Greene, whose practice focuses on civil litigation where he represents plaintiffs in a variety of areas, is known nationally for the work he has done in the sports law field.

Recognized in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA as one of America’s leading sports lawyers, Greene has developed a niche when it comes to protecting the rights of athletes in areas such as Olympic eligibility, anti-doping, contract and intellectual property disputes. He has successfully represented, among others, the gold-medal winning U.S. Men’s Olympic Bobsled Team and the Michael Phelps Foundation. Last year, he successfully overturned a wrongful doping ban levied against an Egyptian athlete before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland known globally as the “Supreme Court for Sports Law.”

He is also a member of the Immigration Legal Advocacy Project, a group of Maine attorneys committed to protecting the rights of immigrants by providing pro bono representation in asylum matters.

In addition, Greene teaches as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Maine School of Law, and serves on the school’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Prior to launching his legal career, he was an award-winning sportscaster in Maine and at a network based in New York City.

Much has changed since those days. Chambers USA writes that “he is making a considerable name for himself in sports law.”

The law firm he is joining, Terry Garmey & Associates, has more than 60 years combined experience trying personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability and civil litigation cases in Maine and New England, and has achieved some of the largest verdicts awarded in Maine.

You are injured and are trying to navigate through a world of paperwork, phone calls and medical appointments. Insurance companies are contacting you and asking questions. Here is a short list of things to do and remember if you find yourself in this situation:

1) Obtain all appropriate medical care for your injuries. Be honest and forthcoming with your medical providers. Getting better should be your primary focus.

2) Find out how much liability coverage the other driver has and with which insurance carrier. How much uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is available to you? How much medical payments coverage do you have with your own auto carrier?

3) Keep a journal documenting what you have and have not been able to do since the accident.

4) Take photographs of your injuries and of the damaged vehicle.

5) Consult with an attorney if you feel overwhelmed with the insurance or legal aspects of the accident and think you need help.

[1]http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811363.pdf;

 http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1104.pdf

At Terry Garmey & Associates, we understand that medical cases are emotional for the people involved, and understand that the legal aspects of the cases are extremely complex. You may be wondering if you have a case. You need not feel guilty or intimidated. Get answers. If you think you or someone you care about has received negligent medical care, we would be pleased to offer you a free consultation. Our attorneys have experience in a wide variety of medical cases, including birth injuries, surgical errors, spinal cord injuries, and the failure to diagnose diseases.

If you have questions about a medical issue, www.webmd.com and www.medscape.com are medical resources you may find useful.

The symptoms of whiplash vary from mild to severe and may disappear over weeks or can become chronic.  Stiffness, diminished range of motion and point tenderness are some of the symptoms associated with whiplash.

Several excellent videos are available and can be accessed by entering “whiplash videos” on Google.  We list a few:  1.  www.careflash.com; 2.  www.livestrong.com; and 3.  www.spineuniverse.com. 

A review of these and other sources make clear that attorneys and injured parties alike should not minimize the effects of whiplash.

Of course, not all impaired babies are the result of medical negligence.   In fact, for the most part doctors, nurses and midwives do a good job of interpreting the information that is provided to them during the birthing process, especially the data that comes to them by way of Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM).  When health care provides fail to obtain adequate data, or fail to respond to signs that indicate a baby is in danger of serious injury their conduct falls below the standard of care and may form the basis for a medical negligence suit.

Birth Injury cases are difficult.  Because the stakes are very high, doctors and nurses are defended by very good lawyers with unlimited resources.  In order to prevail, a baby needs  a good lawyer who has sufficient resources to obtain respected and honest expert witnesses who can prove not only that medical care was inadequate, but also that the poor care, and not some other factor, caused the baby’s injury.

Terry Garmey has met the stringent membership requirements of the Inner Circle of Advocates. Founded in 1972, The Inner Circle of Advocates is an invitation-only group, limited to 100 lawyers of excellent character and integrity, representing people throughout the United States. To qualify, members must have tried at least 50 personal injury jury trials and won at least three verdicts in excess of $1 million or one verdict in excess of $3 million.

The organization was founded by attorney Richard Grand of Tucson, Arizona. In describing its purpose, Grand has said that, “My goal was an organization of highly experienced plaintiffs attorneys who were willing to share information about experts, techniques and whatever it took to be a great trial lawyer.”

More info about the group is available at www.innercircle.org. Garmey said he likes the focus on plaintiffs’ rights that the organization champions.

“It is important that  average people have the keys to the courthouse,” Garmey said. “This is a group of hard working, bright attorneys who regularly exchange ideas about leveling the playing field . I am honored that they asked me to submit an application and humbled that they choose me as the first member from Maine.” Garmey addressed the group at its annual meeting in Philadelphia.  He described the case of Tucker Smith who was eight years old at the time of his death at the hands of an OTIS elevator in Bethel Maine.

“I wanted the members to understand why I keep a picture of Tucker in my office,” Garmey said, “not because the case settled for three million dollars, but because it resulted in the repair of more than four thousand elevator doors across the country, free of charge.”

Terrence Garmey, Partner at Smith, Elliott, Smith & Garmey, has been named 2011 Personal Injury Litigator of the Year for Portland, Maine by Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

After more than 25 years in publication, Best Lawyers is for the first time designating Lawyers of the Year in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities.  Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is being recognized as Lawyer of the Year, which makes this a unique honor.

Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers.  The current (2011) edition of The Best Lawyers in America is based on more than three million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.  The attorneys being honored as Lawyers of the Year have received particularly high ratings in the peer-review surveys by earning a high level of respect for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.

Terry Garmey represents victims or families of victims injured or killed as a result of the fault of others.  He has accumulated a number of seven figure verdicts and settlements, including Smith v. Otis, involving the death of an eight year old boy, Tucker Smith.  While vacationing in Maine with his family he was killed in an elevator.

Terry Garmey is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is the only Maine member of the Inner Circle of Advocates; both groups accept members by invitation only.  He is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Maine Trial Lawyers Association, a founding member of the Maine Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and currently serves on the Professional Ethics Commission of the Board of Overseers of the Bar.