Denise L. Dawson
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
- DRI
- Florida Bar Association
- Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management and Patient Safety (FSHRMPS)
- Palm Beach County Bar Association
- American Bar Association, Former Member
- Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, Former Member
Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Best Lawyers®, 2023-2025
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™, Martindale-Hubbell, 2023
- Top Lawyers, General Liability – Defense, Workers Compensation; South Florida Legal Guide; 2015-2022
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
Publications
- Telemedicine and Workers’ Compensation Fraud
HBS Workers’ Compensation Blog; May 12, 2020 - Significant Changes to the Workers’ Compensation Statute Are Under Consideration in Tallahassee
HBS Workers’ Compensation Blog; April 23, 2019 - Florida Governor Rick Scott Signs Order Expanding Workers’ Compensation Benefits to First Responders
HBS Workers’ Compensation Blog; May 25, 2018