Nationally recognized in civil trial practice, Richard H. Middleton, Jr. has instructed lawyers in trial practice in 48 states and 5 foreign countries, has testified before Congress on five occasions, has been consistently honored with many awards from bar associations throughout the United States, and has been a guest on national network and cable television shows including MSNBC’s Hardball, C-Span’s Washington Journal and HBO’s Debate/Debate.
Mr. Middleton is the owner and senior trial attorney in The Middleton Firm, LLC which is based in Savannah, Georgia. Mr. Middleton’s practice has spanned almost thirty-two (32) years, has been primarily devoted to the representation of individuals who have been harmed and damaged by the most powerful corporate interests throughout the Unites States. Early in his career, he devoted a substantial amount of his time to representing individuals who were stricken with many asbestos related diseases includes asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Because of his expertise in disease litigation, he was associated by counsel to assist in asbestos cases in more than forty (40) states. His firm concluded more than five thousand (5,000) of these cases during his tenure in that litigation.
As his practice grew, Mr. Middleton expanded his disease litigation experiences by representing people stricken with benzene, formaldehyde poisoning, lead poisoning, free silica and others substances which are either digestible or breathable. These cases, commonly known as mass torts, involve large populations of individuals who are stricken by exposure to the same offending substance or practice. At times Mr. Middleton has handled these cases as class actions where representative plaintiffs bring the claim against large corporations on behalf of everyone who has similar claims and injuries. At other times, multiple plaintiffs simply join in the same action because the common offending acts or negligence on the part of the defendants similarly affect all of those named individuals but in different ways and/or to different degrees.
As a result of Mr. Middleton’s mass tort and class action practice, he was invited by Bobby Kennedy, Jr. to join Charlie Speer and other concerned trial lawyers from throughout the United States in attempting to change the practices of the industrial agricultural industry. With his practice firmly rooted in environmental issues and causes, Mr. Middleton has proven to be a worthy ally of Charlie Speer with his own expertise in specific environmental federal legal actions and state nuisance claims. Mr. Middleton has been successful in trials against the largest pork producers in both Nebraska and Missouri and continues to pursue justice on behalf of neighbors of animal factories throughout the Unites States. Many of these individuals have been previously intimidated by the offending corporations, ignored by local members of the Bar from whom they have sought legal assistance, and thoroughly frustrated in their efforts to simply enjoy their own lives, homes, and properties with their own families once the factories became their neighbors. Mr. Middleton has gained the assistance of some of the most prominent scientists in the agricultural community, particularly those who are not suffering from the convenient conflict of accepting grant money from the largest and some of the most flagrant factory farm operators.
Professionally he has won substantial verdicts and settlements throughout the United States, including North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Connecticut.
Mr. Middleton continues to work tirelessly on behalf of those people who have been adversely affected by animal factories and will continue to do so until these hellish operations are closed and less brutal and abusive animal husbandry strategies are again employed on the land throughout this county.
All of the lawyers and staff members at The Middleton Firm are equally dedicated to the preservation of the rights of the individuals whose cases are handled by the firm. Those individual lawyers and staff members represent many years of trial and litigation experience and offer valuable support to Mr. Middleton’s national trial practice.
Professional Accomplishments:
Past president, American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America); past president, National Crime Victims Bar Association; past president, American Board of Trial Advocates, Georgia Chapter; National Board of Directors; co-chair, American Civil Trial Bar Roundtable; past president, Pound Civil Justice Institute; past president, Savannah Trial Lawyers Association; Lifetime Trustee, American Jury Trial Foundation; past Trustee, Civil Justice Foundation, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Pound Civil Justice Institute; National Executive Committee, American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys
Undergraduate/law degree:
Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia
Awards and recognitions:
American Bar Association/Torts & Insurance Practice Section- Pursuit of Justice Award; American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys- Certified Diplomate in Legal Malpractice Litigation; Super Lawyers (Georgia); American Association for Justice: New Lawyers Division- Tonahill Award for Leadership; Weidemann Wysocki Award for Service (six time recipient); American Board of Trial Advocates, Georgia Chapter- Partnership in Advocacy Award; Honorary Membership-Vermont Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia.
