Aiken Schenk Hawkins & Ricciardi PC

View the profile as it appeared in Southwest Super Lawyers 2009 (PDF)

The selections of Richard Gerry, Shawn Aiken and Joe Schenk recognize the achievements and reputations of three highly regarded attorneys.

Richard Gerry’s $36 million jury verdict (including $25 million in punitive damages) in a wrongful death suit, Graham v. ValueOptions, reverberated nationally through the plaintiff and defense bars, for both the amount of the verdict and the emphasis on public protection. The Graham verdict focused attention on the needs of the mentally ill and the public risk when those needs are not met. In a time of jury skepticism about plaintiffs’ lawyers and excessive damages, Gerry consistently produces multimillion-dollar jury verdicts. Juries respond to his emphasis on liability and to his trust in the jury’s judgment on damages.

With his 2009 Super Lawyers® selection, Joe Schenk receives well-earned recognition as one of Arizona’s top commercial litigators. A judge pro tem and a member of Litigation Counsel of America, Schenk recently won a Court of Appeals victory in Webb v. Omni Block, Inc., which established that experts may not testify on the division of fault among multiple parties. Beyond his litigation skills and his appellate experience in three federal jurisdictions, Schenk advises physicians on matters related to employment agreements, legal entities, Stark compliance, practice sales and covenants not to compete.

Ranked among Southwest Super Lawyers Top 50 AZ attorneys for 2009 and named to Super Lawyers - Corporate Counsel editions in 2008 and 2009 (business litigation), Shawn Aiken is a fellow and state delegation co-chair of the Litigation Counsel of America, a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Balancing his practice between litigation and ADR, Aiken is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has conducted hundreds of arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences and trials.

Rounding out Aiken Schenk’s talented shareholder group are Lamar Hawkins (bankruptcy), Al Ricciardi (civil litigation), Phil Rupprecht (asset protection) and Steve Rich (construction litigation).