Trial work requires composure under pressure, sound strategic instincts, and the ability to shape complex facts into a compelling narrative. In this reflective and practice-focused volume, seasoned courtroom veteran Gerald Todaro examines the realities of courtroom advocacy and the disciplined preparation behind effective performance. Through lessons drawn from significant cases across his career, Todaro offers insight into navigating evidentiary challenges, managing risk, and avoiding common pitfalls that can derail even well-prepared counsel. The result is a thoughtful resource for litigators seeking to refine their craft and strengthen their effectiveness in the courtroom.
Todaro, Gerald Joseph: - "
Gerald J. Todaro is a partner at Arnold Todaro Welch & Foliano in Columbus, Ohio. Todaro has been successfully trying cases since he received his law license. His career began at the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office in 1974 as an Assistant Prosecutor, where he tried over 75 cases in a three-year period. In less than two years, he was lead counsel in a death penalty case and obtained a conviction under Ohio's new death penalty statute. Todaro entered private practice in 1977, after taking courses in gross anatomy and clinical pathology at The Ohio State University School of Medicine. Since that time, he has concentrated on professional negligence cases. Todaro joined Arnold Todaro Welch & Foliano as a partner in 2002, where he has been engaged in the defense of medical and legal malpractice claims. Todaro has taken over 100 civil cases to trial. Although he has represented an array of medical specialists, Todaro has a special interest in the interaction between the pathophysiology of medical conditions and the natural course of diseases that impact a jury's understanding of the actual cause of adverse medical outcomes.
Todaro has served as an instructor of law and medicine at The Ohio State University School of Medicine and, on several occasions, has been an invited lecturer at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He has been appointed special prosecutor on two occasions involving rape/murder and child rape DNA prosecutions. In 2008, Todaro was appointed to serve a five-year term on the Board of Bar Examiners by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Todaro has published several peer-reviewed articles in both legal and medical journals. Of interest recently: "Revisiting Postoperative Vision Loss Following Nonocular Surgery: A Short Review of Etiology and Legal Considerations;" Front. Surg. Neurosurgery., 26 June 2017 [Mendel E, Stocea N, Rao R, Niermeyer W, Revilla S, Cluse M, Sandhu G, Todaro GJ, Bergese SD].
Todaro served on the Editorial Board of Physicians in Sports Medicine from 1989-2001. He has also served as both Program Chair and lecturer for the Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the Ohio Judicial Conference on law, medicine and scientific evidence.
In both 2014 and 2012, Todaro was recognized by Best Lawyers as "Lawyer of the Year" in the practice area of Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Columbus, Ohio.
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