Background

Eugene K. Pettis is the Co-Founder and Senior Partner of Haliczer Pettis & Schwamm, residing in the Fort Lauderdale office. For nearly 40 years, Eugene has represented an impressive number of individual clients in civil trial matters and has also represented many corporate and public sector clients. He handles a range of complex cases, with a primary focus on representing plaintiffs in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury and commercial litigation.

Eugene has the historic and laudable designation as the first African American President of The Florida Bar. In his role at the helm of The Florida Bar, which governs nearly 100,000 attorneys, he provided visionary leadership and brought a passion for giving back to his profession and his community. Eugene spearheaded an assortment of initiatives while President, including the conceptualization of the still active William Reece Smith Leadership Academy, a multi-session training program designed to help a diverse and inclusive group of lawyers become better leaders.

Eugene is a highly sought-after speaker who has used his engaging and enthusiastic style to motivate thousands. He is also the host of the Can We Talk? 360° podcast. Eugene’s “Can We Talk 360°” interview sessions and “Motivational Moments” solo sessions are podcasts created to “provide a safe space where we can openly, honestly, candidly and authentically discuss different perspectives and viewpoints on an array of topics that impact humanity.”

Eugene currently serves as a member of the Board of Regents for the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers. He represents Region 7, which includes Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, for a four-year term.

Eugene and his wife Pam, who is also a lawyer, live in beautiful Fort Lauderdale. Together they have 4 daughters, the oldest is a 3rd Grade school teacher, next is an in-house corporate lawyer, the third is a Doctor of Child Psychology, and the youngest is a medical doctor in her Family Medicine Residency.

Recent Successes

• By the time the intense 3-week jury trial concluded, obtained in excess of $8.2 MILLION for the clients, the family members who were tragically left behind when the victim died due to improper technique during cardiac surgery.
• $3.2 MILLION wrongful death settlement on behalf of the widow of the decedent, who tragically passed away due to the medical team’s multiple failures, including the failure to acknowledge his worsening condition, order the appropriate consults and schedule surgery in a timely manner. These negligent factors contributed to the victim’s untimely death.
• $3 MILLION wrongful death settlement on behalf of the family of the victim, a husband and father of two, who died from complications resulting from a minor medical procedure. The victim went into the hospital for a bone spur repair and unfortunately suffered from acute respiratory distress after the procedure. He was then transferred to the ER. While at the ER, there were multiple signs that our client was still in distress, however, the responsible health care professionals failed to properly intubate him and as a result, the victim died from cardiac arrest.
• $1.85 MILLION wrongful death settlement on behalf of our client. When approached by the client, the surviving spouse, our legal team learned that the original PI firm had decided not to pursue the matter because they felt there was no case. However, when Eugene and his team stepped in and took over, they uncovered the fact that the mistake was made when the cardiac nurse sent patient home after a cardiac rehabilitation session during which the patient had experienced significant symptoms that should have led to an immediate ER admission. Patient collapsed and died within minutes of leaving the hospital.

Community and Civic Organizations

• Member, University of Florida Foundation, Executive Board and Life Member
• Member, University of Florida Levin College of Law, Board of Trustees
• Member, ClubCorp, Board of Governors

Education

• University of Florida Levin College of Law, JD (1985)
• University of Florida, BS (1982)