Richard J. Zalasky
Top rated personal injury attorney in St. Louis, Missouri
Brown & Crouppen Law Firm
Practice Areas: Personal injury, Civil litigation, Products liability; view more
Licensed in Missouri since: 1981
Education: Saint Louis University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2013 - 2022 Call today:
855-367-0900
Free Consultation Brown & Crouppen Law Firm
211 N BroadwaySuite 1600
St. Louis, MO 63102 Visit website
Details
Richard J. Zalasky is an attorney with Brown & Crouppen, P.C., law firm in St. Louis, Missouri. A nationally ranked trial lawyer with more than 40 years of total legal experience, Mr. Zalasky devotes his practice solely to personal injury law and civil litigation, and he provides unmatched counsel and support to clients throughout the greater St. Louis metro and the surrounding areas of Missouri and Illinois who have suffered injury or loss as a result of someone else's negligence.
Over the course of his career advocating on behalf of personal injury victims and their families, Mr. Zalasky has recovered millions of dollars in total compensation for his plaintiff clients. Among his most notable successes, he obtained a $4.5 million verdict in a product liability case involving faulty poultry processing equipment as well as a $3.2 million verdict in a railroad injury case.
From his success, Mr. Zalasky has earned memberships in the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums, and he has received consistent top rankings and endorsements from his peers. The National Trial Lawyers has voted him one of the country's Top 100 Trial Lawyers and one of the Top 25 Product Liability Trial Lawyers, and he has received Superb client ratings on Avvo as well as the recognition as among the Top 10% of lawyers nationally.
After graduating from St. Louis University magna cum laude in 1978, Mr. Zalasky attended Saint Louis University School of Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctor in 1981. He holds his license to practice in Missouri and Illinois, and he is an active member of various local, state and national legal organizations.
Practice areas
Personal injury - general: plaintiff, Civil litigation: plaintiff, Personal injury - products: plaintiff, Transportation/maritimeFocus areas
Motor vehicle accidents, Personal injury - plaintiff, Wrongful death, Construction accident, Brain injury, Trucking accidents, Premises liability - plaintiff, Motor vehicle defects, Railroad accident
- 40% Personal injury - general: plaintiff
- 20% Civil litigation: plaintiff
- 20% Personal injury - products: plaintiff
- 20% Transportation/maritime
First Admitted: 1981, Missouri
Professional Webpage: https://www.brownandcrouppen.com/attorneys/richard-zalasky/
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Assistant Attorney General - State of Missouri 1993-1997
- Partner, Brown & James PC, St. Louis 1987-1991; Partner, Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass, PC, St. Louis, 1991-2000; Assistant Attorney General, State of Missouri, 1995-1998
Educational Background:
- St. Louis University B.S. Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, 1978
Honors/Awards:
- Most Reported Plaintiff Wins, Missouri Lawyers' Weekly, 2012
- Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer, 2013 - 2018
- 7-Year Member, Member, Multi-Million Dollar and Million Dollar Advocates Forums, 2018
- National Advisory Board Member of APITLA, an organization of lawyers representing plaintiffs in trucking claims., Member, National Advisory Board, APITLA, 2016
- National Advisory Board Member of APITLA, an organization of lawyers representing plaintiffs in trucking claims., Member, National Advisory Board, APITLA, 2015
- 2011 - 2017, Member, Million Dollar Advocate Forum
- Member, National Advisory Board, Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, 2014
- Induction into the Roxbury (Succasunna, NJ)Â Gaels Athletic Hall of Fame related to the 1973 Football Team - QB and DB., Roxbury Gaels Athletic Hall of Fame, 1973 Football Team, 2014
- 2011 - 2017, Member, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Member, National Advisory Board, Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, 2013
- National Advisory Board Member of APITLA, an organization of lawyers representing plaintiffs in trucking claims., Member, National Advisory Board, APITLA, 2017
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Reviewer of Chapter 12 Premises Liability in Missouri, Missouri Bar Tort Law Vol. I, 2015
- A article published at medium.com which discusses the current state of political discord at all levels of government; and portions of the life of Louis Brandeis, one of the greatest Justices to ever serve on the U. S. Supreme Court. , Author, A Politics Supreme , Original Publication, 2018
- Author, "Dangerous Roads - Alternative Remedies" June 2014, Presenter, Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, 2014
- Article discussing alternative remedies available in trucking or motor vehicle crash cases involving defective or dangerous conditions of roadways. Potential claims against governmental or private entities are examined in the article., Principal Author, Dangerous Roads - Alternative Remedies, The Lawyer's Log Book, Vol. 5, 2015, APITLA, 2015
- The Lamp & Sun, Political blog concentrating on transparency and the influence of money and special interest groups in politics and government., Editor/Author, https://medium.com/, 2017
- Primary speaker at seminar sponsored by firm for trial lawyers handling truck crash litigation., Speaker, Truck Crash Seminar, 2018
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Missouri Bar CLE Presentation - Mediation (2019 Bar Conference), 2018
- Illinois, 1982
- Missouri, 1981
- Missouri Bar - Bench & Bar Conference - Panel Speaker on ADR, 2019
- Missouri Bar Tort and Insurance Practice Committee, member, 2018
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Volunteer Trial Lawyer - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, 2019
- Volunteer Trial Lawyer - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, 2020
- Charter Member, Wildwood-Area Lions' Club
- Volunteer Trial Lawyer - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, 2018
- Volunteer Trial Lawyer - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, 2017
- Volunteer Trial Lawyer - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, 2016
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Lawyers of Distinction, 2021
- Best Lawyers recognition 2023. , 2022
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating - Legal Ability and Ethical Standards, 2022
- National Trial Lawyers Products Liability Top 25, 2021
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating - Legal Ability and Ethical Standards, 2021
- AVVO Top Rated Lawyer, 2021
- Best Lawyers - Plaintiff's Personal Injury - Missouri, 2021
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating , 2020
- Avvo Superb Lawyer Rating, 2019
- The National Trial Lawyers - TOP 100 TRIAL LAWYERS, 2016
- Avvo Top 10% Lawyer Nationally, 2018
- The National Trial Lawyers - Products Liability Trial Lawyers Association: Top 25, 2017
- The National Trial Lawyers - TOP 100 TRIAL LAWYERS, 2015
- The National Trial Lawyers - Top 100 TRIAL LAWYERS, 2017
- National Trial Lawyers Top 100, 2018
- MH AV Rated 1987 - 2017 Â
- The National Trial Lawyers - TOP 100 TRIAL LAWYERS, 2013 - 2018
- National Trial Lawyers Products Liability Top 25, 2018
Verdicts/Settlements:
- $1,100,000 settlement - Wrongful Death - pedestrian hit and run. , 2021
- Tractor trailer crash with post-concussion syndrome. $325,000 settlement during federal mediation. , 2022
- Truck crash fatality $6,000,000 settlement during litigation. , 2022
- Truck rear-ended traffic on interstate. Neck injury. Pre-suit offer of $14,000. Suit filed and settled at mediation for $745,000. , 2022
- $250,000 policy limit settlement - Wrongful Death - Highway rear-end collision, 2022
- $500,000 settlement - Intersection crash broken leg, 2020
- $230,000. Trip and fall at at DQ, from a piece of steel protruding from the walkway. Non-operated elbow fracture. Client 82. , 2021
- $1,600,000 settlement of FELA suit. Locomotive ride quality case with low back injuries and surgeries. , 2021
- $2,900,000 settlement. Fall from a ladder inside a boiler while performing maintenance work for owner of boiler. Head injury with PTSD. , 2021
- $300,000 settlement Tractor Trailer crash - aggravation of prior neck surgery , 2021
- $500,000 settlement Tractor Trailer crash, 2021
- Elderly person fell in dark church hip injury -Â insufficient lighting $250,000, 2020
- Truck crash with back surgery $900,000, 2020
- 575,000 Truck Crash settlement, 2020
- $175,000 Settlement - motorcycle crash with broken fingers and surgery., 2020
- $200,000 Settlement of ADA claim - parking lot layout violated ADA - Client fell injuring neck., 2020
- Low Impact/Speed Override - Tanker $750,000 Settlement, 2019
- $275,000 Settlement - Logging truck crash - Rotator Cuff injury, 2020
- $325,000 settlement single-car MVA crash broken pelvis - No surgery, 2020
- $500,000 FELA settlement - long-term exposure to welding fumes, 2020
- $20,000,000 verdict for an individual injured in a motorcycle crash where the operator of the motorcycle was charged with DUI for the 5th time. , 2016
- $275,000 settlement for facet injuries to 72-year-old involved in a crash with a speeding dump truck., 2019
- $875,000 settlement - Tractor Trailer crash, 2019
- Product liability settlement of $3,000,000 - industrial machine with scalping injury, 2018
- $1,260,000 settlement from crash on I-55 bridge heading into Memphis. A passenger in a car that was rear-ended by a box truck suffered neck and shoulder injuries, resulting in neck and shoulder surgeries. The car was disabled on the bridge at the time that it was struck., 2018
- Recent Dram Shop settlement for $1,000,000 policy limits on behalf of motorcyclist that was struck by a drunk driver who had left a Missouri bar shortly prior to a crash on a rural Missouri state highway. Video captured the drunk driver's activities in the bar before the crash. , 2015
- $2,500,000 settlement in motorcycle crash case. 18 year old pulled away from a Stop sign and struck a 51-year-old man, causing a tibial plateau fracture and complicated recovery. Rural Illinois venue., 2017
- Two recoveries against the Missouri Highways Traffic Commission related to a failure to maintain 30' clear zones adjacent to interstate highways. In both, the injured parties were run off the roadway by another vehicle resulting in an impact with jagged, rock bluffs that were within 30' of the roadway. There were no guardrails at either location. One resulted in a fatality, and the other significant injuries. MHTC settled both for $350,000 and $150,000 respectively., 2015
- Propane gas explosion in rural Missouri county - $850,000 settlement; Tractor trailer and motor vehicle crash with neck surgery - $825,000 settlement; Rear end collision between motor vehicles causes premature labor - $500,000 settlement., 2016
- Multiple million dollars and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements during 17-year history as a plaintiffs' personal injury lawyer. Representative verdicts and settlements: Bohannon v. JFE: $4,500,000 products liability verdict, 2009 USDC Arkansas; $3,200,000, $1,618,000, $1,300,000, and $600,000 verdicts in FELA cases in STL and Amarillo, TX; Cunningham v. ITW: $2,500,000 products liability settlement, 2011 USDC Arkansas; 2014 $2,000,000 settlement in trucking case; $600,000 settlement for undocumented individual with burn injuries in Kansas; $2,500,000 settlement in motorcycle crash case, 2017; among many other six-figure and seven-figure settlements and verdicts in transportation, railroad, products liability, and general personal injury cases.
Industry Groups:
- APITLA; ARLA; MATA; AAJ
Office location for Richard J. Zalasky
211 N Broadway
Suite 1600
St. Louis, MO 63102
Phone: 855-367-0900
Selections
10 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2013 - 2022
