J. CURT THOMAS NAMED AS MEMBER OF NATIONAL DIOCESAN ATTORNEYS ASSOCIATION
[APR 2010]
J. Curt Thomas was recently accepted as a member of the National Diocesan Attorneys Association and joins Joseph P. Brennan, the firm's senior partner and a long-standing member. The Association is a division of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and focuses on advising and assisting Catholic dioceses across the country. Mr. Brennan has served as counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah for over twenty years.
Article 1 of 17.

J. CURT THOMAS ACCEPTED AS MEMBER OF STATE BAR YOUNG LAWYERS’ LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
[MAR 2010]
J. Curt Thomas was recently accepted as a participant in the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division's Leadership Academy. The Academy is limited to approximately 50 lawyers from around the state and focuses on developing leadership skills, addressing critical issues facing the state and the legal profession, and developing relationships with key state leaders.
Article 2 of 17.

DEFENSE VERDICT IN RADIATION MYELITIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE
[JAN 2010]
The firm won a defense verdict in a medical malpractice trial in January 2010. The plaintiff was diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma tumor of the larynx and was treated with radiation therapy by the defendant physician. Several months later, he developed a radiation myelopathy of the spinal cord which resulted in quadriplegia. The plaintiff brought suit against the defendant physician and his practice group alleging that the defendants violated the standard of care in providing radiation therapy to cure and prevent the spread of cancer in the patient’s larynx and lymh nodes. Joseph Brennan assisted by Richard Dekle joined by a second defense firm represented the defendants in a six day trial in Chatham County.
Article 3 of 17.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT AWARDED TO LOCAL PHYSICIANS
[NOV 2009]
Tracie Smith obtained an order dismissing three local physicians from a premises liability lawsuit. Here, defense counsel introduced evidence showing that none of the physicians had any ownership or supervisory control over the property where a plaintiff claimed she had been injured. The Chatham County Superior Court granted summary judgment to the physicians after finding that the plaintiff had no legal right of recovery where none of the physicians could legally be deemed an occupier under applicable state law.
Article 4 of 17.

DISMISSAL OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE
[OCT 2009]
Wiley Wasden and Sally Perkins successfully obtained a dismissal in a medical malpractice case brought against a local hospital and two of its nurses. Citing to the failure of the plaintiff to obtain proper expert testimony needed to sustain their allegations in the case, attorneys Wasden and Perkins argued to Chatham County State Court that the case should be dismissed. The Court granted the motion and dismissed the case with prejudice.
Article 5 of 17.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT OBTAINED FOR HOSPITAL
[SEP 2009]
Wiley Wasden, Sally Perkins, and Greg Sewell obtained summary judgment in a negligence case brought against a local hospital. The plaintiff alleged she was injured in the hospital waiting area. Through discovery, attorneys Wasden, Perkins, and Sewell were able to show there was no evidence linking the hospital or any of its employees to the plaintiff’s alleged injury. The Superior Court of Chatham County in turn granted summary judgment to the hospital.
Article 6 of 17.

TRACIE SMITH TRAINED TO MEDIATE AND ARBITRATE GENERAL CIVIL AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS MATTERS
[ SEP 2009 ]
Tracie Smith, a partner with Brennan & Wasden, now offers mediation and arbitration services in areas of general civil and domestic relations. Tracie has tried multiple civil litigation cases in southeast Georgia. After completing training in these areas of alternative dispute resolution, Ms. Smith is a registered mediator and arbitrator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution.
Article 7 of 17.

JOSEPH P. BRENNAN AND WILEY A WASDEN, III SELECTED AS AMERICA'S BEST LAWYERS
[ AUG 2009 ]
Joseph P. Brennan and Wiley A. Wasden, III have been selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America®. Joseph Brennan was recognized for his expertise in the specialty of Medical Malpractice Law, and Wiley Wasden was selected for his expertise in the specialties of Commercial Litigation and Professional Malpractice Law. For over a quarter of a century, Best Lawyers® has been regarded – by both the profession and the public – as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. Selection to Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey comprising more than 2.8 million confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the country.
Article 8 of 17.

BRENNAN & WASDEN CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY OF OUTSTANDING LEGAL REPRESENTATION
[2009]
Brennan & Wasden, LLP will celebrate the twentieth (20th) anniversary of the firm's founding in August this year. Since its inception, founding partners, Joseph Brennan and Wiley Wasden, have committed the firm to providing superior legal skills on a broad range of matters, ranging from effective advocacy at trial and appellate levels in both state and federal courts to advising its clients on formation and dissolution of business relationships, professional liability issues, workers compensation issues, contractual and commercial disputes, and product liability issues. With this philosophy, the founding members attracted skilled and talented attorneys to serve its clients Since its founding, the firm has grown to eleven attorneys and provides legal representation in both Georgia and South Carolina. Brennan & Wasden has been recognized for its excellence by receiving the highest rank of AV and been named as one of the Preeminent Law Firms in America by Martindale-Hubbell.
Article 9 of 17.

MEMBERS OF FIRM SPEAK DURING NURSES WEEK 2009
[ MAY 2009 ]
Wiley A. Wasden III and W. Richard Dekle spoke on “Trials and Tribulations of Documentation” to the nursing staffs at Candler Hospital, Inc. and St. Joseph’s Hospital, Inc. in Savannah, Georgia during Nurses Week. They presented a mock trial based upon an actual case involving poor documentation. The presentation was approved by the Georgia Nurses Association and American Nurses Credentialing Centers Commission on Accreditation for continuing education credits to the nursing staff. The presentation covered how the quality of documentation in the medical records can make the difference between settling and defending a medical malpractice claim.
Article 10 of 17.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT OBTAINED FOR PHYSICIAN
[ MAY 2009 ]
On June 24, 2009, Joseph Brennan, assisted by Gregory Sewell, obtained summary judgment in a medical malpractice case on behalf of a family medicine physician in the Chatham County State Court. Plaintiff alleged the defendant physician was negligent in failing to diagnose and treat a patient’s cardiac risk factors and underlying coronary artery disease, which resulted in the patient suffering a fatal heart attack. The Court held the claim was barred by the statute of repose as the plaintiff failed to assert a claim within five years after the physician first allegedly misdiagnosed the condition. On February 24, 2010, the Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's grant of summary judgment.
Article 11 of 17.

DEFENSE VERDICT IN EMERGENCY ROOM MALPRACTICE CASE
[ MAY 2009 ]
On June 4, 2009, lead counsel Joseph P. Brennan, assisted by W. Richard Dekle, obtained a defense verdict in a wrongful death case on behalf of an emergency room physician in the State Court of Chatham County. The defendant physician was asked to evaluate a patient who was suspected of having an anaphylactic reaction to IV Rocephin. It was alleged that the defendant physician was negligent in failing to timely order the administration of intravenous Epinephrine. The co-defendant internal medicine physician was also alleged to have been negligent due to the failure to order Epinephrine when the problem was initially reported. Following a four-day trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendants.
Article 12 of 17.

PARTNER SPEAKS TO MEDICAL STAFF
[ MAY 2009 ]
Wiley A. Wasden III recently spoke to the medical staff of Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick, Georgia and the medical staff at Candler Hospital, Inc. in Savannah, Georgia. Mr. Wasden gave a presentation entitled “Beating the Medical Liability Odds” which covered closed case reviews demonstrating trends in medical liability cases and the physician’s role in assisting with the defense of a case. The talk was approved for continuing education hours by the AMA PRA.
Article 13 of 17.

FIRM TO SPEAK AT MEDICAL RECORDS SEMINAR ON 8/12/09
[ MAY 2009 ]
Wiley A. Wasden III, Sally Haskell Perkins, Gregory G. Sewell, and Elizabeth Yarborough will be featured speakers at an upcoming seminar on August, 12, 2009, in Savannah. The seminar will address confidentiality, disclosure, documentation requirements and HIPAA issues for the handling of medical records.The speakers will focus on recent judicial interpretations and and legislative changes, including the HITECH Act of 2009 from the Economic Stimulus Package (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Interested attendees may contact the firm for registration information.
Article 14 of 17.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIRM'S SUPER LAWYERS AND RISING STARS
[ APRIL 2009 ]
Joseph P. Brennan and Wiley A. Wasden, III were both again recognized as a Super Lawyer of Georgia. B. Nicole Smith, was also selected as a Rising Star in the field of medical malpractice defense. These outstanding recognitions were announced by a national publisher which lists attorneys based upon attorney peer nominations and evaluations. W. Richard Dekle was previously selected as a Rising Star.
Article 15 of 17.

SELECTION AS FELLOW TO THE LITIGATION COUNSEL OF AMERICA
[ APRIL 2009 ]
Tracie Smith was invited to become a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society whose national membership is limited to 3500 attorneys, which comprises less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellows are selected for membership after being evaluated on effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation and trial work, along with ethical reputation.
Article 16 of 17.

FIRM EXPANDS ABILITY TO PROVIDE REPRESENTATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA
[ FEBRUARY 2009 ]
In early 2009, the firm was pleased to announce that J. Curt Thomas become a member of the South Carolina bar. Together with Marvin W. McGahee, these two talented attorneys offer clients the opportunity to represent individuals and business in both trial and appellate courts in South Carolina.
Article 17 of 17.