Key West, where Leesfield & Partners has one of three Florida offices, was named as one of the top seven charming U.S. Coastal towns this week by USA Today.
It’s no wonder why the quaint area, known for its combination of Floridian and Caribbean cuisine, history and scenic beaches, was named alongside iconic locations such as Cape Cod and Shelter Island. For years, Key West has been a hub, attracting thousands of tourists from all over the world. In nearly five decades of personal injury practice, Leesfield & Partners has become a figure in the area, known not just for record results for injured clients and grieving families, but also for philanthropic endeavors. Most recently, the firm launched its first-ever Dexter Butler Scholarship at Key West High School to honor the life and legacy of the beloved teacher and coach, Dexter Butler. That scholarship was given to senior Dylan Martinez in May at the school’s Class Night and was presented by Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, and Partner Justin B. Shapiro.
“I have known the Butler family for my entire 45 years working in Key West,” Mr. Leesfield said of the award. “There is no finer family in the community who has done more for high school athletic programs. Dexter Butler was a true role model.”
This is not the first time that Leesfield & Partners has contributed a scholarship in Key West. Previously, the firm sponsored the Marques Butler Memorial Softball Tournament in Key West to honor 23-year-old Marques Butler who died in 2009. The Marques Butler Memorial Scholarship fund provides financial assistance to Key West High School student athletes on their way to a college or university.
In 2024, Leesfield & Partners and The Leesfield Family Foundation, the charitable organization started by Mr. Leesfield and his family, pledged support of the girls’ softball team at Key West High School.
Additionally, the firm has given regular support to local food banks to combat food insecurity in Monroe County. Such organizations that have received support include the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition and the Star of the Seas Foundation. In a report published in 2020 at the height of the pandemic by city officials, it was estimated that well over 500 Key West adolescents did not have enough food when public school is not in session, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.
And the firm’s history in the area spans back decades with an office on historic Whitehead Street.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners’ history in Monroe County goes back three years before the firm was formed when Mr. Leesfield was a young attorney just starting out his career. His first case involved the wrongful death of a 14-year-old boy in Key West, the first case in Florida tried under the Florida Supreme Court’s comparative negligence law. This law replaced contributory negligence. After holding those responsible accountable and securing a recovery amount for the grief-stricken family, Mr. Leesfield went on to later start the firm in 1976, maintaining strong ties with locals in the area. Years later, in the 1980s, the firm acquired an old cigar factory and transformed it into the Leesfield & Partners’ office on historic Whitehead Street. The renovation caught the attention of The Florida Bar Association and the firm was honored with their “Historic Building Renovation Award” for design.
The firm was also praised by the Florida Bar with its “Award of Honor,” given for the Miami office on South Dixie Highway.
In keeping with this tradition, Mr. Leesfield is planning a third building — The Leesfield Law Center and Campus, which will be a hub for lawyers in the area complete with mediation suites and a mock courtroom.
Over the years, Leesfield & Partners has remained active, representing everyone from residents to tourists who have been significantly injured or who have lost a loved one in tragic accidents. The firm has since secured numerous record and historic verdicts for clients throughout Monroe County and the Florida Keys.
Ongoing Cases in the Florida Keys
Eric Shane, a Trial Attorney at the firm, is representing a Key West motor scooter rider whose life was permanently changed in a crash caused by a negligent driver. Our 46-year-old client was left with a traumatic brain injury and remains at a long-term care and rehabilitation facility.
“Sadly, our client’s life has been destroyed by this crash, and he remains in in-patient rehabilitation,” Mr. Shane said. “We are aggressively pursuing all avenues of recovery under the law.”
Mr. Shane is also handling a case on behalf of a woman who was severely injured after she was bit by a neighbor’s pet bird. The bird in this case has had a history of attacking other residents at the condominium property.
Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Robinson are handling an ongoing case in which a woman attempted to lie down on an improperly installed and inadequately maintained hammock at a Key West resort. As a result, the hammock flipped her and sent her head-first to the ground, resulting in a severe spinal cord injury.
Previous Cases
The firm handled a historic negligent security case out of Key West involving severe and permanent injuries to our client. In that case, a disturbed individual was allowed to enter the hotel’s property without the intervention of security measures or guards. This person roamed the parking garage of the resort for 20 minutes with a hammer until he encountered our client and launched a violent attack.
The hotel entered into a confidential settlement with our client the night before an over $40.5 million verdict was handed down against the remaining defendant. This case marks the largest verdict in Monroe County history.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys previously represented a bicyclist who was severely injured by a distracted driver. The bicyclist in this case was stopped off the shoulder of the Overseas Highway when a driver, distracted by the GPS, lost control of their vehicle and hit our client.
The case was settled for $5.35 million.
In another case, the firm settled a motor scooter accident with multiple orthopedic and traumatic brain injuries for more than $5 million.
A Key West crash involving a prominent local businessman resulted in a $2.1 million verdict. In that case, our client had the green light at an intersection when an ambulance at a red light unexpectedly plowed through the road and hit him. In the crash, he was thrown into a cement wall, resulting in permanent injuries.
The ambulance driver claimed he was on his way to an emergency and had the right of way, however, this driver failed to deploy the necessary lights and sirens. Without these indicators, our client had no idea that the ambulance would not stop when at the red light and so he proceeded to cross the intersection.
For a Key West handyman, Leesfield & Partners secured a multi-million-dollar settlement after a terrible fall on the job. In that case, our client fell from 15 feet, landing on his neck. Following the incident, our 52-year-old client lost all sensation below his chest and could not move his legs, walk or work again.
The property owner was responsible for providing our client with everything necessary to do the job safely and failed to do so. On the day of the fall, our client was on a ladder and had no one to help secure it and was not provided a ladder stabilizer by the homeowner. Tragically, the ladder slipped, and our client’s life changed forever.
The firm previously represented the family of a Key West nursing home patient and secured a $1 million recovery for the client.
In a negligent security lawsuit, the firm obtained a $1 million settlement for a hotel housekeeper who was brutally raped while on the job at a Key West hotel.
The firm obtained a $1 million recovery for the death of a 26-year-old who was savagely assaulted while at a Monroe County bar.
The firm settled a premises liability case on behalf of a client who fell in a Monroe County hotel stairwell, suffering a severe back injury. That case was settled for $1.5 million.
Mr. Pimentel previously settled a case on behalf of the family of a young lobster diver who was killed by a negligent law enforcement officer who did not adhere to divers-down flag laws.