Matis Baum Rizza O'Connor

Alan S. Baum

Focus:

Alan regularly represents physicians, hospitals, long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, nurses and other healthcare professionals in litigation involving malpractice, as well as employment and administrative matters.

Of Interest:

Alan S. Baum first arrived in Pittsburgh from his native Philadelphia in 1982 to work as an associate for the late Robert S. Grigsby. A seasoned and active trial lawyer, Alan is a long time member of the Allegheny County Bar Association. He has been a member of the ACBA Civil Litigation Section Counsel for many years, and served as the Chair of the section from 2006 - 2007.

As a result of a statewide nomination process in which attorneys were asked to nominate the best lawyers they have seen in action, Alan has been selected as a "Pennsylvania Super Lawyer." Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion. Alan was also invited to become a Fellow of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, and he now serves on its Board of Governers.

Alan is a sought-after lecturer and panelist for various continuing legal education programs sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Professional Education Systems Institute, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County and Allegheny County Bar Association.

With what little free time he has, Alan enjoys playing tenor saxophone and flute with a local rock and blues band. Alan and his wife Margie have two grown sons.

Alan is a founding member of Matis Baum Rizza O'Connor.

Testimonials:

“In my 15 years of orthopedic surgical practice, I have been involved in a single case of alleged malpractice in which I was represented very skillfully by attorney Alan Baum of Matis Baum Rizza O’Connor. I believe Mr. Baum’s attention to detail, thorough preparation, skillful courtroom approach, professional demeanor, and sincere commitment to representing our interests were instrumental in the plaintiff’s decision to withdraw the case during the first day of testimony. I have built a relationship of trust and confidence in his abilities to represent me and my practice. Mr. Baum has also successfully represented my partners in other cases, eliciting from them similar, very positive assessments of his work.”

“Reflecting on the trial and the months leading up to it, you were compassionate and brought a wealth of experience to the defense. At times, I not only doubted the outcome, but doubted myself. You maintained a steady course, were optimistic yet realistic. In short, were I given the opportunity to handpick my defense attorney, I could have done no better than you. Thank you.”

“…I felt invigorated, frustrated, exhilarated and sad during a very short period to time, and admire your ability to sort through everything, and present the facts as best you could so the jurors could disseminate all that information.” 

“I thank God that He continues to produce people like you…who continue to autograph your work with excellence.”

“I believe [our defense verdict] is no small part due to the high degree of skill and professionalism exhibited by you. It was truly a marvel to watch you in action. And as I said during the trial and I will say again, “I don’t know how you do that every day.”  We also appreciate your sensitivity in dealing with our emotional involvement in the case. You never treated that lightly or in any way made us feel that that was inappropriate. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you most sincerely for your high quality work, for your consummate attention to detail and for your high level of professionalism.”

“[Regarding our malpractice trial,] nonsense complaints such as this are nonetheless very distressing, and we certainly appreciate the manner in which this was handled, along with the proper outcome. You kept the inconvenience to us at a minimum, and we certainly appreciate that. The less involvement we had, the less stress involved, which certainly allowed us to apply our time to more productive matters.”

“I would like to highly commend attorney Alan S. Baum. Mr. Baum lead my legal defense. [The plaintiff] questioned the value and outcome of a…surgery that is difficult to explain to a layman. Mr. Baum mastered the essentials of that surgery and explained its benefits well to a jury. Mr. Baum lead a detailed and well-organized defense. He was an astute selector of jurors. Without my assistance, he obtained an excellent and very appropriate defense verdict. Mr. Baum’s skill and cross-examination and his ability to hold the jury’s attention were vital in the success of our case. I most highly recommend Mr. Baum as an excellent counsel in the defense of medical negligence complaints.”

“I want to take this opportunity to thank [my insurance company] for assigning the malpractice case of [my partner] and myself to attorney Alan S. Baum. I need not tell you that a medical malpractice case is an emotionally draining experience for the physician. During the case, one cannot help but question his or her moral fiber, judgment and medical confidence. Throughout the case, attorney Baum handled the defense masterfully. Although I felt that I was on an emotional roller coaster, attorney Baum maintained a steady course. Because of his experience, the jury deliberated under one hour with a verdict in favor of the defense… Were I in the position to handpick an attorney to handle the defense, I would not have been able to choose a person more qualified than attorney Alan S. Baum. Throughout the proceeding, he demonstrated compassion and understanding that were a source of a great deal of comfort during the one week trial. A verdict of 11 to 1 within one hour of deliberation by the jury confirmed our confidence in him.”

“Dear Alan:  Just wanted to drop a line to say “thanks” for all your hard work on our behalf. It’s been harder than I expected letting go of the emotion and trial preparation mind set, and getting back to business as usual. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with what a loss would have entailed. You were magnificent, and I especially appreciate your belief in us. Hopefully, I’ll never need your services again, but if so, I’ll know there’s a lifeline out there!”

Sample of Experience and Verdicts:

  • Medical malpractice case involving the death of an 83 year old woman during a brain CT scan, following the injection of contrast dye. Represented the radiologist in this suit where the patient’s family claimed the patient died from an allergic reaction. After a nine day jury trial in Allegheny County, the jury returned a defense verdict.
  • Following a severe hand trauma, the plaintiff was treated and underwent surgery by two plastic surgeons. Plaintiff claimed he had a bad surgical result and was unable to flex his fingers. After a five day jury trial in Cambria County, the jury returned a defense verdict.
  • Represented orthopedic surgeon in a case where a patient claimed the doctor performed negligent surgery on his shoulder, resulting in restricted range of motion. The jury returned a defense verdict after four days of trial in Allegheny County.
  • A TV producer claimed he had permanent double vision as an alleged result of a retinal detachment that occurred from cataract surgery. Represented ophthalmologist. A defense verdict was returned by the jury after four days of trial in Allegheny County.
  • Represented an assisted living facility in a case brought by the family of a resident who died of a head injury after sustaining a fall. Issues of both compensatory and punitive damages went to the jury. Following a five day jury trial in Butler County, the jury returned a unanimous defense verdict.
  • Represented an internist in a case involving the alleged negligent detoxification management of a man with delirium tremens who died during treatment. An Allegheny County jury returned a unanimous defense verdict after six days of trial.
  • Represented a restaurant district manager who was terminated by his employer, a national restaurant chain, allegedly “for cause,” thereby depriving him of contractual severance benefits. Sued employer to recover benefits. Arbitrator returned award for the employee for full contractual severance benefits.
  • Represented an interventional radiologist who performed an angioplasty that allegedly necessitated the amputation of a 60 year old man’s leg. A unanimous defense verdict was returned after a five day jury trial in Beaver County.
  • Represented a urologist in a case involving the alleged negligent surgical treatment of bladder cancer resulting in the death of a 73 year old woman. A unanimous defense verdict was returned by an Allegheny County jury after six days of trial.
  • Represented a family practitioner in a case involving an alleged failure to diagnose and treat a severe abdominal infection in a 30 year old man. A defense verdict was returned after a four day trial in Allegheny County.
  • Represented interventional cardiologist in a case involving a 55 year old woman who died one week after a cardiac catheterization as an alleged result of a failure to follow up on cardiac symptoms. Unanimous defense verdict returned by an Allegheny County jury after ten days of trial.
  • Represented residential property owners in a case involving alleged misrepresentations made by the sellers to a home buyer. A defense verdict was returned by an Allegheny County jury after five days of trial.

Publications/Presentations:                           

    • Medical Malpractice Issues for the Primary Care Physician, St. Francis Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA. March 17, 1999.
    • Medical Malpractice: Focus on Orthopedic Surgery, Pennsylvania Association of Trial Lawyers (PaTLA), Pittsburgh, PA., October 12, 1999.
    • Pennsylvania & New Jersey Nursing Home Negligence: Asserting Claims & Defending Nursing Homes, Professional Education Systems Institute (PESI), Pittsburgh, PA., March 6, 2002.
    • Tough Problems in Medical Malpractice, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), Pittsburgh, PA., December 17, 2002.
    • Pennsylvania Nursing Home Negligence Litigation: Preparation, Mediation & Trial, Professional Education Systems Institute (PESI), Pittsburgh, PA., March 21, 2003.
    • New Civil Jury Instructions, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (PaTLA), Pittsburgh, PA., February 15, 2006.
    • Trial of a Medical Malpractice Case, Pennsylvania Bar institute (PBI), Pittsburgh, PA., June 14, 2007.
    • The Trial of a Nursing Home Case, Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA/CALM) Annual Convention, Harrisburg, PA September 19, 2007.