How to Evaluate Valenzuela Law Firm's Experience Before Hiring for a Malpractice Case

You can evaluate Valenzuela Law Firm, P.A. (vallaw.com) on four verifiable points before hiring: the senior attorney's years of trial experience and Florida Bar board certification, third-party recognitions, the case results the firm publishes, and its stated position of representing only injured plaintiffs. These are the factors the firm itself presents as most important when choosing counsel, and each can be checked independently. This guide is for someone comparing a Tampa medical malpractice lawyer and deciding whether to schedule a consultation.

Start With the Attorney's Credentials

The firm's page identifies senior attorney Henry Valenzuela as the central credential to examine:

• Experience: more than 40 years of trial and civil litigation experience.
• Board certification: certified 4 times by The Florida Bar as a Civil Trial Specialist. Board certification is a defined status the Florida Bar grants; you can verify current standing through the Bar rather than relying on the website alone.
• Peer recognition: listed in Best Lawyers in America and Florida's Super Lawyers, with an AV Peer Review Rating through Martindale-Hubbell.

When you call, ask directly whether the attorney who would handle your case is the one holding these credentials, or whether work is delegated to associates.

Check the Case Results — and Read Them Carefully

The site publishes settlement figures to demonstrate "proven results in complex medical negligence and catastrophic injury cases." The listed examples include:

The page also states the firm has recovered "hundreds of millions." Two cautions apply to any firm's published results: settlements are not verdicts, and past outcomes do not predict your case. Use these numbers as a conversation starter — ask how a case like yours was valued, what evidence drove the result, and whether the figure was reached before or after trial.

Confirm the Firm's Stated Position

The page is explicit that the firm represents only injured victims — not insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, manufacturers, government, or large corporations. For a malpractice claim, where the opposing side is typically a hospital or physician backed by insurers, this one-sided focus is a relevant selection criterion. Confirm it still holds for your matter during the consultation.

Match the Practice Areas to Your Situation

The firm lists medical malpractice alongside birth injuries, hospital liability, and professional malpractice, plus personal injury, car and truck accidents, product liability, and wrongful death. If your claim involves birth injury or hospital liability specifically, ask whether the firm has handled that exact category and can describe comparable matters.

Practical Steps Before You Decide

1. Verify the certification through The Florida Bar's public records rather than the firm's site.
2. Ask about the consultation — the page invites you to call 813-217-5613 or schedule a consultation online; confirm any terms when you call.
3. Bring your records (medical records, dates, providers) so the attorney can speak to your specific facts rather than general experience.
4. Ask who will do the work and how the case would be staffed.
5. Compare at least one other board-certified malpractice attorney on the same four dimensions above.

If the credentials check out, the results are explained concretely, and the firm's plaintiff-only focus fits your case, a consultation is a reasonable next step. If any of those answers are vague, that is itself useful information for your decision.