John F. Romano
john@RomanoLawGroup.com
Practice Areas:
- Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
- Commercial Litigation
- Product Defects
- Physician Peer Review
John F. Romano was born in 1949, in Framingham, Mass. In 1954, his family moved to Lake Worth and West Palm Beach, Florida. John graduated from Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida, in June 1967. In his senior year of high school, he served as Senior Class President and he received numerous athletic honors, including being named to several high school football All-America Squads as a running back.
Upon graduation from high school, John accepted a football scholarship from Florida State University and went on to attend law school at South Texas College of Law in Houston, receiving his Juris Doctor degree in August 1973.
Following law school, John clerked for the law firm of Cone, Wagner, Nugent, Johnson & McKeown while preparing for the Bar exam. He was admitted to practice law in the state of Florida on May 10, 1974. He then fulfilled his military obligation, serving for three years in the United States Marine Corps, an experience which John recalls as "one of the greatest and most fulfilling experiences of my lifetime." During his years with the Marine Corps, he served as a trial lawyer with the "J.A.G. Corps" as a Captain with the Second Marine Division. He received numerous honors in the Marine Corps, including recognition for trial advocacy, leadership, and organizational skills.
In October 1977, John returned to Florida where he went to work with the personal injury and general trial attorneys at the law firm of Cone, Wagner, Nugent, Johnson & McKeown, a firm that was ultimately named Cone, Wagner, Nugent, Johnson, Roth, Romano, Eriksen & Kupfer. In May of 1991, John formed the Palm Beach County law firm of Romano, Eriksen & Cronin with his partners and close friends, Dr. Joel Cronin and Mike Eriksen, and his younger brother, Rodney Romano. In 2007, the firm became “Romano Law Group” and includes John Romano’s sons, Eric Romano and Todd Romano; Joseph M. Lee; Lee E. Levenson; Joel S. Cronin, M.D. (Of Counsel); Michael D. Eriksen (Of Counsel); John M. Kops (Of Counsel); Anthony Leon (Of Counsel).
John is board-certified as a civil trial advocate by both the Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Additionally, John is board-certified by ABPLA (American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys). Mr. Romano handles cases in the areas of auto and truck accident litigation and trials, fall-down and premises liability cases, product liability, business litigation, insurance litigation, and criminal defense.
He has successfully litigated to a verdict virtually every type of civil and criminal case, including cases involving failure to diagnose cancer, product defects, drug and vaccine defect litigation, libel and slander, vehicular collisions, personal injury, murder, armed robbery and wrongful denial of health insurance benefits. John has given more than 800 lectures across America on trial advocacy and tort and criminal law, and has published more than 100 articles in national publications or papers for national presentation. John Romano is the author of three textbooks: Strategic Use of Circumstantial Evidence, The Deposition Field Manual, and Opening Statements. He has contributed chapters in several textbooks on trial advocacy and litigation skills and procedures, and he has been either the author or contributing author of additional publications.
John is past President of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (now called Florida Justice Association), the Southeast Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Civil Justice Foundation, Gold Coast Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Palm Beach County Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the Melvin M. Belli Society, and the Southern Trial Lawyers Association. He is the former Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now called American Association for Justice) and he served as former Chairman of the then "ATLA National College of Advocacy." Mr. Romano was the Founder and Chairman of the Military Law Section of the American Association for Justice, and was the Founder and first President of the Camp LeJeune-Cherry Point Marine Corps Trial Lawyers Association (while serving on active duty as a JAG Officer with the U.S. Marine Corps).
John received the highest of honors from the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (now FJA) for his outstanding contributions to the cause of civil justice, including the Perry Nichols Award in 1997, the Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and the Barney Masterson Professionalism Award.
John lives in West Palm Beach with his wife, Nancy. They have four sons and ten grandchildren.
In July 2006, John and Nancy let their passion for environmental preservation serve as the motivator for designing his law firm's new offices in Lake Worth, Florida. EcoCentre, the Living Building, is Florida's first, green, "living" office building, incorporating the latest technologies for environmentally responsibility.
Bar Admissions:
- Florida Bar, 1974
- Supreme Court of Florida, 1974
- U.S. District Court for Southern District of Florida, 1974
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1977
- U.S. Court of Military Appeals, 1975
- U.S. District Court for Middle District of Florida, 1978
- U.S. District Court for Northern District of Florida, 1979
- U.S. Court of Appeals for Fifth Circuit, 1979
- U.S. Court of Appeals for Eleventh Circuit, 1981
- U.S. Court of Claims, Washington, D.C.
- Specially admitted in several states ("Pro Hac Vice") on specific cases (i.e., Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and West Virginia)
Education:
- Florida State University (Sigma Alpha Epsilon), B.A., 1970
- South Texas College of Law (Phi Alpha Delta), J.D. degree, 1973
- U.S. Naval Justice School, 1975
Certifications / Specialties:
- Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education
- Board Certified Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy
- Board Certified American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys
Awards and Honors:
- Martindale Hubbell - AV Rating
- Catholic Lawyers Guild for Diocese of Palm Beach - Catholic Lawyer of the Year
- Florida Justice Association - Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
- Florida Justice Association - Perry Nichols Award for Lifetime of Achievement and Service (1997)
- Florida Super Lawyers - Top 5% of Attorneys in Florida
- Florida Trends' Legal Elite
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers - Fellow (1997)
- President's Award for "Lawyer in Preceding Year Contributed Most to the System of Justice in Florida"
- Southern Trial Lawyers Association - War Horse Award
Professional Memberships & Leadership Roles:
- Member: American Association for Justice
- Member: Southern Trial Lawyers Association
- Member: Federal Bar Association
- Member: Florida Bar Association
- Member: Florida Justice Association
- Member: National Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Member: Palm Beach County Bar Association
- Member: Palm Beach County Justice Association
- Member: Southern Trial Lawyers' Association
- Member: The Guild of Catholic Lawyers
- Member: The Melvin Belli Society
- Fellow: International Academy of Trial Lawyers
- Captain, J.A.G.C. (1974-1977): United States Marine Corps
- Former - Founder and Chairman of the Military Law Section (1978-1979), Board of Governors (1984-1997): American Association for Justice
- Former - President of Southeast Florida Chapter: American Board of Trial Advocates
- Former - President: Civil Justice Foundation
- Former - President of Gold Coast Chapter: Federal Bar Association
- Former - President-Elect (1980-1981), secretary (1978-1979), treasurer (1978) of the Palm Beach County Chapter: Federal Bar Association
- Former - Board of Directors (1980-1987), president (1989-1990), President-Elect (1988-1989), Treasurer (1987-1988), Secretary (1986-1987): Florida Justice Association
- Former - Founder & First President of Camp LeJeune - Cherry Point, North Carolina (1976-1977): Marine Corps Trial Lawyers Association
- Former - President (2000): Melvin M. Belli Society
- Former - Faculty Member (1978-2002): National College of Advocacy
- Former Member: The National District Attorneys' Association
Publications:
- "Opening Statements: Winning the Jury," published by Professional Education Systems, Inc., 2004
- "The Deposition Field Manual," (co-author); published by Professional Education Systems, Inc., 2002
- "Trial Toolbox" a legal outline series (co-authored with Eric Romano and Todd Romano); published by Trial Toolbox Publishing Co.:
- "Florida Voir Dire - The Law," January 2002
- "Opening Statements," April 2002
- "Voir Dire - Sample Questions in a Product Liability Case," July 2002
- Editor: "Trial Lawyer" Magazine, 1992-2002
- Author: "Strategic Use of Circumstantial Evidence," Kluwer Law Book Publishers, Inc., September 1986
- Co-Author: "Depositions," textbook/guidebook, Knowles Law Book Publishing Company, Spring 1984
Romano Law Group serves those victims suffering from auto accidents, catastrophic injury, wrongful death or other personal injury claims, or legal matters requiring significant courtroom experience. Although we primarily serve West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton and South Florida, we handle cases throughout Florida. With an extraordinary nationwide network of attorneys, we also handle cases around the country. The trial attorneys at Romano Law Group are here to protect your safety and your rights if you are a victim of personal injury. You are welcome to contact us with any questions about your legal rights or a potential case.
