Denise L. Dawson

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Denise L. Dawson

Partner
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Biography

Denise L. Dawson is the Managing Partner of the HBS West Palm Beach, Florida, office. In her 20-plus years of practicing law, she has litigated and tried cases throughout the state of Florida. She is active in several of the firm’s professional practice areas including Aging Services, Construction, Dental, General Liability, Health Care, Medical Malpractice, Premises Liability, Products Liability, Transportation, and Workers’ Compensation.

She is a seasoned litigator in high exposure cases. Among her peers, Denise is recognized as an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™ attorney, the highest rating provided by Martindale-Hubbell, the nationally recognized and respected attorney rating service.

Denise is a fourth-generation Floridian and second-generation West Palm Beach native. She lives in West Palm Beach with her husband. In their free time, they enjoy hiking and camping in the U.S. National Parks.

Experience

Aging Services

Denise represents long-term care, residential care facilities, physician groups, and insurers in liability and insurance coverage issues. She has defended nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and independent living facilities in cases ranging from negligent care, decubitus ulcers, injuries from bed transfers, slip and falls, and cases involving alleged abuse and neglect. Her experience includes defending clients in claims of alleged negligent care and treatment as well as wrongful death from the claim stage through resolution.

Construction

Denise has experience representing contractors, subcontractors, developers, and insurance companies in various construction design and defect, delay, contract compliance, insurance coverage, personal injury, and property damage matters. Her practice is focused on the litigation of construction cases, including mediation and trials throughout the State of Florida.

Dental

Denise specializes in the representation and defense of general dentists, pediatric dentists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, periodontists, orthodontists, and endodontists along with their practices and staff members in malpractice actions. She helps her clients prepare for and minimize risks and defends them from the claim stage through resolution.

General Liability

Denise brings experience in a wide variety of general liability claims ranging from auto liability cases to premises liability cases, handling them from the investigation stage through resolution. She has litigated and tried many types of general negligence claims on behalf of business owners, Fortune 500 companies, and national retail chains.

Health Care

Denise represents major hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other health care providers on civil and administrative matters. She is available to consult with risk managers and administrative teams on a variety of legal issues and concerns.

Medical Malpractice

Denise has been litigating in the health care field for over 20 years. She represents a variety of health care entities including hospitals, physician practice groups, physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and other licensed personnel in medical malpractice litigation. She has experience in catastrophic cases including birth trauma, amputations, and wrongful death matters. Her experience also includes defending clients in claims of alleged negligent care and treatment, negligent misdiagnoses, and lack of consent from the presuit stage through resolution.

Premises Liability

Denise has expertise in claims from losses under vehicle, marine, commercial, and homeowners’ policies. These types of claims run the gamut from slip and fall accidents, negligent security events, drownings, boating accidents, assault and batteries, shootings, and a variety of other premises related claims. She assists her clients from the initial report of a loss through resolution.

Products Liability

Denise concentrates her practice on the defense of pharmaceutical litigation, medical devices, consumer products, and industrial products. She will partner with her clients on eDiscovery issues and assist them with identifying relevant documents and preservation obligations. She helps her clients prepare for and minimize risks and defends them from the claim stage through resolution.

Professional Malpractice & Ethics

Denise has represented attorneys, realtors, brokers, architects, engineers, and accountants in every facet of malpractice litigation arising out of a wide variety of underlying legal matters.

Workers' Compensation

Denise has extensive experience defending employers, insurers, and self-insurers in workers’ compensation matters throughout the state of Florida. She defends clients at all stages of litigation, from settlement and mediation to the trial and appellate level. She focuses on obtaining an early and favorable resolution to claims, as well as representing her clients’ long-term business interests.

Credentials

Admitted

State Courts:

  • Florida

U.S. District Courts:

  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

Education

  • J.D., St. Thomas University, 1998
  • B.A., Palm Beach Atlantic College, 1995

Memberships

  • Advancing Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM)
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Florida Bar Association
  • Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management and Patient Safety (FSHRMPS)
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  • Palm Beach County Bar Association
  • American Bar Association, Former Member
  • Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, Former Member

Recognition

Presentations

  • Solutions for High Exposure Cases
    Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management, Patient Safety’s Virtual Annual Conference, August 2020
  • Workers’ Compensation Trial Advocacy Workshop
    Miami, Florida; June 2017

In the Press

55 Hall Booth Smith Lawyers Recognized as 2024 Best Lawyers® Award Recipients

We're pleased to announce that 55 lawyers have been included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
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Hall Booth Smith Attorneys Honored by The Best Lawyers In America 2023

47 lawyers from the firm have been honored in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
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HBS Adds Danielle Dudai and Edward Dulatt in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – July 30, 2021 – Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS) welcomes Of Counsel Danielle Dudai and Associate Edward Dulatt to its West Palm Beach office as the firm expands to serve client needs in the state of Florida. Danielle Dudai concentrates her practice on corporate and partnership matters, business transactions, business
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Telemedicine and Workers’ Compensation Fraud

Written by: Denise L. Dawson, Esq. Florida has taken steps to move forward into an enlightened age of technology but may be setting itself up for increased fraud from unscrupulous actors. As recently as last month, the State’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, issued a statement on April 7, 2020 urging health insurers to take
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