Dereck G. Capaz, Esq.

An AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney.

Dereck G. Capaz, Esq., is an AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney. The AV® Preeminent™ designation is Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer review rating of a legal professional’s skills and ethics. He focuses his practice in the areas of plaintiff’s personal injury, insurance claims and civil litigation.

Dereck is a third generation Tampa native and graduate of Jesuit High School. He is active in numerous community organizations and lives in Tampa with his wife Laura and three kids. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida. He received a Master of Business Administration degree and Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law. He is a member of The Hillsborough County Bar Association, Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association and Florida Justice Association.

Following graduation from law school, Dereck was sworn in as a criminal prosecutor for the State of Florida. While at the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office, he developed a reputation as a thorough, successful and well-respected trial attorney. He was a lead trial attorney of a felony division, handling crimes from DUI with serious injury, drug trafficking, armed robbery, gun crimes, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, sex crimes, attempted murder and 10/20/Life cases.

After his tenure at the State Attorney’s office, Dereck accepted a job at well-respected civil law firm in Tampa, Florida representing large corporations, local businesses, and individuals, in a wide variety of legal areas, involving transportation litigation, trucking accidents, corporate negligence, premises liability, and defense of catastrophic injury claims.

Dereck is admitted to practice by The Florida Bar, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and The United States Supreme Court. He was selected for inclusion and named in the 2009 – 2020 editions of Florida Super Lawyers. No more than five percent of the attorneys in Florida are named to the Florida Super Lawyers list.

Dereck is a life member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. The Million Dollar Advocates Forum is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members of this highly sought after recognition.

Laura Turbe Capaz, Esq.

Laura Turbe Capaz is a former insurance defense attorney who now focuses her practice in the areas of plaintiff’s personal injury, transportation litigation and insurance bad faith.

Laura earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida. She then attended Stetson University College of Law, which is one of the top-ranked law schools in the nation for trial advocacy and legal writing. While attending law school, Laura served as an Articles and Symposia Editor for the Stetson Law Review, and she was the recipient of the Elizabeth M. Leeman Award for authoring the best student work published in the Stetson Law Review during 2003-2004. Prior to earning her Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, in 2004, Laura served as a federal judicial intern at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

After law school, Laura was honored to serve as a judicial staff attorney for the Second District Court of Appeal. This experience allowed her the opportunity to gain a significant understanding of the appellate process and to work directly with the appellate court judges, analyzing and providing counsel on a wide range of legal matters.

Thereafter, Laura entered private practice and joined a well-respected insurance defense law firm where she focused her practice on insurance bad faith litigation. As a result of representing many of the large insurance companies for more than eight years, Laura gained extensive experience handling insurance bad faith claims and accumulated significant insight into the operations of large insurance companies, the insurers’ evaluation and handling of claims, and the strategies and tactics used by insurers and their defense counsel. The insight, knowledge, and experience gained while representing insurance companies allows the Capaz Law Firm to provide unique representation to its clients in their claims against the insurance companies.

Laura is admitted to practice by The Florida Bar and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She was previously selected for inclusion and named in Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

Our Team

Cindy Paramadevan

Florida Registered Paralegal

Cindy graduated from Wharton High School in Tampa, and received a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of South Florida. Thereafter, she studied law and business at the University of Birmingham in England, where she earned a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration. Prior to joining the Capaz Law Firm in 2014, Cindy gained legal experience in the areas of personal injury, civil litigation, trial preparation, insurance claims and office management working as a paralegal for two large defense law firms in the Tampa area. As a Florida Bar Board Certified Paralegal with more than ten years of legal experience, Cindy serves as an integral part of the Firm’s litigation team and is involved in every aspect of case matters. Her knowledge and legal background, enable her to provide valuable guidance and assistance for our clients on a daily basis. On a personal level, Cindy has been recognized for her philanthropy and is currently volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House for Charities.

Sasha Rodriguez

Florida Registered Paralegal

As a native Floridian, Sasha graduated From Brooks Debartolo Collegiate High school and earned her A.S. Degree Majoring in Paralegal Studies from Hillsborough Community College. Sasha joined Capaz Law Firm as a legal assistant in 2016 and has since then become a Florida Bar Certified Paralegal. Sasha serves alongside the firm’s litigation team acting as the initial point of contact for our clients and assisting throughout the litigation process. In her free time, Sasha enjoys broadening her experiences through travel, supporting local small businesses and volunteering with her local congregation.

CAPAZ LAW FIRM VERDICTS

Recent Case Results

Our priority is to obtain justice for our clients and to help them move forward with their lives after a serious injury. We work tirelessly to obtain the full compensation our clients deserve. We make a commitment to our clients and if we are privileged enough to represent you and your family, we will do everything in our power to fight to achieve the best results.

Learn more about our recent case results.

SWIPE TO VIEW

$202,230,000.00

Drunk driver crossed into Plaintiff’s lane of travel causing the crash. Plaintiff was pregnant at the time and trapped inside the vehicle until she was extricated. The heavy impact caused a placental abruption, cutting off the oxygen supply to Plaintiff’s unborn child. As a result, the child sustained a traumatic brain injury.

1/10

$2,000,000.00

Defendant truck driver drove through a stop sign and crashed into the client’s vehicle. Initially, the defendant truck driver denied liability and tried to hide insurance coverage. The trucking company, who employed the driver and owned the truck, tried to hide data but we were able to obtain independent evidence.

2/10

$878,000.00

Defendant was using a social media application while driving at an unlawful rate of speed, and he crossed into the client’s lane of travel. The crash resulted in a fractured leg and broken clavicle. The insurance company failed to act in good faith and paid extra contractual money.

3/10

$1,125,000.00

Defendant was speeding and crashed into our client, a pedestrian. Our client sustained an injury to his head and fractured ribs. He was treated at the hospital and subsequently referred to doctors for treatment until he obtained a full recovery.

4/10

$567,661.36

Client was driving his motorcycle when the Defendant, who was driving an SUV in the opposite direction, made a left turn directly in front of our client’s travel path and struck his motorcycle. Our client sustained tibia and fibula fractures. Initially, defendant denied liability. The court granted Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment as to liability, and the jury awarded the Plaintiff a verdict in the amount of $567,661.35.

5/10

$593,333.00

Clients were passengers in a vehicle involved in a rollover accident, and the defendant driver denied liability. One client suffered wrist and heal fractures, and the other client suffered a slight concussion. The court granted the Plaintiffs’ Motions for Summary Judgment as to liability. Both clients reached a full medical recovery. We were able to reduce all outstanding medical bills to a minimal amount, thus, maximizing the gross recovery for the clients.

6/10

$200,000.00

Client was riding his bicycle at night on Tampa Street, when a vehicle struck him while it was merging onto the road. Client sustained a broken clavicle. The defendant driver denied liability and claimed that our client was responsible for the accident because he did not have a proper light attached to the front of his bike. The defense hired an accident reconstruction expert to argue that our client was liable for the crash. The jury disagreed and assigned 85% fault on the defendant driver.

7/10

$760,000.00

Client was sideswiped by a driver causing his vehicle to roll. He was transported to the hospital with a compression fracture and was recommended surgery. The client was very active and fit prior to the crash and, thus, felt reluctant to surgery. Client was referred for a second opinion, and, ultimately, client recovered with a brace and physical therapy. After our thorough coverage investigation revealed multiple insurance policies applicable to the incident, we were able to negotiate a significant recovery from three of four insurance companies just before trial. The fourth insurance company disputed insurance coverage and refused to respond to the lawsuit filed on behalf of our client. A judgment was obtained and the insurance company filed a Declaratory Action, which resulted in a jury verdict in favor of our client and accessing costs against the insurance company for wrongfully denying the claim.

8/10

$375,000.00

Clients were involved in an automobile accident with resulting injuries. The insurance company claimed the injuries were soft tissue and pre-existing, and presented a very low offer of less than $15,000. However, the auto accident resulted in surgery for one client and physical therapy for the other client. Ultimately, we recovered $375,000.00 on behalf of our clients. Our office worked to have the clients’ medical bills significantly reduced; thus, maximizing the gross recovery for the clients.

9/10

$273,000.00

Pedestrian was struck while standing outside of his truck in a gated neighborhood and sustained a broken collar bone. The insurance company failed to act in good faith when it failed to timely resolve the claim. We alleged that the failure to act in the best interest of the insurer’s own insureds was tantamount to bad faith. The Court ordered arbitration, and an independent arbitrator heard arguments presented by both sides and ultimately awarded the Plaintiff $273,000.00. The insurance company subsequently agreed to resolve the matter for a negotiated amount that included resolution of any attorney’s fees and costs.

10/10

RECOGNITION & AWARDS

Achievements

The Capaz Law Firm is honored to be recognized for our commitment and consistent work in the practice of personal injury law. Through recognition from our peers, attorney rating services, and national publications, The Capaz Law continuously provides vigorous representation to its clients while maintaining the upmost level of integrity and professionalism. Below are some of the significant recognitions that we have earned.

Proud member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Earned the AV-Preeminent Rating for legal proficiency and ethical standards from Martindale-Hubbell and lawyers.com.
Selected for inclusion and named in the 2009 – 2020 editions of Florida Super Lawyers.
The Capaz Law Firm was named to the University of Florida’s 2019 Gator100 for the second consecutive year.