Brian Panish

"The reason I do the work that I do is because I feel that in each and every case we're able to make a difference in someone's life," said Panish, who specializes in personal injury and products liability cases. He was able to make a difference in the life of Alan Casillas, who at 19 was run over by a tractor trailer while standing on a sidewalk in Los Angeles. In February, a jury awarded $34.5 million to Casillas, whose left leg was amputated below his knee. The active lifestyle Casillas knew before his accident was gone after he lost his leg, and he suffered physically and emotionally as a result. Casillas v. Landstar Ranger Inc. et al., BC500485 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Feb. 6, 2013).

In another case, a San Diego jury awarded $17.4 million to his client, Russell Shaeffer, who suffered a concussion and a degenerative jaw injury in a 2012 car collision. Sheaffer, a doctoral student at the University of Indiana, wrote and directed the short film "Masculinity and Me" with James Franco in 2010. According to Panish, his client now has difficulty processing information and is unable to perform at the level at which he performed prior to his injuries. "Now someone who had such tremendous ability, when there's some limitation because of their processing and their head injury that's a big deal." Sheaffer v. NuCO2, 201200058735 (San Diego Sup. Ct., filed Nov. 21, 2012).

- HETERT-QEBU WALTERS