Top best Wrongful Death Lawyers in Washington | 5 available

Personal Story. Joshua Basile, Esq., decided to pursue a legal career to help and fight for the catastrophically injured after suffering his own catastrophic injury in 2004. Mr. Basile's life changed forever while on family vacation when he suffered a severe spinal cord injury resulting in permanent paralysis. As a quadriplegic, he knows firsthand the daily struggles of the catastrophically injured and the importance of doing everything possible to improve one's quality of life in such a situation.. After graduating magna cum laude from law school and passing the Maryland bar and District of Columbia bar, Mr. Basile became the newest associate to join Jack H. Olender & Associates. His empathetic voice and passion to help others is a great addition to the already diverse legal team.. Early Years. While in law school, Mr. Basile took every opportunity to gain valuable courtroom and legal experience. During his first year, he learned the ins and outs of the courtroom while working as a judicial intern for the Honorable Ellen Huvelle in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. He then clerked for the law firm of Ashcraft & Gerel LLP where he experience the day-to-day operation of a tort-based personal injury law firm. During his second year, he gained policy experience while clerking for Senator Tom Harkin and the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee. He was then selected for the prestigious summer internship at the Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. During his third and final year, he became a Senior Editor of his law school's Law Review and joined the demanding Housing & Consumer Law Clinic where he completed 450+ hours of free legal services for District of Columbia residents. He received his Rule 48 Legal Assistance Certification from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Committee on Admissions which allowed him to practice law under the direct supervision of his clinic professor and supervisor. All the while he founded the first District of Columbia Student Trial Lawyers Association chapter which educates law students about the trial litigation world and provides valuable opportunities outside of the classroom. During his last semester, he began interning for Jack H. Olender & Associates. The law firm's commitment to its clients and empowering working environment solidified Mr. Basile's decision to pursue a career fighting for the catastrophically injured as a plaintiff trial attorney.. Outside the Courtroom. Mr. Basile's passion for helping the catastrophically injured continues outside his legal career. Mr. Basile is the founder and president of the Determined2heal Foundation Inc. which helps  simplify the difficult transition into life with paralysis for families living with a spinal cord injury. Early on, he recognized the importance of mentors in a newly injured person's life and the impact one has on improving that person's quality of life. To make sure that a diverse selection of mentors were always available for anyone, at any time, within the spinal cord injury community he cofounded . SPINALpedia is an online video mentoring website with thousands of community members and videos available 24/7. Each member and video has a unique set of physical functionality tags pairing  relevant mentors and videos to those searching on the website.. Mr. Basile's competitive attitude also continues outside of his legal career. He is an inventor of both a device and a sport. He holds a patent for a golf device that he created that allows those with physical limitations to putt a golf ball anywhere on a golf green or on a miniature golf course. His putting device is used in the sport that he created called Slingshot Golf and allows both able-bodied and disabled players to play against each other on a golf course.

I have been a trial lawyer since 1974. I completed 5 years in the Office of the Solicitor, Division of Civil Rights, U.S. Dept. of Labor and departed in the position of a Senior Trial Attorney. I litigated numerous class action civil rights enforcement cases seeking compliance with the obligation of federal contractors not to discriminate and to take affirmative action. One such case was against Uniroyal Tire & Rubber Co., Inc., alleging sex and race discrimination. The government was successful and Uniroyal was “debarred”, by Order of President Gerald Ford, from engaging in contracts with the United States until they came into compliance with their civil rights obligations.. I began at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. in 1980. I became the Managing Partner in 2005. I have represented thousands of individuals injured as a result of the carelessness of others. I have focused a lot of my energies on the representation of individuals with traumatic brain injuries. I am a founding member of the Brain Injury Association of D.C. (BIADC). I currently serve as Vice President of BIADC and assisted in the drafting of the Athletic Concussion Protection Act of 2011 – a District of Columbia law that protects youth athletes suspected of sustaining a concussion from reentering play unless cleared by a healthcare provider.. I represented approximately 15 of the families of developmentally disabled wards of the District of Columbia that died in the D.C. operated group home system. A plaque memorializing the deaths of these individuals has been placed in their honor, as a result of this litigation, outside the door of the Director of HHS of the District of Columbia. I have represented numerous children that suffered brain injury at birth as well as individuals that suffered profound brain injury as a result of the use of cyanoacrylate (the chemical equivalent of Superglue®) as an embolization device. I have also successfully represented a 6 yr. old child that suffered profound brain injury as a result of near drowning.. In December 2012, I was elected to the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of America. In January 2014, I was elected to a 2-year term as Treasurer of the Brain Injury Association of America.. Some highlights of 2014 and 2015 include the continued successful management of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. and the mentoring of all partners and associates regarding trial technique and litigation strategies, as well as the approaches most likely to lead to the successful resolution of cases with values of approximately $1,000,000 or more at mediation.. I was counsel of record in Peluso-Riti v. Treeman, Inc., et al., which concerned an incident that resulted in our client having to undergo surgery to replace a fractured screw which was placed in her back in a pre-accident surgery. Unfortunately, one of the prongs of the instrument used to insert the disc material broke and remains inside Ms. Peluso-Riti’s spine. This case was favorably resolved by settlement.. I am also counsel of record in Galloway v. Alexandria Transit Company, et al. which involves a lady who was injured when she was struck by a bus while she was crossing in the crosswalk. Our client was dragged under the wheel of the bus which resulted in severe, permanent injuries. This case is scheduled for trial in the Fall.. The law firm has filed a class action in Jane Doe 2, et al. v. Georgetown Kesher Israel, et al. regarding the videotaping of women while they were participating in a religious ritual bath known as a "mikvah" at Kesher Israel Synagogue under the supervision of Rabbi Freundel. Rabbi Freundel has been sentenced to more than 6 years in jail but the civil case is proceeding.. The law firm filed Green, et al. v. Cosby, et al., a case which seeks compensation for injuries to the reputation of the Plaintiffs sustained as a result of the alleged defamatory comments by Defendant Cosby and/or his agents. As managing partner, I assist in the development of the litigation strategy.. In short, my entire career has been dedicated to successfully representing those that have been adversely affected by the careless behavior of others.