Doug Fierberg specializes in trial and appellate matters, using his expertise and the extensive resources in his firm to successfully resolve claims nationwide involving school violence, wrongful death, hazing, campus sexual assault, serious personal injury, commercial and other civil disputes. In cases involving the death or serious injury of a student, we measure the effectiveness of our work by things equally important to the amount of money our client receives or the size of a judgment obtained at trial. Parents justly demand that the life of their child be honored by imposing effective changes against the persons and institutions that caused their trauma. It is not just about money, though we have successfully obtained (and collected) tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and multiple settlements on behalf of school victims, results and experience which we believe no other firm comes even close to matching. We have sought and obtained enforceable concessions from defendants designed to make institutions (universities and school groups) and others safer, allowing a legacy to live on in a truly meaningful way.
Among recent accomplishments, Mr. Fierberg successfully negotiated the historic, complex settlement with the Commonwealth of Virginia and Virginia Tech University on behalf of 20 families/clients who suffered the loss of a loved one or traumatic gunshot injuries as a result of the April 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech. The settlement contains many terms and conditions beyond the financial compensation valued in excess of $11 million. Most importantly, the settlement guarantees that seriously injured victims will be compensated and have their health care needs taken care of forever. Families who lost loved ones are similarly compensated and cared for. This settlement also resolved the claims of numerous other victims who opted to accept the terms of the agreement negotiated by Mr. Fierberg and his partner, Peter Grenier. John McCammon, founder of The McCammon Group, described these accomplishments of Mr. Fierberg and Peter Grenier in the following way: "I think that you and Doug have been stellar. You have served your clients so well and at the same time distinguished yourselves as first class, effective, efficient, practical and collaborative attorneys who know how to deal with the big issues. While tough on substance, you were smooth on style. That is a difficult combination to pull off. My hat is off to both of you." The settlement was reached following multiple mediation sessions before the Honorable Robert Harris and John McCammon.
The Honorable Jim Graham, Councilmember for the District of Columbia, wrote the following concerning Mr. Fierberg's work to protect citizens' rights in Washington, D.C.: "It is no overstatement that your efforts have made the critical difference in our ability to respond to issues that were deteriorating the quality of life in this neighborhood. I know that I'm speaking for all involved in this expression of gratitude." Mr. Fierberg represented some of the largest Washington-area community associations, including the Citizens Association of Georgetown, the Capital Hill Restoration Society, the Dupont Circle Citizens Association, as well as numerous political Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. He received Community Advocate, Community Liaison and Public Defense awards for his work for these organizations and in this area of the law.
Mr. Fierberg is past President of the National Crime Victim Bar Association and remains an active Board member. He is also a Founder and Chair of the national litigation group, Schools: Violence, Misconduct, and Safety, which is authorized by and operating within the American Association for Justice ("AAJ"). He is a member of AAJ and the Bars of the District of Columbia and Maryland, and is admitted to practice in federal, district and circuit courts.
Mr. Fierberg has been admitted pro hac vice to practice before courts in numerous jurisdictions across the country in order to represent families in wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury cases involving schools, school violence, and student and school group misconduct, which you can research by using the interactive map within the "Pursuing Justice" section of this and other pages.
