About Jim Fitzgerald
Jim Fitzgerald started his law practice in 1975 and founded The Fitzgerald Law Firm in 1982 with a focus on finding truth and justice for severely injured clients and families who have lost loved ones. He represents clients in complex cases involving products liability, workplace liability, medical malpractice, personal injury, and wrongful death. His trial record includes numerous multi-million-dollar jury awards, and he holds the Wyoming Supreme Court records for both the largest injury verdict and the largest wrongful death verdict ever upheld on appeal in Wyoming. He has been trial counsel in nearly half of the million-dollar verdicts in the state's history.
After working his way through the University of Wyoming, Jim attended Army Officer Candidate School, ranking in the top ten percent of his class, served in Vietnam, and was awarded two Bronze Stars, the Army Commendation Medal, and a Letter of Commendation. He then graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law. Jim is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates (an organization limited to 100 top plaintiff lawyers in the country, and served as its President from 2000 to 2001), the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the International Society of Barristers.
He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1987, named to Mountain States Super Lawyers since 2007, inducted into the Lawdragon Hall of Fame in 2022, and listed on the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Lawyers in America. He holds triple-board certification in Civil Trial, Civil Practice Advocacy, and Truck Accident Law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He has made more than 100 presentations on trial topics to members of the trial bar throughout the United States and has been an instructor at the Gerry Spence Method since 2000.
Proven verdicts and settlements
A Wyoming jury awarded $22 million after coal miner Les Butts was left paraplegic when a boulder crushed his vehicle at Black Thunder Mine; the Wyoming Supreme Court affirmed a $9.46 million judgment against his supervisors in June 2008.
A Wyoming federal jury returned an $8 million verdict against SmithKline Beecham after finding that Paxil caused a Gillette man to kill three family members and himself within 48 hours of taking the drug.
Jim Fitzgerald won a $1.5 million jury verdict for the family of a construction worker killed when his 1966 Caterpillar 988 wheel loader rolled over without rollover protection, a judgment the Wyoming Supreme Court affirmed in full.
A BNSF locomotive engineer was hit by a contractor's van that backed into him while his crew waited for a train at the North Antelope Mines in Wyoming. A federal jury in Casper put 75 percent of the fault on BNSF and 25 percent on the engineer, and the court entered judgment for $957,750. The judge denied BNSF's request for a new trial, BNSF dropped its appeal, and the judgment was satisfied in November 2018.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.
