Arthur Hernández is a sole practitioner with an office in the old Atlantic National Bank building. He has one paralegal and one secretary on staff.
HOW LONG HAS HE HAD HIS OWN FIRM?
Since January 2002
WHAT TYPE OF LAW DOES HE PRACTICE?
“Personal injury, in the sense of catastrophic loss and wrongful death, and commercial litigation. Catastrophic loss is where an injury is very severe. If it falls within that category, I’ll take the case. Commercial litigation allows me to do more international trade. Being a Hispanic attorney in Jacksonville has its advantages.”
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING A HISPANIC ATTORNEY?
“I typically get the clients that the larger firms can’t communicate with. The Hispanic business client is very similar to the Southern business client. That business is built on relationships and you can’t establish a relationship unless you feel comfortable in the language that they’re communicating in. Most Hispanic clients from out-of-town want to speak in their native language, Spanish. They also want someone who can help them navigate the City. There’s not too many attorneys that do what I do. It requires a lot of time building up relationships that can’t be quantified in billable hours.”
HOW MANY HISPANIC ATTORNEYS ARE HERE?
“Maybe a dozen, and that would be generous. I know we have a Hispanic judge. Most Hispanic lawyers gravitate towards larger firms for whatever reason. There are about three solo Hispanic attorneys that I know of.”
HIS CLIENT BASE?
“Through the years I’ve done a lot of defense work, but now I represent the families, the plaintiffs. My clients come from all over the state. Currently, I’m representing a quadriplegic in South Florida.” Hernández does not accept plaintiff cases against doctors and hospitals because he represents them on the defense side.
COMPARE YOUR WORK WITH OTHER PERSONAL INJURY SUITS
“You have to have had the experience of how to work them up. You can’t handle them the same as a soft tissue injury. They’re different from your small, typical, fender-bender whiplash cases. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; I just don’t want to do that.”
WHERE DID HE GET
HIS EXPERIENCE?
After moving to Jacksonville in 1992, Hernández took a position with Cole, Stone, Stoudemire for about four years. He left there to work for what is now Brown, Obringer DeCandio & Oosting until the fall of 2000. During the following year, he was employed by Bullock, Childs. “I was offered a shareholder position and I turned it down so I could try it on my own,” said Hernández.
HOW IS RUNNING YOUR OWN FIRM BETTER?
“It’s wonderful. I have the opportunity to be much more selective about the cases I take. It allows you to do the things that you want to do and not the things you have to do. It allows me to cultivate my litigation practice, which is civil trial and commercial litigation. That’s from the practice side. Being on your own also allows you to get involved in other areas that feed that.”
WHAT INVOLVEMENTS FEED YOUR PRACTICE?
“For the international trade part of it, this week I get to go on a Florida Enterprise delegation trip to the Dominican Republic to foster more international trade. Jaxport’s largest trading partner is Puerto Rico; their third or fourth largest is the Dominican Republic. Clients I represent do that type of work so that’s why it’s important. Before, with the firms, I couldn’t do that type of work. I would have to do their work.”
TO WHAT OTHER GROUPS DOES HE BELONG?
“I’m on the board of directors for Big Brothers & Big Sisters and president of the Young Lawyers Section up until this year, contrary to the gray hair. I’m an active member of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Mayor’s Hispanic-American Advisory Board. Those are things that, to big firms, may not be that important, but it makes me happy.”
EDUCATION
St. Thomas University in Miami.
WHY GO TO LAW SCHOOL?
“I went into law school, I guess, because I couldn’t get into medical school. I was a chemical engineer by my undergraduate training [at the University of Miami] and worked as a research scientist, level one, for Baxter Health Care Pharmeuticals.”
WHY SPECIALIZE IN
THOSE AREAS?
“Everybody has a different vision of what an attorney is. My vision of what an attorney is has always been of a litigator.”
HOMETOWN
New York.
WHAT BROUGHT HIM
TO TOWN?
“We moved to Jacksonville in 1992 because my wife had to do her residency at Shands. Jacksonville was nowhere in our plans.”
MI FAMILIA
Hernández is married to Dr. Catherine Madaffari. They live at the beach with their three children, Cristina, Vincenzo and Sophia.
HOBBIES
Hernández coaches soccer, rides his bicycle, hits the snowy slopes or goes scuba diving with his daughter.
— by Monica Tsai