McGovern Gerardi Law is not your typical personal injury law firm. After speaking with partners John McGovern and Kristina Gerardi, who formed the firm in 2015, you quickly realize that both attorneys have the right attitude and are available, accessible and addressable.
They are quick to point out that unlike many, their business cards have their office phone numbers, their personal cell numbers and their e-mail addresses on full display.
“You can call us, you can text us and you can reach us via e-mail,” Gerardi said. “And if you call our office after business hours or on the weekend, it goes straight to my cell phone. I will pick up the phone.”
“If you need to reach us, you can easily do so,” McGovern said. “If you want to speak with one of us, we will visit you in the hospital, in our office, at your home or via Zoom.”
A message on their web page sums up the firm’s attitude: “At McGovern Gerardi, from Day 1, you will work directly with an attorney — not a paralegal — who truly cares about you, your case, and, most of all, your physical and financial recovery.”
In addition to being available to any prospective client, McGovern and Gerardi are committed to integrity and excellence in their profession.
“Making a claim post-accident is complicated,” McGovern said. “We will make sure the correct things are happening, and they will happen quickly.”
“Every case, big or small, is important to me,” Gerardi added. “When you have been in a car accident, the most important things are having doctors and lawyers who care about getting you what you need — immediately.”
McGovern and Gerardi bring honesty and compassion to prospective clients.
“If you feel that you may need an attorney, then you absolutely do need an attorney,” advised McGovern, who was the first-in-decades just-out-of-law school hire by the late, famed, trial attorney Robert “Bob” Montgomery.
“People matter to us, our community matters to us. It’s as simple as that,” Gerardi said.
McGovern and Gerardi don’t just make their living in the western communities. They are fully invested in the western communities and are truly woven into the fabric of life in the area.
“I have a local perspective. I was raised in Wellington. That makes me different,” McGovern said.
McGovern graduated in the top 10 from Wellington High School in 1992 and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in criminal justice from the University of Florida in 1996. He then graduated from UF’s Levin College of Law in 1999. He is a past president and was a board member of the Palm Beach County Justice Association, a 500-plus-member strong association of local trial lawyers, for more than a decade. Since 2015, McGovern has also been serving as a councilman for the Village of Wellington. He and his wife Michelle are fixtures in the community. They have two daughters, Emilia and Victoria.
Gerardi graduated from John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres in 2003. She was the valedictorian of her graduating class. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in sign language and business from the University of Florida in 2006. She then returned to South Florida to attend law school at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale so that she could be in the area to help take care of her ailing grandmother. She earned her law degree in 2010. Gerardi and her husband have three sons, all of whom play baseball at Okeeheelee Park, where they spend many hours a month. As a big baseball fan, Gerardi always wanted to be an agent for pro athletes, but life took her in a different direction.
Both McGovern and Gerardi are as honored to be giving back to the western communities as they are about winning cases for clients.
“We love giving back by promoting and sponsoring our local public schools and local sports teams,” Gerardi said. “I provide multiple hours a month of volunteer legal service to the Okeeheelee Baseball Association.”
In addition, Gerardi was honored in March by the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County and received a Gold Level pin for her pro bono work.
On April 11, McGovern Gerardi Law was recognized by the Palm Beach County School Board with the Bronze Level Award for being a small business that helps and is involved with the School District of Palm Beach County. The Bronze Award was distributed during a volunteer and business partners awards breakfast held at the Kravis Center.
Even though both McGovern and Gerardi are experienced personal injury lawyers, the vast majority of their cases never reach a courtroom. Most are settled out of court, McGovern noted.
Gerardi stressed that her firm but approachable style is a winning approach.
“You get more bees with honey,” she said.
The offices of McGovern Gerardi Law are on Belvedere Road in Royal Palm Beach, which McGovern said is convenient for both clients and for doing their legal work.
“We’re as close to the Palm Beach County Courthouse as we are to our many western communities’ clients,” he said.
If you are injured in an accident, McGovern and Gerardi believe that they are best qualified to respond directly with assistance, care and candor.
“If you are hurt in an accident, we will personally advise you of your legal rights, so you get full compensation and complete justice,” Gerardi said. “At McGovern Gerardi Law, we are skilled negotiators working only for the best interests of our clients.”
McGovern Gerardi Law P.A. is located at 9200 Belvedere Road, Suite 102, in Royal Palm Beach. To learn more, call (561) 619-7200 or visit www.561crashlaw.com.
