Personal Injury · Serving All of Florida
$6,667,000
AIRPLANE CRASH / WRONGFUL DEATH · SETTLEMENT
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is unique and must be evaluated on its own merits.
After an accident in South Florida
They sound sympathetic. They ask a few "routine" questions. They quietly record the answers. Every word becomes ammunition to reduce or deny your claim.
“They told me they just wanted to get me taken care of.”
A quick check before you know the full extent of your injuries. Sign and the case is closed — including everything you'll need treatment for over the next ten years.
“It seemed like a lot at the time. I didn't know what my surgery would cost.”
Florida cut the statute of limitations for negligence claims from four years to two. Most people don't know. Wait too long and the claim is gone — no matter how strong it was.
“I figured I had plenty of time to think about it.”
Under Florida's modified comparative negligence law, if the insurance company can argue you were more than half at fault, you recover nothing. They will argue exactly that.
“They said the accident was partly my fault. I assumed I'd still get something.”
How we work
Personal-injury law in Florida is built around insurance companies that handle thousands of claims a year. They have systems. They have scripts. They have entire departments built to pay you less than your claim is worth.
You don't have any of that. You have one accident, one injury, one set of medical bills, one family asking when life gets back to normal. The single biggest predictor of what you recover is whether the person on your side of the table knows what they're doing.
Robert DiStefano has practiced personal-injury law in Fort Lauderdale for more than 40 years. He knows the local courts, the insurance adjusters, and the defense firms on the other side of these cases. He resolves many claims through negotiated settlement and, when a fair settlement is not offered, is prepared to take the case to trial. And he handles your case personally — not a junior associate, not a case manager, not a voicemail.
Meet the attorney
Founding Attorney · 40+ Years of Florida Practice
For over 40+ years, Robert DiStefano has represented South Florida accident victims against insurance companies that count on you not knowing better. From his Fort Lauderdale office, he has personally handled motor vehicle, premises liability, medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, aviation, and wrongful death cases — recovering more than $100 million for the people he represents.
When you call DiStefano Law LLC, you reach Robert directly. Not a junior associate, not a case manager, not voicemail. The attorney whose name is on the door is the attorney handling your case — the same attorney who has practiced in Broward County courthouses for four decades and understands how the local courts, defense firms, and insurance adjusters approach these cases.
Meet the attorney
Partner · Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice & Immigration
Lisa Marie Santamarta is a partner at DiStefano Law with more than 15 years of experience advocating for the injured. She concentrates her practice in personal injury — automobile, motorcycle, and trucking accidents, medical malpractice, slip-and-falls, and other serious injuries — and also guides families through the immigration system. Fluent in English and Spanish, she represents clients throughout Florida.
Like everyone at DiStefano Law, Lisa Marie works directly with the people she represents — keeping them informed at every stage so they always know exactly where their case stands and what comes next.
Practice areas
Crashes on Florida roads — passenger vehicle, commercial, and two-wheel.
Injuries caused by negligent property owners, businesses, and operators.
Surgical errors, misdiagnosis, birth injuries, defective devices, and dangerous drugs.
View all medical malpractice + products casesLife-altering brain, spinal, burn, and fatal injury cases against high-stakes insurers.
Aviation crashes, maritime injuries, and defective vehicle component cases.
View all specialty accidents casesOn-the-job injuries, denied claims, and third-party liability for Florida workers.
View all workers compensation casesFamily, fiancé(e), citizenship, deportation defense, and work visas — guided by 40+ years of Florida practice.
Where we work
From our Fort Lauderdale office, we represent injured people across all of Florida — throughout South Florida and statewide in Orlando, Naples, Sarasota, Fort Myers, and beyond. Many clients work with us entirely by phone and video.
Our home jurisdiction — the 17th Judicial Circuit. Larger personal-injury cases here are heard in courthouses Robert has practiced in for 40+ years.
Our city. Downtown, Las Olas, the beach corridor, FLL.
Broadwalk, Hard Rock, Memorial Regional. Heavy MVA + premises.
Suburban arterials, Pines Blvd, Pembroke Lakes Mall.
Master-planned city; Sawgrass Expressway crash corridor.
US-1 + Atlantic Blvd MVA, Pompano Air Park aviation cases.
West Regional Courthouse. Broward Mall premises cases.
Down the street from our office. Oakland Park Blvd arterials.
Sawgrass Mills, Amerant Bank Arena. Major retail premises.
We accept cases across all of Florida — including Orlando, Naples, Sarasota, and Fort Myers. Call us about your area.
Verified Google reviews from real clients.
Mr. DiStefano is the best! Kept me up to date with everything! His paralegal Michelle also kept us informed. Happy with my settlement. I highly recommend Mr. DiStefano.
Mr. DiStefano is the best attorney. He has been representing my entire family for years. Always keeping us informed on our case. Very professional. Michelle was great keeping in touch with me! I was happy with the outcome of my case.
Great experience.
I had a wonderful experience with Robert! He fought hard for me and kept me in the loop the whole time. The whole office is just great!!
The best lawyer in South Florida. Thank you DiStefano for all the hard work that you and your team have done to get me amazing results. I wouldn't change your firm even if they paid me.
Best attorney. Mr. DiStefano's staff is very professional.
Great service and excellent communication. 10/10 would go to again.
I had a great experience with DiStefano Law! I highly recommend this personal injury law firm!!!
Credentials & standing
What happens after you call
You speak directly with Robert DiStefano. We listen, ask the right questions, and tell you honestly whether you have a case worth pursuing. No pressure. No fee.
Result: a straight answer about whether to move forward.
Scene photos, surveillance footage requests, witness statements, police reports, medical-record subpoenas. Evidence has a shelf life — we move fast.
Result: a documented case file before the insurance company has fully built theirs.
We coordinate with your treating physicians, account for future care needs, and quantify the full scope of damages — economic and non-economic. Settling early on incomplete medical information is how claims get undervalued.
Result: a damages model the insurance company has to take seriously.
A demand letter that documents liability, damages, and the law. Negotiation with the carrier or defense counsel. Most cases resolve here — but we negotiate from the position that trial is on the table.
Result: a settlement at full value, or a trial-ready file.
When settlement undervalues your claim, we file and try the case. Robert DiStefano has been trying cases in Broward County for over 40+ years. The insurance companies know that.
Result: a verdict or court-supervised resolution.
Why clients choose us
Most Florida personal-injury firms are built around volume — thousands of cases routed to junior staff. We are built around the opposite premise: one experienced attorney, fewer cases, more attention on each.
| What to expect | Most firms | DiStefano Law |
|---|---|---|
| Who handles your case | × Junior associate or paralegal | ✓ Robert DiStefano personally |
| Years of Florida practice on your case | × 2–5 years (typical associate) | ✓ 40+ years |
| How fast you get a callback | × 2–5 business days | ✓ Same day, Mon–Fri |
| Where the firm operates | × Statewide call center | ✓ Fort Lauderdale, focused on South Florida |
| Familiarity with Broward courts & judges | × Varies by case rotation | ✓ Decades in the same courthouses |
| Willingness to take a case to trial | × Settles to keep volume moving | ✓ Trial-ready when settlement undervalues |
| Cost to you | × Contingency, but hidden case costs deducted | ✓ Contingency — no recovery, no fee |
What it costs
Personal-injury cases at DiStefano Law LLC are handled on contingency. You do not pay an attorney's fee unless we recover compensation for you. There is no charge for the initial case evaluation. There is no pressure to retain us if we are not the right fit.
The contingency arrangement exists for a reason: it aligns our interests with yours. We earn when you recover. We are not invoicing you while we investigate. We are not charging hourly while we negotiate. The financial risk of bringing the case sits with us, not with you.
Specific case costs (filing fees, expert witnesses, deposition transcripts, medical-record retrieval) are advanced by the firm and deducted from the recovery, not from your pocket. You will see the full breakdown in writing before you sign any settlement.
No cost · no obligation · same-day response Mon–Fri
Frequently asked
Nothing up front. Personal injury cases at DiStefano Law are handled on contingency — you pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you. There is no charge for an initial case evaluation.
Florida's statute of limitations for most negligence-based personal injury claims is two years from the date of injury (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a), post-March 2023). Some claims — including medical malpractice and wrongful death — have different deadlines. The earlier you involve an attorney, the more options remain available to you.
Motor vehicle accidents (car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, rideshare, boating, aviation), premises liability (slip and fall, negligent security, retail injuries, swimming pool, hotel, amusement park, construction, electrocution, assault and battery), medical malpractice (surgical errors, birth injuries, nursing home abuse, defective implants, dangerous drugs), catastrophic injuries (traumatic brain injury, spinal cord, burns, dog bites, wrongful death, child injuries), as well as workers' compensation and immigration matters.
Robert DiStefano has been practicing personal-injury law in Fort Lauderdale for over 40 years and is personally involved in every case the firm takes. You are not handed off to a case manager you never speak with — you work directly with the attorney whose name is on the door.
Same-day response, Monday through Friday. We listen to what happened, review any documentation you have, and give you a straight answer about whether you have a case worth pursuing. There is no pressure, no obligation, and no fee for the conversation.
Florida operates under modified comparative negligence (Fla. Stat. § 768.81, post-March 2023). If you are found more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover. If you are 50% or less at fault, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. This makes evidence collection and witness statements in the first days after an accident critically important.
Yes. While our office is in Fort Lauderdale, we represent injured clients across all of Florida — including Orlando, Naples, Sarasota, and Fort Myers. Many initial consultations are conducted by phone or video, so where you are is rarely an obstacle.
Same-day response, Monday through Friday. Free case evaluation. No fee unless we recover for you.
