Honors and Awards:

• Peer rated for Excellence in competency and Integrity., AV Rated, Martindale Hubbel
• Comprehensive guide to Virginia's top Attorneys, Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc.
• Washington DC's best legal minds in 29 categories., Washington's Top Lawyers, Washingtonian Magazine
• Best Lawyers Award from 2000 to 2012., Best Lawyers Award, 2000
• Personal injury litigation award in the DC area, Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year, http://www.bestlawyers.com/Search/LawyerProfile.aspx?lawyer_id=44382, 2012

Bar/Professional Activity:

• Vice President of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, 2009

Pro bono/Community Service:

• Neutral Case Evaluator for the Fairfax County Circuit Court

Scholarly Lectures and Writings:

• This valuable resource offers practical guidance and authoritative commentary on the laws and rules that govern the collection and presentation of evidence in a trial., Lead Author, Evidence for the Trial Lawyer, Michie, A VTLA Classic Publication, 6

Verdicts and Settlements:

• Client was stopped at an intersection, waiting to make a left turn, when her car was rear-ended, at speed, by another vehicle. The impact propelled her vehicle forward into the back of a pick-up truck stopped in front of her, causing extensive damage to our client’s vehicle. Our client suffered, among other injuries, a torn rotator cuff that required extensive medical treatment, including surgical repair. After tough negotiations we were able to settle her claim for $97,500.
• Plaintiff was a passenger that was injured when defendant made a left and failed to yield. She spent five days in the hospital, primarily for observation and had some follow-up care upon her release. Case settled for $95K with $100K policy limits.
• 85-year-old plaintiff with dementia struck his neighbor when he was backing out of his driveway. He did not see her bending over to retrieve her dog. Case settled for $350K
• Defendant failed to yield at a stop sign and caused a T-bone intersectional collision. Plaintiff suffered broken bones in his wrist, requiring plating and screws. Pain persisted, requiring a second surgery to remove the hardware. Plaintiff claimed a loss of military retirement benefits due to having to retire from the military prematurely. All medical service provided by the military with lien totaling $22K. Loss retirement benefits complicated by the fact that plaintiff was earning significantly more than while he was in the military. Lost wage claim and liability contested by the defense. Case settled for $165K.
• Plaintiff, then 81 years old, was seated in a stairway elevator when, without warning, the seat pivoted, causing her to fall out of the stair and down the staircase, breaking her neck and wrist. Suit was filed against the product manufacturer and against the local dist., breach of warrant, negligence and failure to warn. Through discovery, it was learned that the manufacturer developed a service kit designed to address the specific defect giving rise to plaintiff’s injury. The defendants disputed between themselves whether the service kits were distributed and/or received. Case settled in mediation before Judge Johanna Fitzpatrick of McMammon Group for $750K.
• Plaintiff suffered herniated disk in her neck when she was rear-ended by a passenger automobile driven by a Fairfax County employee. Case settled for $500K.
• Plaintiff was stopped in traffic and rear-ended by a commercial van. She suffered neck and back injuries, as well as a closed-head injury. Neck and back injuries required several spinal surgeries. Injuries were hotly contested by the defense. Case settled in mediation before Judge Bruce Boch with the McCammon Group for $700,000.
• Our client, a 62-year-old real estate agent, was a front seat passenger in a stopped car that was rear-ended in a four-car pileup.  She suffered injuries to the muscles and ligaments of her neck and upper back.  Her pain persisted for more than three years despite extensive medical treatment, and interfered with her ability to perform all of her job duties, causing a significant loss of income.  The insurance company and its lawyer challenged our client's extensive medical care, which included more than 150 massage therapy treatments and many physical therapy treatments.  They also challenged the reason for her loss of earnings, attributing it to a downturn in the real estate market rather than her not being able to perform her job.  Our attempt to settle the case reached a stalemate with us demanding $70,000 and the insurance company offering a maximum of $40,000.  The case went to trial and the jury returned a verdict in favor of our client in the amount of $95,000. 
• Our client, a woman in her mid-40s, was the rear seat passenger of a taxicab struck by a car that went out of control after that car was struck by another vehicle. She suffered a broken wrist and underwent surgery, which included the placement of metal hardware into her wrist. She required extensive physical and occupational therapy, and lost a significant amount of wages because of her injuries. Unfortunately, several other individuals were hurt in the accident and it was possible that there was not enough insurance to fully compensate all who were hurt. To best position our client, we communicated early and often with the claims adjuster for the negligent driver and provided information, including medical records, medical bills, lost wage information, and photographs, intended to prove the seriousness of our client’s injuries. We also made a claim and communicated with the insurance company for the taxicab to take advantage of underinsurance coverage, if needed. We also filed a lawsuit promptly in order to position our client with priority in the payment of a verdict should the case go to trial. As a result, we were able to settle the case for $100,000, the maximum available to any one claimant under the available insurance policies. To increase the client’s income while in retirement, the settlement included monthly payments, which increase every five years, guaranteed for life.
• Our 16-year-old client was a passenger on a moped being driven by a 15-year-old classmate.  The classmate ran a red light and broadsided a passenger car proceeding through the intersection on a green light.  Tragically, the classmate was killed, and our client suffered serious orthopedic injuries, including a fractured skull, a broken leg, and the loss of a significant amount of his calf muscle.  Before his injury, he played high school tennis at a competitive level.  The moped was not registered and it was not insured, and its young driver did not have a license.  The driver’s parents’ home and automobile liability policies did not provide coverage to the moped and the driver was uninsured.  The only source of compensation was our client's parents’ automobile liability policy, which provided coverage through the uninsured motorist provisions.  We were able to obtain a settlement from the parents’ automobile liability insurer for the sum of $237,500, which included the purchase of an annuity which makes periodic payments to the client to fund his college education and other anticipated milestone expenses.
• Our clients, a mother, father, and their minor daughter, were slowing for traffic ahead on the interstate when their van was rear-ended by a speeding tractor-trailer.  The van was propelled into the passenger car in front of it, and rolled over several times on the grassy median.  All three were seriously injured.  The mother suffered a broken neck, the father a broken back, and their daughter a traumatic brain injury and several broken bones.  Six individuals in the passenger car were also injured. In order to fully understand and present the daughter’s brain injury and its potentially lifelong consequences, we worked closely with the daughter’s parents, her treating doctors, neuropsychologists, and counselors.  We also monitored her progress in school.  In order to maximize our clients' recovery where many people were injured and the insurance covering the tractor-trailer was likely not sufficient to fully compensate all of them, we made a claim against our clients’ automobile insurance for underinsurance coverage.  We also researched whether the shipper and broker who arranged for the transportation of the load being carried by the tractor-trailer had insurance coverage that was available to our clients.  Finally, we investigated whether the trucking company had assets available to pay an excess judgment.  We were ultimately successful in settling the case through mediation for confidential amounts, which include structured settlements that make guaranteed payments well into the future.
• A 53-foot-long tractor-trailer truck traveling westbound completely crossed both eastbound lanes where it struck a vehicle traveling eastbound, killing our client, who was a passenger, and seriously injuring the driver.  To prove that the truck driver was negligent, Tom Curcio and his co-counsel attended the trial of the traffic charge against the truck driver, and interviewed eyewitnesses to the collision and the investigating state trooper.  They also retained the services of an accident reconstruction expert who inspected and photographed the tractor-trailer and scene.  We argued that the facts of the collision showed no attempt by the driver to control the vehicle.  The testimony of the driver and two eyewitnesses at the traffic hearing showed that the path of the truck was consistent with the driver having fallen asleep. We argued that the nature and extent of the loss of control exhibited willful and wanton conduct, subjecting the driver to punitive damages as well as simple negligence.  Our client was the mother of five children.  Tom or his co-counsel spoke with each of the children to best understand the relationship each had with their mother and to better comprehend and explain the unique loss each suffered.  In an effort to resolve the case quickly and to avoid the costs and delay of a trial, a mediation was held, at which the insurance company for the driver of the tractor-trailer agreed to pay a confidential sum to settle the case.
• Our client's 33-year-old daughter, driving through an intersection on a green light, was broadsided by a young Fairfax County police officer who ran a red light at a high speed.  Tragically, the daughter was killed.  The officer, responding to a fight call, which she claimed was an emergency, had her emergency lights on but her siren was not activated.  A trial was held on the officer’s plea of sovereign immunity, at which we prevailed proving that the officer was not responding to an emergency.  To further prepare for trial, we conducted a jury focus group to obtain feedback on other issues of concern, as well as to gauge jury value.  Our client's daughter was single and did not have children. In addition to her mother and father, she was survived by her older sister.  The case was settled two weeks before trial for $1.5 million, which was paid by Fairfax County after the County Board of Supervisors approved the settlement.

Other Outstanding Achievements:

• Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year 2012 Best Lawyers 2012 Best Lawyers 2011 Best Lawyers 2010 Best Lawyers 2009