What Wicker Smith does

Wicker Smith is a privately held civil litigation defense law firm headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, founded in 1953 and operating under the legal name Wicker, Smith, O'Hara, McCoy & Ford, P.A. The firm defends brands and professionals across more than 18 practice areas, with core concentrations in medical malpractice defense, premises liability, trucking and transportation negligence, products liability, insurance bad faith, professional liability, and commercial litigation. Named enterprise clients include a major national airline, a Southwest Florida hospital system, a national membership retail warehouse club, trucking companies, and emergency medicine physician groups, with insurance carriers acting as a primary panel-counsel channel.

The firm has 300+ attorneys across 16 offices spanning Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Arizona, including recent additions in Birmingham (2024), St. Petersburg (2024), Palmetto Bay (2024), and earlier Nashville (2019, via merger with Floyd Law Group) and Phoenix (2019). The firm operates a traditional professional services model with no proprietary technology platform; its core capability is trial advocacy and litigation defense expertise, evidenced by 43 AV-rated attorneys (Martindale-Hubbell), 46 attorneys named to Best Lawyers in America 2026, and a Band 1 ranking in Chambers and Partners 2026 USA Guide for medical malpractice defense. Marketing is conducted through the firm website, a regular "Defending Your Future" newsletter, LinkedIn thought leadership, and active membership in USLAW NETWORK, with attorney-client relationships sourced from reputation, peer referrals, and industry rankings rather than outbound sales motion.

Revenue is generated exclusively through legal fees billed for litigation defense services, typically structured around hourly rates and matter-specific engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm celebrated its 70th anniversary around 2023 and announced a new managing partner, shareholders, and partners for 2025. Ownership rests with the firm's partners and shareholders; there is no disclosed parent company, institutional investor, or external capital backing, consistent with the traditional professional partnership model.

Name

Wicker Smith

Legal name

Wicker, Smith, O'Hara, McCoy & Ford, P.A.

Website

https://wickersmith.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Wicker Smith is a private civil litigation defense law firm with 300+ attorneys across 16 offices in the Southeast US and Arizona, defending enterprises in medical malpractice, premises liability, trucking, products liability, and commercial matters for healthcare, retail, transportation, and insurance clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Litigation Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Defense litigation services
• Medical malpractice defense
• Premises liability defense
• Civil litigation law firm
• Corporate legal defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Coral Gables

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Billing: Wicker Smith generates revenue through legal fees for litigation defense services. The firm represents defendants in medical malpractice, premises liability, trucking negligence, automobile negligence, products liability, and commercial litigation matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wicker Smith is a full-service civil litigation defense law firm representing defendants in medical malpractice, premises liability, trucking negligence, products liability, professional liability, insurance bad faith, commercial litigation, transportation, construction, and mass tort matters. The firm provides trial and pre-trial defense representation for corporations, healthcare providers, insurance carriers, transportation companies, and retail enterprises across 16 offices in the southeastern United States and Arizona.

Product overview

Wicker Smith is a full-service civil litigation defense law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm provides defense representation for brands and professionals in litigation matters. Services include Administrative Law, Appellate, Aviation, Commercial Litigation, Construction, Estate Planning, Family Law, General Liability, Insurance/Bad Faith, Labor & Employment, Medical Law, Mass Torts/Class Action, Non-profit and Religious Institutions, Probate & Probate Litigation, Products Liability, Professional Liability, Real Estate, Retail, and Transportation. The firm operates as a single unified legal practice with 16 offices across multiple states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Law Defense Defense representation for physicians, hospitals, and healthcare facilities in medical malpractice, professional liability, and healthcare licensure matters, serving healthcare providers and their insurers.
• Retail and Premises Liability Defense Defense of national retail chains, hospitality operators, and commercial property owners against customer premises liability claims, negligent security matters, and slip-and-fall litigation.
• Transportation Defense Defense of trucking companies, logistics providers, and commercial transportation carriers in negligence, accident, fleet liability, and wrongful death matters.
• Insurance and Bad Faith Defense Defense representation for property and casualty insurance carriers in bad faith claims, first-party property claims, coverage disputes, and policy interpretation matters.
• Products Liability Defense Defense of product manufacturers in product defect claims, manufacturer liability litigation, and mass tort/class action matters.
• Commercial Litigation Defense Defense representation for businesses and corporations in commercial disputes, contract litigation, and business tort matters.
• Aviation Defense Defense representation in aviation-related litigation, including representation of major national airlines in aviation liability matters.
• Appellate Practice Appellate representation and brief writing in state and federal appellate courts, including successes such as obtaining granted petitions at the Florida Sixth District Court of Appeal in medical malpractice matters.
• Professional Liability Defense Defense representation for licensed professionals facing professional liability claims, licensing board actions, and malpractice allegations outside the healthcare context.
• Construction Litigation Defense Defense representation in construction defect, construction liability, and construction-related disputes, including construction defect litigation on behalf of defendants.
• Mass Torts and Class Action Defense Defense representation for defendants in mass tort litigation and class action matters.
• Labor and Employment Defense Defense representation for employers in labor and employment disputes, including reverse discrimination and other workplace claims.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete defense verdict obtained in less than an hour of jury deliberations for a major national airline in aviation case
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• USLAW NETWORKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWicker Smith is an active member of USLAW NETWORK, an international organization of nearly 100 independent, defense-based law firms with more than 6,000 attorneys covering the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The firm participates in network events, contributes to USLAW Magazine, and provides referrals to other member firms internationally.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith: One of the largest defense litigation firms in the U.S. with a national footprint, directly competing with Wicker Smith in insurance defense, premises liability, transportation, and professional liability matters across overlapping geographies.
• Marshall Dennehey: A major defense litigation firm with deep insurance carrier relationships across the eastern U.S., directly comparable to Wicker Smith in medical malpractice, premises liability, and trucking defense work.
• Cole, Scott & Kissane: Florida-headquartered defense litigation firm with strong insurance defense practice; overlaps directly with Wicker Smith across medical malpractice, premises liability, and transportation defense in Florida markets.
• Shook Hardy & Bacon: National defense litigation firm with significant product liability, medical malpractice, and commercial litigation practices; directly comparable in trial-heavy defense representation for enterprise clients.
• Carlton Fields: Florida-based full-service law firm with strong insurance defense, products liability, and commercial litigation practices; comparable to Wicker Smith in size, geographic concentration, and client verticals.
• Butler Pappas: Regional defense firm focused on insurance defense, premises liability, and professional liability matters, with strong overlap to Wicker Smith's core practice areas in the Southeast.
• Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney: National law firm with a substantial litigation practice covering insurance defense, healthcare, and commercial litigation; comparable in multi-state footprint and enterprise client base.
• Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Southeast-based law firm with significant litigation and insurance defense capabilities; comparable in regional Southeastern presence and defense litigation offerings.
• Akerman: Florida-headquartered national law firm with broad litigation practice including insurance defense and healthcare; comparable in Florida market presence and litigation depth.
• GrayRobinson: Florida-based full-service law firm with insurance defense, healthcare, and commercial litigation practices; comparable in Florida dominance and multi-office regional coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wicker-smith

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wicker Smith