our previous incarnation (Bichler & Kelley P.A.) and expanded with five new partners. All of this has been in keeping with our ultimate goal of providing full service representation to the first responder community across Florida.

As I write this, the legislative session is in full swing and the 1st District Court of Appeals has just ruled in the case of Kauffman v. Community Inclusions, Inc./Guarantee Insurance Company, further eroding the rights of injured first responders. Unions that protect our clients are under a massive assault by big corporate interests who are only interested in maximizing profits at the expense of what remains of the middle class. We are continuing to work both in the legislature and in the courtroom to fight against these trends that impact our clients, their families, and their way of life. We will work to move the Kauffman case to the Supreme Court of Florida and continue to work in the legislature to protect the rights of our clients. I also urge each of you to get engaged by calling your legislators and, if possible, joining us and your union representatives in Tallahassee.

Our ultimate goal at Bichler, Clelland, Oliver is to meet all the legal needs of all first responders in the most efficient way possible and at significant savings. We offer reduced fees to all first responders and their families making sure you keep more of your hard earned money. For example most personal injury firms take 33 percent of any recovery made as a result of an automobile accident, even if no suit has been filed. At Bichler, Clelland, Oliver first responders and their families pay only 25 percent of any recovery in a personal injury case, saving a full 8 percent before a case goes to suit. After a case goes to suit most firms charge 40 percent of recovery while we only charge 35 percent— saving clients 5 percent. We also charge reduced hourly rates for criminal representation, labor consulting, preparation of wills and trusts, and family law issues. Again, our goal here is to always maximize the recovery of our clients and to minimize legal costs wherever possible. This means more money for first responders and their families with less paid out in legal expenses.

Additionally Bichler, Clelland, Oliver is committed to the charitable and political causes of our clients in a way that has a fundamental impact on the first responder community. Our firm regularly contributes to firefighter and police charities, widows of first responders who die in the line of duty, and to political causes and candidates that support our clients and first responders. Last year we worked tirelessly to help pass legislation that provides health insurance benefits to dependents of firefighters who die in training exercises — donating hundreds of man-hours of pro-bono work to this cause. This year we have continued to engage in the legislative process by actively opposing mandatory pension contributions for first responders and other public employees. We oppose legislation that targets the power of first responder labor groups. All of this work is done without compensation, for the benefit of our clients. We depend on general revenue to pay for our legislative work. Consequently, when you hire our firm you are helping us continue all of this important work.

We recognize that these are very difficult times for our clients and for all first responders. It is our sincere hope that we can provide relief to our clients by providing certainty and resolve in times of need. This is our commitment to all of you and we will continue our efforts in the coming months to spread the word about this important work. Please help us by making other first responders aware of the services we provide and the savings that are available.

I look forward to speaking with all of you. Please check this blog monthly for updates.Gefforey Bichler