Legal Elite Awards 2017

30 NORTH AMERICA NEWS / Legal Elite Awards 2017 , Amal tells us that 2014 was a pivotal year in her legal career. After spending years defending large corporations and insurance companies, her professional experience and internal desire to help people were in serious conflict. That is when she decided to make a long overdue change and became a plaintiff’s attorney, which allowed her to align her career goals and personal values. Amal’s passion for representing the common man is easily discernible through our exchange: “I now represent clients in all areas of Personal Injury law. Over the years, however, I have developed a keen passion for litigating premises liability cases, especially slip-and-falls. Prior to founding LAASSEL LAW, I spent years litigating premises liability cases on behalf of Walmart and other large corporations. In doing so, I was able to gain invaluable practical experience and skills which I am now using to level the playing field on behalf of my clients. It is truly a rewarding feeling.” Amal details her own approach to client service and how she ensures that everyone who works with the firm is able to receive the highest quality service possible. “To me, client satisfaction is crucial to the success and longevity of any law firm. When I made the decision to start LAASSEL LAW, its Mission Statement was something I LAASSEL LAW is a boutique Personal Injury lawfirmwith its main office located in Orlando, Florida. The firm represents clients who have been hurt due to the negligence of others, including individuals, companies, and government entities. LAASSEL LAWwas founded with one goal inmind: to provide high quality legal services in a small firm environment. We recently profiled the founder of LAASSEL LAW, Amal Laassel, and invited her to tell us a bit more about her lawfirmand recent accomplishments. Best Slip & Fall Injury Attorney – Orlando Amal hails from Marrakesh, Morocco, where she lived until her teenage years. At 16, she immigrated to the United States as part of an international student exchange program. Amal first moved to El Paso, TX, where she lived with an American host family until she graduated from high school. After graduating from high school, Amal attended the University of Central Florida where she earned her B.A. in Political Science in 2004. Amal attended law school at the University of Florida and earned her Juris Doctor in 2007. After graduating from UF Law, Amal joined a mid-size Personal Injury law firm in Ocala, Florida, where she had the unique opportunity to work alongside one of Florida’s first double Board Certified Trial lawyers. That mentoring opportunity provided her invaluable courtroom experience and furthered the development of her legal skills. In 2009, Amal moved back to Orlando and joined one of the largest insurance defense firms in the country. While there, Amal handled complex premises liability, personal injury, and general liability actions on behalf of Fortune 500 Companies and large insurance carriers, including the largest retailer in the world. In 2013, Amal made Partner at the firm. She was the youngest attorney to ever make Partner. thought about quite a bit. But at the end, it was very simple; the mission of LAASSEL LAW is to provide its clients high quality legal services in a small firm environment. That means that every case, whether big or small, will be aggressively prosecuted until we are able to reach the best result possible for our client. It also means that I will personally meet and sit down with each one of my clients to understand his/ her situation and discuss legal strategy. For me, it is not merely about the facts of the case. It is about personal attention – to my clients and their story. I believe in personally connecting with my clients. The reverse is also true. Clients need to get to know and trust their attorney. Without that personal rapport between the attorney and the client, a case will be just that; a case. And the client be will be lost in the shuffle. I have seen it happen repeatedly on both the defense and plaintiff side and I refuse to be one of those lawyers or law firms.” Differentiating itself from other practices within the legal industry is important as it is such a competitive area. Amal tells us why she thinks the firm stands out, highlighting her own expertise and talents. “At the risk of sounding arrogant, being myself is what works for me. I am authentic as can be, and my clients appreciate that about me. I try to remain grounded at all times, irrespective of my success. My clients are the reason behind the success of LAASSEL LAW and they deserve my time and focus. I take the time to sit down with each one of my clients and to listen to their story. I also think that my cultural background and personal life experiences definitely give me an edge over the competition, as I am able to broaden my client base by relating to people from all walks of life. Orlando is an up and coming city with an ever- growing population. Thousands of people visit Orlando daily and thousands of people relocate to the Orlando area annually. Many of them are from other countries and diverse cultural backgrounds. Having travelled the world and having the ability to speak Arabic, French and Spanish definitely helps me. Professionally, of course, my background and career track bring a wealth of experience and skills to the table. I am also what I like to call “appropriately aggressive”- which has worked quite well for my clients over the course of my legal career.” During our interview, it was apparent that the attorneys at LAASSEL LAW understand the complexities of the legal system and have the knowledge and experience necessary to handle each case with intellectual rigor and secure the best results for clients, be it through settlement or trial.