Pensacola personal injury lawyer Scott Barnes is a partner at Ward & Barnes, P.A. He focuses on general personal injury claims and complex cases such as wrongful death, permanent and catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, defective products, and mesothelioma/asbestos cases. He is dedicated to making Pensacola and Northwest Florida a safer place for its residents.

Scott grew up in Pensacola on the west side of town, and attended local schools including Longleaf Elementary, Brown Barge Middle School, and Catholic High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from Florida State University, graduating summa cum laude, at the top of his class.

Scott then attended the University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law, where he earned his law degree, graduating magna cum laude and in the top seven percent of his class. He won book awards in Advanced Torts (injury claims) and Trial Practice (a simulated trial litigation class), he made the Dean’s List every semester, and he was selected for membership in the Order of the Coif. While in law school, Scott was a member and policy chair for the Journal of Law and Public Policy and a member of the University of Florida Trial Team. As a trial team member, he competed nationally in trial team events against other law schools, and was selected as a finalist at the National Civil Rights Trial Competition held in New York.

Upon graduation, Scott passed the Florida Bar Exam, earning one of the highest scores on the state exam. As a result, the Florida Supreme Court selected Scott to speak on behalf of the new inductees at the First District Attorney Induction Ceremony presided over by the Florida Supreme Court.

In 2007, Scott joined Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor in Pensacola as an attorney. He focused his practice on complex injury litigation including medical malpractice, national pharmaceutical litigation, and catastrophic injury cases. He successfully handled many personal injury cases, including multiple cases involving wrongful death, brain injuries, permanent paralysis, and other debilitating conditions. His work involved trial preparation and trials involving multi-million dollar injuries and verdicts. While at Levin, Papantonio, Scott also headed the firm’s mesothelioma department, representing the victims of asbestos exposure in complex, multi-faceted litigation. He has represented clients in litigations and asbestos bankruptcy trust proceedings around the country.

In 2012, Scott co-founded Ward & Barnes, P.A., with his good friend and business partner, Austin Ward. Scott and Austin have been close friends for many years and have finally achieved their goal of creating a Pensacola law firm centered on client understanding and compassion, exceptional client communication, and aggressive representation. As a Pensacola injury attorney, Scott continues to focus on personal injury claims, medical malpractice claims, wrongful death claims, permanent and catastrophic injury claims, and mesothelioma/asbestos claims. He is dedicated to pursuing the toughest and most complex cases and to working tirelessly to obtain justice for his clients.

Scott has spoken numerous times at national trial lawyer conventions on various topics including Heparin litigation, Yaz litigation, and Mesothelioma litigation. He has written and published two articles with the National Trial Lawyer Magazine (renamed “The Trial Lawyer”), as well as articles with The Florida Justice Association Journal and the Escambia-Santa Rosa County Bar Association. He also co-hosted, wrote, and produced segments on the Web TV series Meso247. Scott is currently a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Florida Justice Association, and the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association. He has recently been selected by Super Lawyers as a 2012 Florida Rising Star.