Experience and Practice
Conal Doyle’s reputation as a fearless advocate has been earned by achieving significant verdicts and settlements in difficult cases. The National Law Journal reported that “trial is clearly where he loves to be,” and the Daily Journal honored his jury verdict in Castaneda v. State of California as one of California’s Top 10 most impactful verdicts of 2010. The Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles has honored him as the 2011 Trial Lawyer of the Year and he has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2012 edition of Best Lawyers In America. These are just some of the many accolades that have come from a career filled with successes in tough cases.
The foundation of this success is a passion for justice and a commitment to client service. Conal was born without his right leg, and like many of his clients, has overcome great obstacles and endured daily struggles. These experiences provide him a unique insight into his clients’ challenges, and help him guide his clients through difficult times.
Conal has never backed down from a challenge or started a fight that he couldn’t finish. When he isn’t challenging corporate giants in the courtroom, Conal enjoys extreme skiing, a remnant from his past as an alpine ski racer.
One of the best examples of Conal’s groundbreaking legal work is his representation of former immigration detainee Francisco Castaneda and his family. Mr. Castaneda died of penile cancer because state and federal doctors denied him a biopsy to rule out cancer. The Castaneda family brought two lawsuits: one against the State of California and the other against the United States of America.
Conal obtained a $1.735 million jury verdict against the State, which was more than 170 times the pre-trial offer of $10,000. He then settled the case against the United States for another $1.95 million. Along the way, Conal argued before the United States Supreme Court in Hui v. Castaneda, and represented Mr. Castaneda before Congress. The Castaneda cases have been credited with providing a catalyst for the reform of the immigration detention system.
These courtroom successes have been reported in media outlets around the world, including a piece on the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes.” The San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association honored him with the 2011 Civil Justice Award for his unprecedented work on behalf of the Castaneda family. And the National Law Journal recognized him as its national “Appellate Lawyer of the Week” for his argument before the Supreme Court in Hui v. Castaneda.
Conal specializes in representing plaintiffs in civil litigation, and has a national reputation as an advocate for amputees in injury and bad faith insurance claims. His article, “Glimpsing the Future for an Amputee,” is used as a guide for litigating limb loss cases by attorneys across the country. Other attorneys frequently ask him to act as lead trial counsel on serious injury cases.
Professional Recognition
2012 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award
2011 Trial Lawyer of the Year-Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
2011 Attorney of the Year-The Recorder
The Best Lawyers In America-2012 (Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury)
Finalist-2011 CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year
2011 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
The National Trial Lawyers Association Top 100- 2008-2011
The Daily Journal – Top 20 Under 40 in California 2010
Super Lawyers-Southern California Superlawyer 2012
The Daily Journal – Top Verdicts 2010
Martindale Hubbell – AV Rating 2007-2011
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association – 2011 Civil Justice Award
The National Law Journal-Appellate Lawyer of the Week 2010
Tampa Bay Magazine-Tampa’s Top Attorneys (Medical Malpractice)
2011 Public Justice Achievement Award-Public Justice Foundation
Public Service
Conal devotes a significant portion of his practice to public interest work and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Justice Foundation, a non-profit public interest law firm. Mr. Doyle frequently acts as “lead cooperating counsel” on cases with Public Justice, where he donates a portion of his fees as a pro bono contribution to the organization.
Prior Work History
Conal comes from a “big firm” background, where he served as a trial attorney for six years at one of Florida’s largest and most respected law firms. Conal won his first federal jury trial in a civil rights excessive force case at age twenty-seven. By age thirty-one, he was lead trial counsel of an eleven hundred member law enforcement agency, where he litigated civil rights, torts, class actions, and employment cases.
Conal participated in a dozen jury trials as a defense attorney, winning eleven of them. His jury trial experience includes cases involving medical malpractice, breach of contract, insurance coverage, premises liability, negligent security, 42 U.S.C. 1983 civil rights violations, excessive force, false arrest, automobile negligence, traumatic brain injury, wrongful death, and employment law.
Education
Florida State University College of Law, J.D.,1997-Cum Laude
Tallahasee, Florida
Book Award (Highest Grade)-Trial Practice
Book Award-Litigation Seminar
Florida House of Representatives-Legislative Internship/Scholarship
Florida Bar Scholarship-Top 10 Law Students in State 1996
Stetson University College of Law- first year of law school (1994-1995)
St. Petersburg, Florida
Class Rank: 1/159
West’s Outstanding Scholar Award-#1 ranked first year law student
Book Award-Torts
Book Award-Civil Procedure
Book Award-Criminal Law
Eckerd College-St. Petersburg, Florida, B.A. -1993
Personal
Mr. Doyle is a right leg amputee. He is an avid alpine skier and has competed in Giant Slalom and Slalom alpine races against the best disabled athletes in the world, including the U.S. Ski Team, Canadian Ski Team, and Australian Ski Team. He is a former member of the Board of Directors (1998-2002) of Self-Reliance, Inc. and is active in community efforts to improve the lifestyles of Americans with disabilities. He regularly draws on his unique life experiences in representing clients who have sustained significant injuries or have suffered discrimination due to their disabilities.
Bar Admissions
• California • Florida • New York • District of Columbia • U.S. Supreme Court • U.S. Court of Appeals Eleventh Circuit • U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit • U.S. District Court Central District of California • U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida • U.S. District Court Eastern District of California • U.S. District Court Southern District of California • U.S. District Court Northern District of California
Professional Memberships
• Melvin Belli Society • Public Justice Foundation, Board of Directors • Earl Warren American Inns of Court (2005-2006) • Marquis Who’s Who in American Law • San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association • American Association for Justice • Consumer Attorneys of California • Southern Trial Lawyers Association
Recent Publications
Evaluating the Jail Medical Neglect Case
The Forum, CAOC, March 2006
Glimpsing the Future for An Amputee
Trial Magazine, AAJ, May 2008
Cruel and Unusual: How the Ninth Circuit Changed the Landscape of Bivens Litigation Under the Eighth Amendment
AAJ Civil Rights Section Newsletter, Winter 2009
Jury Verdict Finally Vindicates The Family of Francisco Castaneda
JustLaw-Southern Trial Lawyers Association, First Quarter 2011
Public Speaking
Mr. Doyle is a frequent lecturer and author on the topics of civil trial practice, civil rights, and personal injury litigation at law schools, Continuing Legal Education seminars, and the FBI NAA National Convention, where he has been recognized as an expert in civil rights litigation. He has also been quoted and featured frequently in national newspapers, radio, and television regarding constitutional law issues and civil rights.
