Speech Therapy For Birth Injured Children
Most children diagnosed with cerebral palsy have difficulty controlling the muscles in their tongue, jaw, face, head, and neck. These difficulties usually cause limitations a child’s speech, swallowing, and chewing. Birth injury induced hearing impairments in children diagnosed with cerebral palsy may also lead to communication challenges and speech delays.
Speech and language therapy can help children with cerebral palsy strengthen the muscles involved in speech and oral motor skills, improving their ability to communicate, chew, and swallow. Specialized therapy can help child birth injury victims to express themselves more clearly, it enables them to have more enriching relationships with others, while giving them a greater sense of independence, confidence, and self-esteem.
At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, We Help You and Your Child Find Help NOW!
The ability to receive speech therapy is one of the goals of the birth injury attorneys at Miller Weisbrod Olesky. While settlements we have recovered provide long term resources that can be used for speech and language therapy, we know many families need help now. When a family hires our birth injury law firm, our nurses and nurse liaisons work immediately to help you find available specialists to provide a wide range of therapy and services.
Handling birth injury cases over the last 35 plus years, we know the benefits of early and continuous therapy for our young birth injury victims. Over the years, our team members have developed a system and network to provide birth injured children with immediate help and resources.
Staffed with a team of nurses and nurse attorneys, we begin the therapy process as soon as possible even if your child’s lawsuit has not been settled. Learn about our Miller Weisbrod Olesky nurses and our liaison program that ensures your child gets help NOW so they can begin the process of maximizing their physical therapy results.
What is Speech Pathology?
Birth injured children with speech deficits will almost always benefit from speech pathology – a specialized form of therapy to help a child develop the most appropriate and functional communication skills and improve their ability to feed competently.
A qualified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) will utilize a number of proven strategies to help a child learn to communicate effectively, while also working with them to prevent feeding and swallowing disorders. Apart from the SLP, trained nurses, nutritionists, lactation consultants, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and physicians will often be a part of the collaborative team focusing on speech pathology.
Feeding Problems and Speech Pathology
Speech pathology for a child diagnosed with feeding troubles may be started soon after birth. To determine an appropriate speech pathology treatment plan, the SLP team will perform a detailed assessment of the child’s oral motor skills, pre-feeding, and swallowing to understand the severity of feeding problems. Based on this assessment, the speech therapy plan may include the following steps:
- Practicing oral stimulation activities with babies who are unable to breastfeed or bottle-feed
- Individualized feeding interventions to help develop skills
- Therapy for feeding and dysphagia (difficult in swallowing)
- Tube weaning for babies that are being fed through a tube
- Oral motor activities and stimulation to promote early speech development
- Educating parents and caregivers
Unique Speech Challenges with Different Types of Cerebral Palsy
Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Children with this spastic (related to stiff muscles) Cerebral Palsy are more likely to struggle with poorly coordinated, imprecise, and slow oral movements which require extra effort. Their voice may sound hoarse or tight, while the speech may be slurred and unclear.
Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
Children with athetoid (related to poor muscle control) CP usually have difficulty controlling their tongue, jaw, and facial muscles. They may also find it hard to control their vocal cords and breathing as well as experience difficulties with chewing and swallowing.
Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Children with ataxic (related to problems with balance) CP usually have a “scanning” speech. This means they will speak with breathy sounds in a monotone voice. The child’s speech may irregular, marked by accelerations and pauses. They may also have the problem of drooling.
Benefits of Speech Therapy for Birth Injured Children
Speech therapy and speech training helps most children with speech problems articulate themselves more easily and effectively while communicating. In a few cases, speech improvements may not occur sufficiently despite professional speech therapy. In this situation, the child should continue working with a speech pathologist to learn to use alternative forms of communication and assistive devices.
Most children diagnosed with cerebral palsy can achieve some or all of the following benefits with speech therapy:
- Articulation
- Sound and word formation
- Pronunciation
- Listening
- Fluency
- Pitch
- Volume
- Vocabulary and language development
- Word-object association
- Word comprehension
- Improved vocal quality
- Breath control and support
- Speech muscle strength and coordination
- Swallowing
- Chewing
Indirect benefits of speech therapy include:
- Encouragement to learn and study
- Increased independence
- Improved literacy
- Increased problem-solving ability
- Improved expression of thoughts and ideas
- Reduction in shyness
- Increased self-esteem
- Improved socialization
- Improved physical health due to better chewing and swallowing
- Improved quality of life
Diagnosis of Speech Problems in Birth Injured Children
When speech issues are suspected in a birth injured child, the speech pathologist will first carry out an in-depth evaluation of the child’s cognitive and physical functioning. They will evaluate the nature of the child’s communication and speech challenges, identify the underlying causes, and determine an appropriate therapeutic approach.
A speech pathology diagnosis will be confirmed only after this detailed evaluation has been completed. The evaluation will usually include:
- Medical History
The SLP will examine the child’s case history and ask the caregivers a number of questions about the child’s general cognitive and physical functioning. - Oral Cavity Exam
The speech pathologist will use special tools to identify any potential oral cavity or throat related irregularities that could be hindering speech. If they find obstructions, they will modify the treatment plan appropriately or may recommend surgery to correct the condition. - Audiology Tests
Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy may also suffer from a hearing impairment, which has a correlation with speech. When the child is unable to completely hear or listen, they will incorrectly interpret sound, which impedes their language development. If the SLP determines that a hearing impairment is one of the underlying causes of the child’s speech issues, they may also refer the child to an otolaryngologist (head and neck surgeon) or an audiologist.
These specialists can help in not only determining the extent of the hearing loss, but also fit the young child with hearing devices, including cochlear implants. We have seen tremendous speech and communication improvements for children we represent after they receive their first set of cochlear implants when hearing difficulties are a source of a child’s limitations. - Articulation Assessments
The SLP will perform tests to detect if the child is dropping certain syllables or sounds from the spoken words. For instance, instead of saying “friend,” the child may be pronouncing it as “frien.” The speech therapist will specifically look for certain consonants that are generally hard to pronounce, such as “r” or “s”. To assess the child’s language and fluency, the therapist will perform specific tests that measure their ability to respond to unstructured communication. - Cognitive Assessments
Children with birth injuries such as cerebral palsy may present with deficits in orientation, information processing, attention, memory, perception, problem solving, reasoning, and spatial cognition. The SLP will conduct an assessment of each of these cognitive aspects to determine which elements are affected to what degree, and make a comprehensive overall cognitive evaluation.
As a child reaches the age of 3, certain high-level testing like “neuropsychological testing” can be performed to identify the specific cognitive difficulties a young birth injury victim is suffering from. This testing many times is the key component of tailoring a long term treatment and therapy plan for a child with cerebral palsy or other hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy birth injury.
Treatment Strategies Used in Speech Therapy
A certified speech language pathologist can help promote communication between a child and the parents or caregivers even when there is little or no verbal speech. This could include vocalizations (pre-language skills), gestures, manual sign language, communication boards, and voice output devices. Specific speech-language therapy exercises can be designed for toddlers and children to improve their ability to communicate and express themselves independently.
Language Intervention Activities
The speech language pathologist will interact with the child with one on one therapy, such as talking or playing using pictures, objects, books, or ongoing events with an aim to stimulate speech and language development.
The therapist will use repetition exercises and model correct pronunciation to help develop the child’s speech and linguistic skills. They will focus on developing the child’s language and word association with techniques such as flashcards with multiple sounds and words inscribed on them. They may also put together puzzle pieces with pairs of words, such as “bat and ball,” “shoes and socks,” and “toothpaste and toothbrush.”
Articulation Therapy
Sound production or articulation exercises are important to speech language pathology. The speech therapist will typically utilize play activities to model correct syllables and sounds for the child. The level of activities will be determined according to the child’s age and their unique needs.
The therapist will physically demonstrate before the child how to produce certain sounds, such as the “r” or “s” sound. They may use a mirror or language cards to show the child how to move the tongue to make a particular sound.
Oral Exercises
To help strengthen birth injury child’s jaw muscles when tone and strength are limiting factors, the SLP may encourage the child and their caregivers to focus more on serving foods that demand extra chewing (such as carrots, celery, and apples). The child may also practice opening and closing the mouth while the therapist holds their chin (so that only the jaw muscles are used).
Tongue strengthening exercises to improve enunciation may involve sticking out the tongue and pushing it gently against a spoon or tongue depressor for a few seconds at one time. The therapist may also train the child and their caregivers in performing lip exercises to help form words. These may involve squeezing the lips around a candy or lollipop to improve muscle strength, and pursing the lips to enhance lip extension.
Swallowing Exercises
In addition to using oral exercises and facial massage to relieve spasms in the muscles of the child’s mouth, the speech therapist will also work with various food temperatures and textures to help develop the child’s oral awareness while they eat, chew, and swallow.
Swallowing therapy may include performing an “effortful swallow.” This involves collecting the saliva or another liquid in the mouth and swallowing it down the throat in a single gulp. This ensures that fluids and food fragments do not fall into the airway.
Another swallowing exercise is called the “masako maneuver,” which will help strengthen the muscles located at the back of the throat. In this exercise, the therapist will ask the child to stick out their tongue, and put mild pressure on it with their teeth so that it stays in place – and then attempt swallowing.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) refers to the use of any form or technique other than talking to express yourself. Picture charts, communication boards, and sign language are typically used as early AAC strategies to support communication in birth injured children diagnosed with speech problems. As the child grows, more advanced AAC devices can be added to increase the child’s communication ability.
Common AAC tools and devices include:
- Oral sensory chewing objects
- Placement tools (to position the tongue correctly for certain sounds)
- Tongue depressors
- Straws
- Word cards
- Picture boards
- Erasable boards
- Books
- Flip charts to relay more detailed messages
- Paper and pencil
- Communication boards
- Digital tablets
- Laptops and desktops
- Vocal synthesizers
- Speech generating devices
- Speech therapy mobile apps
- Custom software programs
Qualifications of a Speech Therapist and Speech Therapy Assistant
A speech language pathologist (SLP), commonly known as a speech therapist is a trained and certified professional specializing in the assessment and treatment of disorders related to speech, language, and swallowing. When selecting an SLP, it’s vital to check whether they have experience working with children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
The SLPs may have to collaborate with other professionals, such as the child’s physician, psychologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and social workers in order to develop a comprehensive treatment plan. Speech pathologists are expected to have in-depth knowledge of the anatomical aspects of the mouth, throat & esophagus. In addition, they should be familiar with the cognitive and developmental problems that may impede communication.
SLPs are required to complete an accredited master’s degree program in speech and language pathology. In order to obtain a license to practice in most states, SLPs should have a certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). To maintain this certification, speech therapists must update their training on new techniques and add at least 30 hours of professional development every three years.
Speech therapists may receive assistance from a qualified speech pathology assistant during their practice. The assistant is usually required to hold a license to practice and must have completed a bachelor’s degree program in speech & language pathology. The assistant’s role is to support the speech therapist in the implementation of the treatment plan designed for a child.
Since speech disorders may sometimes be related to hearing impairment, the speech therapist may also complete a course in audiology and receive a dual certification from ASHA.
Where can a Child Receive Speech & Language Therapy?
Depending on factors such as the child’s age, health condition, and accessibility of services in the local area, speech and language therapy may be received one-on-one or in a group setting. In many cases, the speech pathologist and their assistant may provide treatment at the child’s home.
In any case, for children with cerebral palsy who have communication difficulties, the ideal scenario would be to provide professional therapy to the child as well as train the parents or caregivers in exercises and activities, so that the child can practice at home to build their skills.
Some of the locations where birth injured children usually receive speech therapy include:
- The child’s home
- Clinical practice
- Hospital
- Nursing home
- Rehabilitation center
- Community health center
- Public or private school through programs such as Early Childhood Intervention (ECI)
- State health department
Is Your Child’s Cerebral Palsy or other Birth Injury Related Complication the Result of Medical Malpractice?
Parents whose children suffer from cerebral palsy or other birth injury related complications want and deserve answers as to cause of their child’s injury and whether mistakes by the doctors and nurses contributed to the injury.
Were there signs during the pregnancy, labor, and delivery process that birth related complications like preeclampsia, pregnancy-induced diabetes or a maternal infection were present, but not either recognized or properly treated. During the labor and delivery, were there clear indications that their baby was suffering from fetal distress, but appropriate actions were not taken by the obstetrician or nurses? Did the neonatal resuscitation team delay in providing important breathing support after birth? Were serious neonatal conditions like hypoglycemia or jaundice missed or treated incorrectly?
The experienced birth injury lawyers at Miller Weisbrod Olesky will help you determine if mistakes of the medical providers caused a birth injury to your child. Our experienced birth injury attorneys have represented families all over the United States in their time of need after a birth injury. We use our experience and expertise to obtain you and your child a medical malpractice settlement that will help provide specialized medical therapy like speech in order to maximize the quality of life and independence of your child throughout their life.
Sometimes families are reluctant to contact a medical malpractice lawyer. It’s also not uncommon for parents to feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities they encounter in caring for their injured child and worried that they will not be able to help out in a lawsuit involving their child’s birth injury. Our birth injury attorneys and nursing staff will address these hesitations and concerns, so you can focus on your child and maximizing their care.
Why Should You Talk with the Knowledgeable Attorneys at Miller Weisbrod Olesky?
The only way to find out if you have a birth injury case is to talk to a lawyer experienced in birth injury lawsuits. It’s not uncommon that a birth related complication results in a preventable birth injury, including cerebral palsy, but it takes a detailed expert review by a birth injury attorney of the medical records from your child’s birth to determine if the birth injury was the result of medical malpractice.
At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, a team of committed lawyers, nurses and paralegals uses our detailed medical negligence case review process to assess your child’s potential birth injury case. We start by learning more about you and your child and the status of meeting/missing developmental milestones. Then we gather medical records to determine what happened before, during, and after your delivery. We call in skilled medical experts who review your records and let us know if they think medical errors could have caused your child’s injuries.
If we feel medical negligence caused or contributed to your child’s injuries, we meet with you to discuss how you can receive compensation from the medical professionals who made the errors. Our birth injury attorneys have covered millions of dollars in settlements for families of children that have suffered a birth injury.
At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment when you do.
Registered Nurses and Nurse-Attorneys Are a Vital Part of Our Birth Injury Team…and Yours
Most national birth injury law firms will employ one or two nurses to assist the review of cases and medical research. But Miller Weisbrod Olesky offers an unmatched number of nurses and nurse-attorney employees support to both the birth injury attorneys and our clients.
Our team of registered nursing staff and nurse-attorneys bring a deep level of medical and personal insight to every client’s case. Our nursing team includes both an experienced labor and delivery nurse as well as an ICU nurse. Working closely with the rest of the team, they investigate the reasons behind a birth injury and how medical professionals breached their standard of care.
Meet our Legal Nursing Team
Linda Chalk
As a registered nurse, Linda practiced ICU nursing for 44 years while caring for a wide range of patient conditions. She has worked closely with founding partner Les Weisbrod for over 30 years, investigating and pursuing birth injury cases.
Along with DJ Weisbrod, Linda heads up the firm’s birth injury intake, screening, and medical literature research team. She personally screens all potential cases to ensure that medical issues have been addressed before we file lawsuits on behalf of birth-injured children and their families.
DJ Weisbrod
Before joining Miller Weisbrod, DJ practiced as a surgical nurse in various hospital and operative settings. She has been with the firm over 30 years.
DJ directs Miller Weisbrod’s birth injury intake and medical screening team. She has also served as firm founder Les Weisbrod’s trial nurse for all cases involving medical negligence and birth injury.
Linda Cuaderes
Linda Cuaderes is both a registered nurse and a licensed lawyer. Linda works exclusively in Miller Weisbrod’s Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice section. Linda acts as the firm’s patient advocate and liaison with our young clients and their parents.
Linda combines her legal and nursing experience along with her exceptional organizational talent and attention to detail to make sure each child we represent is provided the highest level of medical care and attendant care during the pendency of their case. Linda communicates with our parent clients regularly to monitor their birth injured child’s treatment, provide guidance as to additional care and therapies and when necessary assist them in obtaining specialized medical providers.
Linda was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honors at the University of Oklahoma. She started as an Oncology Nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City, quickly becoming the Assistant Head Nurse of the Outpatient Endoscopy Unit. Linda then entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Following graduation, Linda joined Les Weisbrod in the Medical Malpractice Section. After taking time off to raise her three lovely children, Linda returned to Miller Weisbrod and her passion of holding healthcare providers accountable for preventable errors. Linda is active in the American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Texas Bar Association. Linda is an active member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group and Medical Negligence Section of the American Association for Justice.
She is admitted to practice before the Texas Supreme Court and routinely works on cases pending throughout the United States. Linda has worked with child victims of birth injury, their parents and other victims of medical malpractice in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Iowa, Ohio, New York, Alabama, Georgia, Arizona, Utah and Missouri.
Education
- University of Oklahoma - School of Law, 1990, J.D. - Norman, Oklahoma
- University of Oklahoma - School of Nursing, 1985 - Norman, Oklahoma
Areas of Practice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Medical Malpractice
Associations & Memberships
- Texas Bar Association
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Kristin Jones
Kristin combines her medical and legal training to provide invaluable, passionate service to parents struggling to care for their birth-injured children.
Families often have questions as they go through the birth injury lawsuit process. Kristin diligently identifies and investigates all medical issues so the birth injury attorneys at Miller Weisbrod can answer those questions Kristin ensures that our birth injured children’s medical records are thoroughly reviewed and organized. Miller Weisbrod’s birth trauma litigation attorneys and medical experts retained by the firm need her services while pursuing justice for our clients.
Kelly Kunkel
Kelly Kunkel was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She has 15 years’ experience in hospital based High Risk Obstetrics and Labor and Delivery bedside nursing care. Kelly graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from El Centro College in December of 1990 and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from West Texas A & M University in 2008; graduating with honors.
In addition, Kelly has over 25 years’ experience in medical malpractice case management and litigation and has worked with David Olesky for over 22 years. After many years of assisting in defending healthcare providers and hospital systems in medical malpractice cases involving complex litigation matters related to birth injury, catastrophic injury and death, Kelly has proudly joined David Olesky in the national birth injury and medical negligence practice at Miller Weisbrod Olesky.
Contact Our National Birth Injury Lawyers
Our Birth Injury Attorneys
Les Weisbrod
Les Weisbrod has been on the cutting edge of the national birth injury litigation scene for almost 40 years.
As a national birth injury attorney, Les has settled over 204 medical negligence cases for more than $1,000,000. He also obtained settlements in 75 birth injury cases for over $1,000,000 each.
His $31 million verdict against Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas was one of the top 100 verdicts in the United States that given year.
Les is recognized nationally and internationally as one of the top plaintiff’s medical malpractice trial lawyers in the United States. But the recoveries for the clients and the differences made in the lives of the children and families Les has represented tell only part of the story.
Les has worked with his law partner Clay Miller for years to build a one-of-a-kind law firm.
Miller Weisbrod Olesky provides unique and unparalleled services to families of birth-injured and brain-injured children from the moment the firm decides to take the case.
The registered nurses and registered nurse-attorneys on staff are valuable team members who assist Miller Weisbrod birth-injury clients. Les has designed a system where each birth injured child is assigned a nurse-attorney liaison to guide them through the process of medical treatment/evaluation, therapies, home assistance, and quality of life improvement.
Miller Weisbrod’s unmatched service allows families to better cope with the immediate challenges facing our young clients.
Birth-injured children and their families are Les and Miller Weisbrod’s priority.
Les and the attorneys at Miller Weisbrod fight for the justice their clients are entitled to under our nation’s system of justice.
This fighting spirit has taken Les across the United States to represent clients in birth injury and medical negligence cases. In fact, he has personally handled cases not only in Texas but also in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah, Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, Montana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and New York.
Les and Miller Weisbrod continue to expand their reach of helping brain-injured children to new states each year as we strive to bring a sense of justice to each affected family. And Les is not the only one who notices he fights for his clients.
Michael Rustad, a Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston who has done extensive research on punitive damage awards, says,
“Les Weisbrod has obtained more medical malpractice punitive damage jury verdicts for his clients than any other attorney in the United States.”
Also, a well-known defense medical malpractice attorney dubbed Les Weisbrod the “pitbull” of the Texas medical malpractice bar in a media profile of Les published by a major newspaper.
Les shares his experience and knowledge to improve the representation of all birth-injured children and their families.
In the early 1990s, Les recognized that a more focused effort needed to be made to educate attorneys who handle birth injury cases. As a result, Les was the founding Co-Chair of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Birth Trauma Litigation Group in 1991. He also was a founding Co-Chair of AAJ’s Medical Negligence Litigation Group in 1999 and served as Chair of AAJ’s Professional Negligence Section in 1996.
Combined, these groups have put on more than a hundred continuing education seminars across the United States. helping to educate other attorneys by bringing in world-renowned experts in the fields of:
- labor and delivery
- neonatal care
- the care and treatment of birth-injured children, including those suffering from cerebral palsy and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
Education and professional experiences back up his dedication to helping children and families harmed by medical malpractice.
Les received his B.A. magna cum laude in 1975 from Claremont Men’s College and his J.D. in 1978 from Southern Methodist University Law School.
He is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil Trial Law.
Les was a past president of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association in 1993. He has been a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association Board of Directors since 1990.
His work with the American Association for Justice (AAJ) (formerly ATLA) includes serving as President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian. Mr. Weisbrod has also served on the AAJ Board of Governors since 1998 and the 17-member Executive Committee of AAJ since 2001. In 1990, he was chosen as a Rising Star of the ATLA and presented a paper entitled “Dirt and Greed: A New Look at Medical Malpractice Cases.”
Les has written and lectured extensively on birth injury litigation, medical malpractice, and medical product topics.
Les is a contributing author to the 1996 text Operative Obstetrics published by Williams & Wilkins. He also co-authored the “Drugs & Medical Devices” chapter in AAJ’s Litigating Tort Cases.
He also has lectured to lawyer groups across the U.S., Canada, England, and Australia.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - School of Law, J.D. - Dallas, Texas, 1978
- Claremont Men's College - B.A. - Claremont, California, 1975
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Products Liability
- Personal Injury
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- National Association Of Distinguished Counsel
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- American Association for Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
- Pan-European Organization of Personal Injury Lawyers
- American Society of Law and Medicine
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association
- Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas and American Bar Associations
- ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates)
Clay Miller
Clay is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Clay has practiced solely in the field of catastrophic injury and wrongful death since graduating from law school. His practice has been limited to the representation of victims. Over the past twenty-four years, Clay has successfully settled or tried to verdict cases in the areas of vehicular negligence, medical malpractice, construction site accidents, workplace injury, premises liability, and commercial trucking and a nationwide business loss case (suits filed in a dozen different states) involving defective truck engines sold to trucking companies.
Clay represented dozens of trucking companies in lost profit and diminished value claims against Caterpillar in 2010 through 2012. These cases were filed in over a dozen states with the bellwhether trial set in Federal Court in Davenport, Iowa. After intense litigation and trial preparation, a global confidential settlement was reached for all the clients.
Clay's most recent 2017 victories are a $30,800,000 jury verdict in Tennessee arising from fraud claims in the sale of heavy-duty truck engines and a $26,500,000 jury verdict in a construction accident, obtained within 60 days of each other.
Clay was raised in Lewisville, Texas and completed his undergraduate degree in Finance at
Texas A & M University. Following graduation from Southern Methodist University School of law, Clay worked for two Dallas firms representing victims. In 1998, Clay began his own practice before forming his current partnership. In addition to his law practice, Clay has lectured at seminars and published in the areas of construction accidents, jury selection techniques, medical negligence, trucking accidents and settlement tactics.
He is active in local and statewide trial lawyers' associations including serving as the Chair of the Advocates for the Texas Trial Lawyers' Association in 2002 and remains on the Board of Directors. Clay served as President of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association from 2008-2009. He has also been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 2014.
Education
- Southern Methodist University School of Law - Dallas, Texas
- Texas A&M University - Finance - College Station, Texas
Areas of Practice
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- State Bar of New Mexico
- State Bar of Colorado
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers’ Association
- American Association of Justice
David Olesky
David Olesky is Vice Chair of the Health Care Professional Liability practice. David is a trial lawyer focusing his practice on complex litigation matters that involve defending and protecting clients in all types of cases related to catastrophic injuries or death, but with a special focus on birth injury cases. David regularly advises his health care clients on the issues and challenges that they face on a daily basis. Clients repeatedly look to him for guidance to handle such high stakes cases and matters in Texas and jurisdictions outside of Texas.
David has earned the trust and reliance of clients he has worked with by consistently getting the results that matter most to them, whether that is a win at trial or a favorable outcome through alternative dispute resolution outside the courthouse. Through his representation, David demonstrates a true loyalty and hardworking commitment to the clients that he serves.
David believes the foundation of any client relationship is to act as a trusted advisor instead of simply as a litigator. Clients value his earnest representation of their business interests, accompanied by a devotion to understanding their businesses, prompt attention to their immediate needs and the challenges they face in their individual roles.
Education
- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, J.D., 1992 - Dallas, Texas
- University of Texas, B.B.A, 1989 - Austin, Texas
Areas of Practice
Associations & Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Foundation Fellow
- Texas Bar Association
Alexandra V. Boone
Alexandra Boone is a partner in Miller Weisbrod. She concentrates her legal practice in the area of birth injury, medical malpractice and mass tort products liability. Alex currently works directly with firm partner Les Weisbrod in managing the birth injury docket and working with the firm’s highly qualified expert witnesses in the review of potential cases. Alex also litigates her own docket of medical negligence cases.
Over the course of her 17 years with the firm, Alex has focused on the administration and prosecution of mass tort litigation, originally focusing on occupational toxins, but more recently in the area of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In the past, she has actively pursed cases involving hormone therapy, Vioxx, Fosamax, and Reglan. Alex was also instrumental in our firm successfully resolving thousands of cases transvaginal mesh, hip prosthetics, and the blood thinner Xarelto. She is actively prosecuting over 1,000 cases.
In addition to being a member of the Texas bar, she is also licensed in Oklahoma and is a member of the American Association of Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Oklahoma Association of Justice and the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
Education
- Baylor University - School of Law, 1996, J.D. - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Products Liability
- Mass Tort
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Oklahoma Association of Justice
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Pro Bono Activities
- East Texas Legal Services/Nix Law Firm Pro Bono Project, 1996 - 1997
Robert Wolf
Robert E. Wolf was born in Dallas, Texas and graduated Magna Cum Laude as a proud horned frog from Texas Christian University in 1997, with Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board. He obtained his law degree from Southern Methodist University in 2000 while serving as an Articles Editor for the International Law Review and winning awards at Mock Trial and Appellate competitions.
Robert has been named a Thomson Reuters | Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star (less than 2.5% of attorneys in Texas receive this distinction) in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Further, Robert was recognized as a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 attorney for Texas in 2012 (no more than 40 attorneys in Texas are eligible for this award annually).
Robert brought his passion for and over 14 years of experience of representing seriously injured individuals and their families to Miller Weisbrod in January 2015, and has concentrated his legal practice in the area of medical malpractice, products liability, and pharmaceutical/mass tort litigation. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
In addition to many successful jury verdicts and settlements across Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Idaho, Robert’s role as an attorney representing victims and their families has led to numerous changes to key safety practices and policies and procedures at corporations and medical facilities.
Robert and his wife Suzy also get plenty of exercise trying to keep up with their precious and very active daughter.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - Dedman School of Law, J.D. - 2000 - Dallas, Texas
- Texas Christian University - B.S. Political Science - 1997 - Fort Worth, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Personal Injury
- Products Liability
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Carrie Vine
Carrie Lynn Vine has over 15 years of experience in medical malpractice litigation, with a particular focus in representing children and families who have suffered birth injuries as a result of the negligence of either doctors, nurses or hospitals.
She is a passionate advocate for her clients and has handled hundreds of birth injury and birth trauma cases throughout the United States. As part of Carrie’s national birth injury legal practice, she has handled cases in Texas, Arkansas, California, Nevada, Kentucky, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and North Dakota. She is determined to seek justice and works to obtain fair compensation for the children and families she represents.
Carrie earned her law degree from Northern Illinois University where she tutored other law students. Prior to law school, she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in Biomedical and Biological Science, and earned both a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in Anthropological Genetics. She then conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan Medical School before deciding to attend law school. She applies an academic mindset and love of science and medicine to mastering the medical principles and literature relevant to the cases she pursues.
Carrie is an active member of the American Association of Justice as well as the Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BLTG).
Education
- Northern Illinois University:
Law School
- University of Notre Dame:
Biomedical Science
- Pennsylvania State University:
Anthropological Genetics
Areas of Practice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Medical Malpractice
Associations & Memberships
- American Association of Justice:
Member
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group:
Member
Larry Lassiter
Lawrence R. Lassiter is an AV-rated attorney with more than twenty years of experience in appellate and trial advocacy. He has been consulted by attorneys across the country to conduct research, evaluate cases, prepare appellate and trial briefs, and formulate litigation strategy. He has prepared hundreds of appellate briefs in federal and state appellate courts, including the highest courts of Texas, West Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio, Nebraska and Tennessee, and he is member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. Larry has a national appellate and legal briefing practice. Larry has filed extensive briefs and/or argued before either state or federal courts in 30 out of 50 states in his career.
Larry assists the Birth Injury team in all aspects of legal briefing. Unlike many other birth injury firms across the United States, Miller Weisbrod has an attorney dedicated to handling legal briefing on behalf of our clients across the country. Larry has handled extensive briefing in birth injury and other medical malpractice cases in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, New York, Utah, Arizona, Louisiana and West Virginia.
Since joining Miller Weisbrod in 2010, Larry has won a number of important victories vindicating the rights of our clients in both state and federal appellate courts, including Vitacost.com, Inc. v. McCants, 210 So.3d 761 (Fla. Ct. App. 2017); TTHR Ltd. Partnership v. Moreno, 401 S.W.3d 41 (Tex. 2013); In re E.B., 729 S.E.2d 271 (W. Va. 2012); Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Davis, 683 F.3d 651 (5th Cir. 2012); Rouhani v. Morgan, 2017 WL 3526719 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2017, no pet.); Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Andregg Contracting, Inc., 391 S.W.3d 573 (Tex. App. – Dallas 2012).
He was as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Harlington Wood Jr., Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Larry was a University of Iowa Presidential Scholar and served as Editor in Chief of the Iowa Law Review.
Larry is an active member of the American Association for Justice. He is a member of AAJ’s Birth Injury Litigation Group and Medical Negligence Sections.
Education
- University of Iowa - Political Science & History - B.A. - Iowa City, Iowa
- University of Iowa - School of Law - J.D. - Iowa City, Iowa
Areas of Practice
- Appellate Advocacy
- Medical Malpractice
- Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices
- Products Liability
- Personal Injury
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Laurie Pierce
Laurie draws upon extensive experience in state and federal courts with a focus on complex claims involving medical malpractice cases. After many years of defending health care providers and hospital systems in medical malpractice cases, Laurie joined David Olesky in the national birth injury and medical negligence practice at Miller Weisbrod Olesky.
Laurie’s focus is to understand not only the facts and circumstances of the matter at hand, but to understand the specific needs and goals of the client and their unique business considerations. Her extensive background in commercial litigation provides a foundation that enhances her health care litigation practice. She works with clients that require more than a strong trial lawyer; they expect an attorney who understands the relationship between law and their specific business and who will work tirelessly to protect their rights, interests and bottom line.
Education
- Southern Methodist University:
Dedman School of Law - 1992
- Order of the Coif:
Journal of Air Law and Commerce, J.D. - 1992
- Miami University-Oxford, Ohio
B.S. Education - 1982
Areas of Practice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Health Care Industry
- Health Care Litigation
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Medical Malpractice
Associations & Memberships
- American Association for Justice
- American Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Foundation Fellow
- Texas Bar Association
Distinctions
- Admitted to Pro Bono College of State Bar of Texas in 2019 for outstanding delivery of legal services to low-income Texans
Court Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
Linda Cuaderes
Linda Cuaderes is both a registered nurse and a licensed lawyer. Linda works exclusively in Miller Weisbrod’s Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice section. Linda acts as the firm’s patient advocate and liaison with our young clients and their parents.
Linda combines her legal and nursing experience along with her exceptional organizational talent and attention to detail to make sure each child we represent is provided the highest level of medical care and attendant care during the pendency of their case. Linda communicates with our parent clients regularly to monitor their birth injured child’s treatment, provide guidance as to additional care and therapies and when necessary assist them in obtaining specialized medical providers.
Linda was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honors at the University of Oklahoma. She started as an Oncology Nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City, quickly becoming the Assistant Head Nurse of the Outpatient Endoscopy Unit. Linda then entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Following graduation, Linda joined Les Weisbrod in the Medical Malpractice Section. After taking time off to raise her three lovely children, Linda returned to Miller Weisbrod and her passion of holding healthcare providers accountable for preventable errors. Linda is active in the American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Texas Bar Association. Linda is an active member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group and Medical Negligence Section of the American Association for Justice.
She is admitted to practice before the Texas Supreme Court and routinely works on cases pending throughout the United States. Linda has worked with child victims of birth injury, their parents and other victims of medical malpractice in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Iowa, Ohio, New York, Alabama, Georgia, Arizona, Utah and Missouri.
Education
- University of Oklahoma - School of Law, 1990, J.D. - Norman, Oklahoma
- University of Oklahoma - School of Nursing, 1985 - Norman, Oklahoma
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- Texas Bar Association
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Kristin Jones
Kristin combines her medical and legal training to provide invaluable, passionate service to parents struggling to care for their birth-injured children. Families often have questions as they go through the birth injury lawsuit process. Kristin diligently identifies and investigates all medical issues so the birth injury attorneys at Miller Weisbrod can answer those questions. Kristin ensures that our birth injured children’s medical records are thoroughly reviewed and organized. Miller Weisbrod’s birth trauma litigation attorneys and medical experts retained by the firm need her services while pursuing justice for our clients.
Education
- SMU Dedman School of Law - Dallas, Texas
- University of Texas at Arlington - Arlington, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Matt Adair
Matt Adair is an attorney specializing in medical malpractice, products liability, and pharmaceutical litigation. He received his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. During his time there, he studied abroad at the New College at Oxford University in Oxford, England.
Matt is a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
Education
- University of Notre Dame - Philosophy, B.A. 2012 - Notre Dame, Indiana
- Baylor University - School of Law J.D. 2015 - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Products Liability
- Pharmaceutical Litigation
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Garrett Stanford
Garrett Stanford was born in Dallas, Texas and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2017 with a B.A. in Political Science. After graduation, he attended Baylor University School of Law. During his time at Baylor, he was a member of the Order of the Barristers and he won the Judge W.C. Davis Endowed Criminal Practice Professional Track Award. He obtained his law degree and license to practice law in 2020.
Garrett joined Miller Weisbrod in August 2021. His legal practice is concentrated in the area of birth injury and medical malpractice. Garret is actively involved in handling birth injury and medical malpractice cases in Texas, Ohio, Utah, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - Political Science, B.S. - Dallas, Texas
- University of Baylor - School of Law, J.D. - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas