Practice Areas

Built around a core of trial-hardened veterans, Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades, Chtd. has emerged as one of the area’s leading trial firms. Since the firm’s inception in 1987, we have earned a reputation for delivering experienced, thorough and aggressive representation in a wide array of litigation settings. We emphasize client service, client access, and responsiveness to client needs.

Trial Practice:

The trial lawyers of Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades, Chtd. have accumulated decades of trial experience in difficult, complex, and often emotionally charged cases. Our success in the courtroom, as well as our commitment to client service, has engendered a loyal client following. Many major clients of our firm have been with us from the beginning — the highest compliment that they can pay. We are also proud of the peer recognition that we have received from other established trial lawyers and from trial lawyer organizations such as the American College of Trial Lawyers, International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and American Board of Trial Advocates. Several of our lawyers have lectured locally and nationally on trial topics and have taught trial practice, litigation skills, and legal writing technique at the law school level. Our lawyers have handled cases involving claims of medical malpractice, products liability, automobile negligence, construction accidents, hospital and nursing home care, credentialing/licensing, discrimination, commercial disputes, criminal law, and business/commercial litigation.

Medical Malpractice Defense:

We have earned our reputation based on our zealous and effective defense of health care providers, including physicians, hospitals, nurses, physician assistants, long term care facilities, health maintenance organizations, and other health care delivery systems. Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades, Chtd. is one of the most respected firms handling these kinds of cases in the region. Our standing among our clients and peers has been established over decades.

It has been our privilege to defend health care providers and health care institutions of virtually every description before juries throughout the region. The clinical health care backgrounds of several of our lawyers and paralegals bring an extra dimension and level of understanding to our client matters. We know that, in order for a jury to understand the medical concepts at issue, we must gain a command of those concepts first. From our initial client contact, through discovery, and culminating in trial, our focus is on achieving the best outcome for the client. Our preparation and courtroom prowess are recognized by our peers and opponents alike – the cumulative trial experience of our litigators is unmatched. We have defended high severity cases involving claims of catastrophic injuries and wrongful death, as well as cases with more limited claims. Because of our depth and experience, we are uniquely positioned to analyze, prepare, and defend complex, high exposure malpractice cases.

Our practice areas include:

• Hospital Liability
• Nursing Home Liability
• Urgent Care Facilities
• Long-Term Care Facilities
• Health Maintenance Organizations
• Physician Groups and Office Practices
• Health Care Professional Associations
• Ancillary Service Providers
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Surgery Centers
• Pain Management Centers
• Wrongful Death Claims
• Survival Claims
• Catastrophic Injury
• Traumatic Injury

Hospitals and Health Care:

Hospitals, long term care facilities, rehabilitation centers and other health care institutions have special requirements that Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades, Chtd. understands and fulfills. In addition to defending our health care institution clients in liability actions, we are called upon to provide guidance and representation with regard to risk management issues, policies, procedures, licensing, regulation, contracting, premises liability, and medical staff matters.

Defending the men and women who provide care in a hospital or institutional setting requires a special knowledge of the workings of the hospital or institution, and sensitivity to the challenges experienced by those who serve their patients. By placing a premium on client service and on accessibility, we have forged a strong bond with our hospital and institutional clients.

Our established track record of successfully representing a wide range of hospitals and institutions, and their employees, places Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades, Chtd. at the forefront of firms that engage in this area of the law.

Our practice areas include:

• Risk Management and Quality Assurance
• Policies and Procedures
• Medical Staff Privileges
• Licensing and Regulations
• Contracting
• Premises Liability
• Discrimination Claims
• Practice Management
• Corporate Structuring and Governance
• Contract Negotiation
• Regulatory Compliance

Professional Licensing and Credentialing:

Health care professionals seek us out when issues arise with respect to their respective licensing Boards. Our knowledge base, derived from our professional liability work, is a valuable asset in our representation of our professional clients in the area of licensing and discipline. Because we have accumulated years of experience of representing clients before Physician, Nursing, Dental, and other Boards, it has become one of the fastest growing segments of our practice. In addition, our knowledge of institutional medical staff matters provides a rock solid foundation for our representation of professionals whose credentials are being adversely acted upon by health care institutions and health insurers.

Professional licensing Boards exercise absolute control over the ability of a health care professional to practice. Adverse actions with respect to privileges to practice in health care institutions can have far reaching affects. Disciplinary actions in any form may result in a provider being struck from a participant panel by a health insurer. When your livelihood is in jeopardy, choice of counsel is critical.

We have represented hundreds of physicians and other health care professionals in a variety of these settings, including disciplinary actions by licensing Boards, actions against privileges by health care institutions and de-paneling by insurers. Disciplinary actions by the licensing Boards often begin with a complaint letter by a patient, family member or another professional. Before framing a response to a request by a licensing Board, a prudent professional will seek legal guidance from an attorney who is not only knowledgeable about applicable laws and regulations, but who is also familiar with the workings, styles, and agendas of that Board. Likewise, before a prudent professional responds to an inquiry by the medical staff of his or her institution, that professional will confer with counsel familiar with the procedural and substantive rights and duties imposed by the medical staff by-laws. The lawyers of Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades, Chtd. have the knowledge and experience to guide a professional through these challenges, and will work to maximize the best possible outcome.

Our practice areas include:

• Physicians
• Physicians’ Assistants
• Registered Nurses
• Nurse Practitioners
• Licenses Practical Nurses
• Certified Nursing Assistants
• Therapists
• Acupuncturists
• Pharmacists
• Dentists
• Veterinarians
• Veterinary Technicians

Plaintiff’s Personal Injury:

We also represent clients who have sustained injuries as a result of an automobile collision, a fall occurring because of an unsafe condition on the property of another, construction accidents, or a dangerous or defective product. We will bring the same commitment and skill to bear on behalf of persons seeking recovery for pain and suffering, medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, and first party insurance benefits.

Our practice areas include:

• Automobile Negligence
• Trucking Accidents
• Construction Accidents
• Dangerous and Defective Products
• Property Damage

General Litigation: Trial and Appellate Practice:

Our practice areas include:

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Appellate Advocacy
• Estate and Trust Administration and Litigation
• Estate Planning and Elder Care
• Defamation, Libel, and Slander

Criminal Defense:

Our practice areas include:

• Misdemeanor and Felony Crime
• DUI/DWI/Drunk Driving
• District Court Traffic Offenses