 Click here to read the Lawyers Weekly USA article honoring Andy Vickery for his success against the makers of anti-depressants. |
Links
Client Testimonials - Click to see what some of my clients have to say about me.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ] - My answers to questions that are frequently asked about me.
Mind Games: Special Report - BBC Show on Anti-Depressants
View Puzzling Paradox video
Andy Vickery
Trial Lawyer
"He's Eli Lilly and Co.'s legal nightmare: an outspoken, Yale-educated Texas trial lawyer . . . who has brought new focus and heightened publicity to Prozac litigation."
Jeff Swiatek, Indianapolis Star (4/24/2000)
I am proud to be a trial lawyer. For the past eight years the bulk of my practice has been devoted to representing families who have lost a loved one as a result of violence and suicide triggered by Prozac and its SSRI cousins, Paxil and Zoloft. I didn't really plan it that way; it just happened. These drugs may help some people with depression. But if your loved one was one of the "small vulnerable subpopulation" of patients for whom these drugs pose an increased risk of violence/suicide, it is small solace to you that they may work well for other people. Be assured. You are not alone! I have represented many families who have faced similar tragedies.
Unfortunately, there are very few lawyers in this country who have actual experience in handling these types of cases. In fact, I have tried two of the three civil cases of this type which have gone to jury verdict in this country: Forsyth v. Eli Lilly (Hawaii 1999) which resulted in a defense verdict for Lilly that "ripped my heart out", but which taught me painful lessons about how such cases should be tried; and Tobin v. SmithKline Beecham (Wyoming 2001) which yielded a landmark $8 million verdict and got me named by Lawyer's Weekly as one of the "Ten Lawyers Who Stood Out from the Crowd" in 2001.
In 1997 I was invited to join the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), an organization which is composed of both plaintiffs' and defendants' counsel. It is one of the few organizations in the legal profession that you can't simply join, i.e. you have to be invited by your peers. My rank of "Advocate" means that, as of that time, I had tried in excess of 50 jury cases through to verdict.
In the summer of '02, at the age of 54, I went for a little "retraining" and got a good shot in the arm. I spent 22 days in TRIAL LAWYERS' COLLEGE at Gerry Spence's ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. Gerry, my second mentor in 30 years of law practice, re-emphasized three basic tenets that I try to follow in my law practice: (1) Listen to your Client with both your ears and all of your heart, (2) Tell their Story - passionately but honestly; and then (3) completely Trust the Jury to do the right thing.
Although I have neither sought nor obtained a specialty designation or "board certification" from the Texas Bar, at the present time my practice is focused almost exclusively on wrongful death cases relating to Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Effexor.
In addition to the standard "curriculum vitae" type biographical information set forth below, this website also contains my candid answers to a few FAQ's. The questions were compiled with the assistance of several clients, who have helped me to put myself in the shoes of a person who is reading on this website for the first time. [Get the FAQ here.]It also contains a page of very nice things that a few of them have said about me. Each one of them has agreed to respond to your inquiries confidentially, i.e. without telling me. Finally, there is a link here to a seven minute excerpt from the BBC's 2002 documentary show, Mind Games. (coming soon). On request, we can send you the entire show.
I hope that this information will provide you with some answers to the unanswerable questions you undoubtedly have, and I look forward to hearing from you if you choose to make further contact.
Contact Information
Vickery & Waldner, LLP
One Riverway Drive, Suite 1150
777 South Post Oak Lane
Houston, Texas 77056
713-526-1100
713-523-5939 - Fax
E-mail: andy@justiceseekers.com
Born
November 28, 1947
Atlanta, Georgia
Education
Brown High School
Atlanta, Georgia
Class of 1965
Valedictorian
Yale College
New Haven, Connecticut
Bachelor of Business Administration, American Studies
Class of 1969
Lumpkin School of Law
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Doctorate of Jurisprudence
Class of 1972
Class Rank: Top 10%
Articles Editor, Ga. L. Rev.
Legal Experience
1972-73 : Law Clerk to Chief Judge John R. Brown
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
1973-76 CPT Vickery fulfilled his military obligation
Stationed at the Pentagon as
Assistant to the General Counsel of the Army
1976-78 Litigation Associate
Fulbright & Jaworski
Houston, Texas
1978-03 Private Practice
Links
Client Testimonials - Click to see what some of my clients have to say about me.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ] - My answers to questions that are frequently asked about me. | 
