Meet Karl W. Labertew
The legal profession is a second career for Karl, who spent a career in the military as a member of the United States Navy. He began his second career working for insurance companies and large corporations, handling claims as diverse as construction defect claims, personal injury claims, and wrongful death claims, to premises liability and product liability claims. His trial experience as a defense attorney gave him the knowledge and experience he needed when he switched career paths and began representing injured plaintiffs in personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability, and negligent security claims. His years of trial experience, both for the plaintiffs and defendants, allowed him to earn the distinction of being recognized by the Florida Bar as a Board-Certified Civil Trial Specialist, a title less than 5% of all Florida attorneys can claim. He is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil and Appellate Court Mediator. He is also approved in multiple circuits as an arbitrator.
Karl is also a notable speaker and has presented on various topics at the 2019 FJA Annual Convention and the 2022 FJA John Romano Workhorse Seminar. He has also been a presenter at the 2021 and 2022 Christian D. Searcy Voir Dire Institute, the 2021 and 2022 Al J. Cone Trial Advocacy Institute, the 2022 FJA Masters of Justice Seminar, and the FJA Young Lawyers Boot Camp Series. A member of the board of directors of the Professional Mediation Institute, he spoke at the 2022 and 2023 Professional Mediation Institute in Orlando, Florida, on various mediation topics.
He is admitted to practice in all courts in Florida, both State and Federal. He is a former member of the Central Florida Trial Lawyers Association, and formerly an Eagle member and on the Board of Directors for the Florida Justice Association. He is currently a member of the Orange County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the American Bar Association. He is also rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell and is a member of the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators.
He is a University of Rhode Island graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Marine Affairs and completed his Juris Doctorate at the Loyola University of New Orleans. He is a 2022 graduate of Baylor University School of Law’s Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management Program, and his capstone project on Florida’s Collateral Source Rule was published in the FJA Journal in August 2022.