Equally as important as the high-profile clients are those individuals who cannot defend themselves. Led by attorney Philip Elbert, Neal & Harwell prosecutes (on a contingent fee basis) on behalf of people who have been seriously injured, or who have lost loved ones because of acts of abuse, negligence or unlawful conduct, discrimination or unsafe conditions in the workplace, or because of governmental civil rights violations.

Examples of the types of cases in which attorney fees are paid only in the event the case is settled, or if the firm prevails at trial, include:

• Personal injuries of catastrophic nature, often resulting in wrongful death and tragic loss
• Tractor-trailer collision cases involving unsafe trucking operations that employ unqualified commercial truck drivers, owner-operators or lessees
• Dram shop cases against social establishments that facilitate drunk drivers
• Suits against manufacturers of defective or dangerous products, often including the automotive and medical device industries
• Maritime actions, often involving unseaworthy vessels, and the agencies by which they are manned and operated
• Cases against nursing homes that provide substandard care to the elderly, constituting gross negligence and abuse
• Medical malpractice lawsuits against major health care conglomerates and their affiliated physicians and staff members
• Other types of professional misconduct actions