NBTA PRESIDENT’S AWARDS PAGE
NATIONAL BOARD OF TRIAL ADVOCACY PRESIDENT’S AWARDS CRITERIA
The purpose of the President’s Awards is to recognize members of NBTA for their unique accomplishments and efforts which deserve to be known to our entire membership, the legal profession, and the communities that they work in. Each year multiple awards will be given out in each category. An NBTA member may be nominated in any of the three areas. A separate nomination form is required for each area.
For the Legal Field: An accomplishment or outcome that will affect the legal field. It may be a new strategy, a verdict with an impactful outcome, creating an awareness of an issue, set a standard, right a wrong. etc. It should have an impact that extends beyond a local area or specific case.
For the Community: A project or initiative that makes a positive change in the community where the attorney practices. It can be accomplished through the legal work of the attorney or through a social or legal cause that the lawyer champions. It can be a single event or something ongoing.
For NBTA: A single effort or a body of work that furthers NBTA’s mission to protect those in legal need through specialization accreditation or raises the professional level and quality of attorneys through the promotion of NBTA goals or board certification.
2025 NBTA PRESIDENT’S AWARD RECIPIENTS
Fay Arfa, Fay Arfa, A Law Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
Fay Arfa doggedly fights for her clients. Her nominator wrote that Attorney Arfa does amazing legal research and brief writing for her clients. She consistently will work for years to find the information for her clients to be proven innocent. She never gives up hope. She fights as hard as she can for all her clients and makes sure they get the most vigorous defense possible. Fay practices criminal law exclusively. She has successfully handled hundreds of criminal cases, tried more than 100 jury trials, and handled more than 500 criminal appeals
Robert Buccola, Dreyer, Babich, Buccola,Wood & Campora LLP, Sacramento, CA
Robert Buccola began his career as an insurance defense attorney before beginning his career working for injury victims in 1985. When asked what drives him, Robert said, “My parents taught me the virtues of hard work and compassion at an extremely young age. By nature, I’m competitive, and I thrive on a challenge. My clients’ causes become my own.” Robert generously supports many charitable organizations including Court Appointed Special Advocates for local foster children and is the founding donor of the Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic at McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, providing legal services that eliminate barriers to housing and employment for unhoused people.
Brian Flood, The Flood Law Firm, Middletown, CT
Brian Flood has tried approximately 200 jury cases and settled well over 1,000 matters. His Firm litigates nearly all the cases they handle. His firm believes, “our philosophy is likely more aggressive than other lawyers; We find that our success record for taking a case to trial helps us settle cases when that course of action is best for our client.” Brian was inspired by his father to become a lawyer. Throughout his legal career, he learned two truths: (1) the court system is difficult for injured people to successfully navigate; and (2) the best results are obtained by the best lawyers.
James Lowe, Lowe Trial Lawyers, Cleveland, OH
James Lowe developed a long history of litigation in the field of product liability, especially in automotive product safety. He has successfully tried countless product liability cases to verdict. He won a $10.4 million verdict against Ford Motor Company, for their client who was paralyzed by a defective seat in a Ford Explorer. The jury found that the company had placed the Explorer on the market with a defect in the seat design which was cause of the Plaintiff’s severe injuries. Jim shares his knowledge through participation in instruction to the next generation of trial lawyers. With his great expertise and experience, he has helped educate students as an adjunct faculty member at both the Franklin Thomas Backus and Cleveland-Marshall Schools of Law
Mitchell Panter, Panter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A., Miami, FL
Mitchell Panter has an unwavering dedication to mentoring youth and strengthening his community. He has spent decades guiding young people interested in law, serving as a mentor, coach, and speaker for high school programs including Mock Trial, Moot Court, and We The People at a Miami High School. He regularly participates in Law Week, Career Day, and classroom presentations, inspiring students with practical knowledge and a passion for justice. Through his firm, Mr. Panter funds annual scholarships for aspiring legal professionals and co-founded the Lorraine Silverstein Law Related Scholarship, honoring a beloved teacher and rewarding students deeply engaged in their school’s law program.
Lauren Pilie, Louisiana Law Lady, LLC, New Orleans, LA
Lauren Pilie was the first board certified Truck Accident Law attorney in the State of Louisiana. Fully engaged and hands-on, she has secured over $45 million dollars in settlements and verdicts. Attorney Pilie has handled over 1000 cases, over 300 which involved commercial motor vehicles. As a Truck Accident Law Attorney, she wants to know EVERYTHING about this specialization. She got a head start in college, working as a mechanic at Tires Plus, to support her independence. She got her hands dirty and gained a deep understanding of motor vehicles. From under the hood to behind the wheel – she attended Truck School to master the field.
Daniel Sciano, Tinsman & Sciano, Inc., San Antonio, TX
Daniel Sciano has a national reputation regarding his representation of victims (most often small children) catastrophically injured or killed because of range tip-overs. He has been involved as both co-counsel and local counsel regarding complex consumer class action litigation. Attorney Sciano works tirelessly in representing his clients to ensure that business practices are changed, or defective products that cause serious bodily injury or death, are withdrawn from the marketplace to help ensure similar tragedies don’t happen again. Daniel has handled a vast variety of civil and personal injury litigation matters throughout his legal career. They have included complex medical malpractice claims, motor vehicle accident claims, truck/tractor and other company motor vehicle wrecks involving serious injury or death, complex medical malpractice claims, and a panoply of claims brought due to catastrophic injury or death.
Francis Sullivan, Office of the State Attorney, 14th Judicial Circuit of Florida, Panama City, FL
Frank has dedicated his career to protecting the community as a prosecutor and has prosecuted some of the worst offenders, as well as some of the toughest cases in Florida. Among some of his most recent trial convictions are included several murderers, a prolific child molester / producer of child pornography that ultimately received 10 consecutive life sentences, as well as a criminal defense attorney that, under the guise of being “a victim’s right’s attorney,” attempted to prevent his juvenile child sexual abuse victim ‘client’ from reporting and disclosing the abuse suffered at the hands of her brother- whom the attorney was trying to protect from investigation and potential prosecution.
Gary Geisler – NBTA President’s Special Award
Gary Geisler recognized that there are NBTA Members that go above and beyond their cases to have a true impact on the world. These attorneys embody legal excellence, advocacy for specialization and a personal responsibility for their communities. As such, Gary created and developed the NBTA Presidents Awards. Gary has been fully dedicated to NBTA’s mission. He has served on the Board of Directors, on various committees, as a judge at the NBTA Tournament of Champions at cities across the country. During the pandemic he even created a jobs board for law students to connect them with NBTA member firms during the worst of times. Attorney Geisler has practiced law in Decatur, Illinois since 1977, handling cases in civil and criminal law. He has achieved successful verdicts in medical malpractice, product liability, auto collision and trucking accidents. For his tremendous contributions of time, talent, and creativity he has been awarded a NBTA President’s Special Award.
To see the past NBTA President’s Award recipients, please click here.
Awards are given out in the Fall of each year. Next award opportunity will be summer 2026.