TAMPA OFFICE
One Tampa City Center
201 N. Franklin Street
Suite 2000
Tampa, FL 33602
Tel: 813-273-4200
Fax: 813-273-4396

CLEARWATER OFFICE
625 Court Street
Clearwater, FL 33756
Tel: 727-441-8966
Fax: 727-442-8470

LAKELAND OFFICE
1611 Harden Boulevard
Lakeland, FL 33803
Tel: 863-680-9908
Fax: 863-683-2849
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STEPHEN H. SEARS

STEPHEN H. SEARS

SEARS, STEPHEN H.

Position: Shareholder

Head of Professional Liability Section

Past Firm Chairman

Practice Areas: Professional Liability, Medical Malpractice, Legal Malpractice, Mediation

Telephone: 813-273-4237

Office: Tampa

Email: shs@macfar.com

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Practice Areas	Professional Liability Medical Malpractice Legal Malpractice Mediation
Practice Emphasis	Medical malpractice litigation defense and legal malpractice litigation defense
Education	University of Florida, J.D., 1966 University of Georgia, B.A., 1963
Court Admissions	All Florida State Courts U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida U.S. Court of Military Appeals
Bar and Professional Memberships	The Florida Bar Hillsborough County Bar Association Defense Research Institute Florida Defense Lawyers Association Hillsborough County Trial Lawyers Association Executive Committee Hillsborough County Trial Lawyers Association (1989-1992) Member, 13th Judicial Circuit Fee Arbitration Committee, 1993 to 1996 Chairman, 13th Judicial Circuit Fee Arbitration Committee,1994 to 1996 "The Best Lawyers in America" Elected by peers as leading Florida lawyer in medical negligence Certified Circuit Court Mediator Member, Florida Academy of Professional Mediators, Inc.
Published Articles	"Inequities in Florida's Good Samaritan Act", Polk County Medical Association Bulletin, 1991
Presentations (as featured speaker)	The Role of Charting in Risk Reduction Gessler Clinic P.A., August 16, 2006 Med Mal 101: Basic Principles of Medical Negligence, Florida Orthopaedic Institute, April 11, 2005 Physician Risk Management Seminar: "Sensitizing Your Communication Antennae," Watson Clinic, September 23, 2004 Physician Office Practices: Communication Issues Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management July, 31, 2003 Current Issues in Medical Negligence Risk Management, Florida Orthopaedic Institute, February and March, 2003 Physician Risk Management Seminar-"Informed Consent: Issues and Complexities", The Doctors' Company, May 2001 Physician Risk Management Seminar - Florida Orthopedic Institute - "Charting Errors and Litigation Impact, January 2001 Effective Communications/Documentation - Frontier Healthcare Risk Management, February, 1999 Discussions on the Use of the Electronic Medical Record - American College of Medical Quality and PHICO, February, 1999 Risk Management for Attorneys - "The Cutting Edge", CNA Insurance Company, Tampa, Florida, January 1998 Hillsborough County Bench Bar Conference - Panel Member, November 1997 Abuse and Exploitation of the Elderly and Child Abuse/Domestic Violence, Florida Spine Study Group, Tampa, Florida, October 1997 Presentation to Florida Orthopaedic Institute - "Current Issues in Risk Management", CNA Insurance Company, Tampa, Florida, May 1997 Risk Management, HIV/AIDS and Domestic Violence Seminar, PHICO Insurance Company, Clearwater, Florida, February 1997 Risk Management for Attorneys - "The Cutting Edge", CNA Insurance Company, Tampa, Florida, January 1997 Update on Florida Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations, Florida Spine Study Group, Tampa, Florida , November 1996 Workshop Presentation - Coping With Malpractice Litigation, "Tricks of the Trade", Professional Risk Management Services, Inc., Naples, Florida, November 1996 Recent Developments in Florida Medical Malpractice Law, Florida Spine Study Group, Tampa, Florida, July 1996 Recent Trends in Medical Malpractice Litigation, CNA Insurance Companies, Tampa, Florida, June 1996 Impact and Explanation of Wells Decision on Apportionment and Set-Off Doctrines, Presented to CNA Professional Liability Claims Adjusters, May 1996 Comparative Analysis of Criminal and Civil Burdens of Proof, Florida Spine Study Group, Tampa, Florida, April 1996 Minefields of Practice - An Overview of Legal Malpractice Risk Management, Presented by CNA Insurance Companies, Tampa, Florida, February 1996 Physicians Risk Management Seminar - The Health Law, Jordan, Roberts & Company, Tampa, Florida, October 1995 Malpractice and the Law - A Discussion of Legal Precedent and Current Trends in Florida Law Presentation at Diagnostic Clinic, Largo, Florida May 1995 Diagnosis and Treatment of a Medical Malpractice Suit, CNA Insurance Companies, Saddlebrook Resort, Florida March 1995 CME Program for Lakeland Regional Medical Center Staff January 1995 - The Role of Legal Precedent in establish­ing medical standards of care and recent developments in medical negligence litigation. Closing Argument for the Defense (Florida Bar Trial Advocacy Seminar 1994) CNA Loss Control Seminars - Loss Reduction During Trial (Multiple cities in Central Florida 1993 to 1995) CNA Office Practice Seminar for Nurses (Multiple cities in Central Florida 1992 and 1993) Opening Statement for the Defense (Florida Bar Trial Advocacy Seminar 1992) Continuing Medical Education Program for St. Joseph's Hospital Medical Staff: Recent Non-Florida Appellate Decisions as Predictor of Theories of Medical Negligence Liability in Florida (November, 1991) Recent Trends in the Development of Malpractice Litigation (Polk County Medical Association 1991) CNA Physician Protection Program - Risk Prevention for the Medical Practitioner (Multiple cities in Central Florida 1990-1992) Cross-Examining the Orthopaedic Surgeon - Orthopaedics for the Lawyer (Professional Education Seminars, Tampa, Florida 1990 and 1991) CNA Insurance Company - Communication and Legal Issues in the Medical Office (Multiple cities in Central Florida 1988-1990) Florida Bar Trial Advocacy Seminar Workshop leader, lecturer, executive committee (served in various capacities from 1976 to 1994) Voir Dire and the Art of Jury Selection (Florida Bar Trial Advocacy Seminar 1989)
Accomplishments	Listed among Tampa Bay's Top Lawyers by Tampa Bay Magazine Selected by his peers as a "Florida Super Lawyer" - one of the top five percent of lawyers in the state (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011) Recognized in "The Best Lawyers in America" (2008-2010) Stephen Sears was selected by Tampa Bay Business Journal readers and editorial staff to be featured in the Who's Who in Business in the Tampa Bay area. Mr. Sears was one of just 25 business people selected in the field of law, which also includes MFM's Stella Thayer.