What is Gestational Diabetes?
Pregnancy is almost always accompanied by some degree of "insulin resistance" because of the placental secretion of certain hormones. Insulin is the body’s hormone that allows glucose (i.e. sugar) to leave the blood stream and enter the cells of our muscles, fat and liver to produce energy for our body. Insulin resistance occurs when the cells in our muscles, fat and liver do not respond well to insulin therefore leaving more glucose in the blood vs. pulling it out to create energy. If insulin resistance is high enough and glucose (sugar) levels are too high in the blood stream this is a condition defined as “diabetes”.
Gestational diabetes or maternal diabetes, clinically known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), occurs in pregnant women when their pancreatic function is inadequate to overcome the pregnancy-related insulin resistance and glucose levels in the blood reach certain levels.
This is usually a condition that occurs just during the pregnancy and is not a permanent after delivery of the baby. But there are several risk factors to the mother and baby that accompany gestational diabetes.
GDM increases the risk of preeclampsia (maternal hypertension disorder). Consequences for the babies may include fetal macrosomia (large for gestational age), fetal hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), respiratory distress, birth defects, prolonged delivery due to the large baby, cephalopelvic disproportion, fetal distress and birth injury. According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly one in 10 pregnancies is affected by gestational diabetes. Timely diagnosis and management of this condition can help prevent potentially severe outcomes for the baby’s health.
Risk Factors of Gestational Diabetes
Medical providers should identify the risk factors as well as look for the early signs of gestational diabetes so that appropriate steps can be taken to manage it and protect the mother and baby’s health. While any woman during pregnancy may develop gestational diabetes, the following risk factors indicate a higher likelihood of developing this condition:
- Overweight: Having a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 at the time of getting pregnant.
- Older age: The risk of GDM increases with age, and women above the age of 25 to 30 are generally at a higher risk.
- Family history: The risk increases when diabetes runs in the family,and in particular, if any immediate relatives have it.
- GDM history: Having gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy increases the risk of getting it again in a subsequent pregnancy.
- Pre-diabetes diagnosis: Mild elevation of blood sugar levels detected prior to the pregnancy should be seen as a risk factor for GDM.
- Bed rest advice: Women who are advised bed rest during pregnancy may have a higher risk of GDM due to restricted levels of activity.
- Medical history: Pre-existing medical conditions, such as hypertension, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease are risk factors for gestational diabetes.
- Carrying multiple babies: Pregnancy with multiples could increase the mother’s risk for gestational diabetes.
- Ethnicity: Women of African American, American Indian, Hispanic, Asian American, and Pacific Islander descent may be at a higher risk.
Diagnostic Tests for Gestational Diabetes
Nine out of 10 pregnant women in the US are likely to have at least one risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus. Considering this fact, it is best to adopt a universal screening approach to diagnose this condition. GDM generally occurs around the 24th week of pregnancy (second trimester), so the testing will be performed anywhere between 24th and 28th week. Medical providers should test earlier, if the risk of developing gestational diabetes is higher.
Some of the early signs and symptoms that women experiencing GDM or pre-GDM include: unusual hunger or thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, fatigue, and loss of weight despite eating more are some of the signs that may indicate gestational diabetes.
The condition can be diagnosed using the following blood tests:
Glucose Screening Test
This test measures the blood sugar level at the time of testing. The mother will drink a liquid containing glucose, and after a gap of one hour, her blood sample will be taken to check the level of blood sugar. A glucose or blood sugar result of up to 140 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter or one-tenth of a liter) is considered normal. If the measurement shows a blood sugar level above 140 mg/dL, a second test called glucose tolerance test must be administered.
Glucose Tolerance Test
This test is designed to determine a pregnant woman’s blood sugar levels before and after she drinks a liquid containing glucose.
- Step 1: The mother will undergo overnight fasting (not eating) prior to the test. A blood sample is drawn to measure the blood sugar fasting level.
- Step 2: The mother drinks the liquid containing glucose, and the blood sugar level is measured at intervals of one hour, two hours, and in some cases, three hours afterward.
The normal fasting blood glucose level at one hour is up to 180 mg/dL, at two hours is up to 155 mg/dL, and at three hours is up to 140 mg/dL. If any of these measurements is found to be higher than normal, the test should be repeated after four weeks. If two or more of the test results show higher than normal readings, the gestational diabetes diagnosis should be confirmed.
Risks and Complications for the Baby
Overt gestational diabetes mellitus may adversely impact the baby’s in-utero development and the complications put the baby at much higher risk for birth injury. In the first trimester, major birth defects or spontaneous abortions may be induced. In the second and third trimesters, the babies of mothers with GDM are vulnerable to fetal macrosomia (excessive fetal growth), fetal hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, and other common causes of birth injury.
Stillbirth
Stillbirth refers to the loss of a baby during or after the 20th week of pregnancy (prior to that, it is called miscarriage). According to the National Library of Medicine, stillbirth or fetal death is more likely after 35 weeks in pregnant women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
While the precise cause of stillbirths occurring with GDM remains unknown, it’s observed that the baby’s development in the uterus may slow down because of poor blood flow, blood vessel damage, or high blood pressure in women with poor blood sugar control.
A research study conducted by the University of Manchester and the University of Leeds showed that failure to diagnose gestational diabetes mellitus significantly increases the risk of stillbirth. The researchers compared the symptoms of gestational diabetes and care standards of 291 women who had a stillbirth to another group of 733 women who did not have a stillbirth.
The researchers found that pregnant women with signs of GDM who remained undiagnosed had a four times higher risk of stillbirth than those who were diagnosed. The risk steadily increased with increasing content of glucose in the blood. Researchers determined that the increased risk of stillbirth was eliminated with appropriate GDM screening tests and diagnosis.
Dr. Tomasina Stacey, the lead author of the study (which was published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology) said: “The good news is that women with gestational diabetes have no increase in stillbirth risk if national guidelines are followed for screening, diagnosis, and management. The bad news is that the guidelines are not always followed, and some women therefore experience avoidably higher risk.”
Birth Defects
When a pregnant woman is diagnosed with gestational diabetes, the medical providers should be alert to the possibility of birth defects. The risk of major birth defects is higher in the first trimester of pregnancy in these cases. The medical team should watch out for potential birth defects in the brain and spine, heart, and blood vessels, kidneys and urinary system, and the digestive system.
Research has shown the toxic effects of maternal diabetes mellitus on embryo development and the increased risk of congenital malformations. In women with pregestational diabetes (PGDM), the risk of fetal structural defects may be three to four times higher compared to women with non-diabetic pregnancy.
Diabetic embryopathy (congenital mal-developments related to gestational diabetes) may adversely affect the baby’s developing organ systems, such as the skeletal system, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, renal system, and gastrointestinal system.
A research study conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford Children’s Health and published in JAMA Pediatrics showed that moderately elevated levels of blood glucose in pregnancy are correlated to congenital heart defects in babies – even when the blood glucose is below the cutoff for gestational diabetes.
According to the study’s lead author and pediatric cardiologist Dr. James Priest, it was already known that babies born to diabetic mothers are at an increased risk of having congenital heart disease. But with this new research, it is now established that even when a pregnant woman does not meet the clinical criteria for GDM diagnosis, the risk of fetal heart disease still exists if her blood glucose values are elevated.
In this study, the researchers evaluated the blood glucose levels of two groups of women during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. One group of 180 women carried babies without congenital heart disease, while the other group included 55 women whose babies had tetralogy of fallot (a structural heart defect, which causes blue baby syndrome, with the baby receiving too little oxygen).
Researchers found that the average blood sugar levels were higher in women carrying babies with tetralogy of fallot compared to the women in the control group. Dr. Priest commented on the findings that most of the times doctors have little idea of what may have caused a fetal heart defect. This research study sheds important light on this issue.
Macrosomia
When a baby is large for their gestational age (LGA), the condition is called macrosomia. The fetus obtains its entire nutrition from maternal blood. But when the mother’s blood contains excessive glucose, the baby’s pancreas starts producing more insulin and converts the excess glucose to fat. Consequently, large amounts of fat deposits lead to an oversized fetus.
If the birth weight of the baby exceeds 9 pounds, the condition is termed as fetal macrosomia. According to researchers, about 15 to 45 percent of the babies born to women with GDM may have macrosomia. This is a common adverse outcome of gestational diabetes mellitus if it is undiagnosed and untreated in time.
Babies with macrosomia are at an increased risk of clavicle fractures (broken collarbone), shoulder dystocia (baby’s shoulders are stuck during vaginal delivery, increasing the risk of brain damage, nerve damage, and arm or collarbone fracture), and brachial plexus injury (when the baby’s neck is stretched to one side during delivery). The risk of Erb’s palsy (nerve damage resulting in loss of muscle function in the shoulder and arm) is also higher in macrosomic babies.
Babies with macrosomia are at an increased risk for labor and delivery complications that can lead to birth injuries including clavicle fractures (broken collarbone), shoulder dystocia (baby’s shoulders are stuck during vaginal delivery, increasing the risk of brain damage, nerve damage, and arm or collarbone fracture), and brachial plexus injury (when the baby’s neck is stretched to one side during delivery). The risk of Erb’s palsy (nerve damage resulting in loss of muscle function in the shoulder and arm) is also higher in macrosomic babies. Almost all of these birth injury complications can be avoided by careful screening and the willingness to recommend and perform cesarean section and when necessary due to evidence of fetal distress or prolonged labor an emergency c-section.
Babies with macrosomia have a five times higher risk of developing severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and twice the risk of neonatal jaundice compared to non-diabetic mothers. Both of these neonatal birth injuries can be avoided with careful screening and aggressive treatment.
Hypoglycemia
When the baby is diagnosed with low blood sugar levels right after delivery, the condition is termed as hypoglycemia. One of the causes of neonatal hypoglycemia when the blood glucose levels of the mother have been consistently high during pregnancy, resulting high insulin levels in the fetus. If the baby’s insulin levels continue to be elevated after delivery this can cause hypoglycemia.
This leads to an abnormally low level of blood sugar in the baby. Medical providers should check this level immediately after childbirth and, if necessary, they should administer glucose through IV. During labor and delivery, it is essential to monitor the blood sugar levels very closely. Depending on the condition, the medical team may give insulin to the mother to keep her blood glucose level in control so that the baby’s blood sugar does not suddenly drop to dangerously low levels after delivery.
This leads to an abnormally low level of blood sugar in the baby. Medical providers should check this level immediately after childbirth in babies born to mothers suffering from gestational diabetes. If the levels are low, the doctors and nurses should treat immediately including the administration of glucose through IV.
During labor and delivery, it is essential to monitor the blood sugar levels very closely. Depending on the condition, the medical team may give insulin to the mother to keep her blood glucose level in control so that the baby’s blood sugar does not suddenly drop to dangerously low levels after delivery.
Postnatal hypoglycemia is considered the most critical metabolic complication in babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes. Research has shown that if hypoglycemia is the baby remains undiagnosed and unrecognized neonatal hypoglycemia can often result in a brain injury including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
Screening for neonatal hypoglycemia is mandatory for all infants from diabetic mothers (IDMs) from the first hour life – no matter what may be the type and severity of maternal diabetes, and whether the baby’s presentation at birth appears to be initially fine. The incidence of hypoglycemia in infants born to diabetic mothers may be as high as 40 percent.
Hypoglycemic episodes in babies can continue for up to a week after birth. The National Guideline on Neonatal Hypoglycemia Screening suggests that babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus should be screened immediately after delivery, and then at intervals of 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, four hours, eight hours, 12 hours, and at any other time when symptoms of low blood sugar may appear.
In addition, screening must be performed 30 minutes after the start of glucose IV therapy, and after every significant adjustment to the glucose dosage. A rapid response with glucose therapy in babies showing signs of hypoglycemia can prevent the occurrence of long-term neurological lesions. Medical providers should always anticipate neonatal hypoglycemia when the mother has gestational diabetes and start screening the baby from the first moments of childbirth – irrespective of whether or not any clinical symptoms are present.
Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Excessive glucose concentration and too much insulin in the baby’s system can hamper the full and normal development of the lungs. This may result in respiratory distress (troubled breathing), especially in preterm babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy. But even in general, gestational diabetes mellitus in the mother predisposes the baby to respiratory distress syndrome.
A New England Journal of Medicine study found a strong correlation between GDM and respiratory distress syndrome in babies. Researchers examined data pertaining to one group of 10,152 babies of non-diabetes mothers and another group of 805 babies of mothers with gestational diabetes. Respiratory distress syndrome was found in 1.3 percent babies in the non-diabetic group, while in the diabetic group 23.4 percent (nearly one in four) babies had the syndrome.
Another retrospective study also found that gestational diabetes is associated with an increased respiratory morbidity in babies. The researchers, moreover, have not been able to determine the underlying cause of this relationship between gestational diabetes and respiratory morbidity in infants. Hyperinsulinemia and poor glycemic control of the baby as well as an increased possibility of a caesarian section in these cases may contribute to a higher risk of neonatal respiratory distress. If not promptly treated, respiratory distress can cause a birth injury to the brain including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy that can lead to cerebral palsy.
Is Your Child’s Maternal Diabetes Related Complication the Result of Medical Malpractice?
Parents whose children suffer from gestational diabetes related complications as well as parents who have suffered the loss of their baby due to these complications deserve an answer to how their child developed this condition and whether the complications resulting from it were preventable. Whether the injury occurred during delivery or in the neonatal period, families are entitled to compensation for mistakes in handling babies of a diabetic mother.
If your child has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes related injury, and you suspect this may have been caused in part by medical mistakes, Miller Weisbrod Olesky will thoroughly investigate the facts and hold responsible medical providers accountable by pursuing medical malpractice claims against them. The compensation our clients receive helps them pay for their child’s current and future medical treatment and devices to help the child adjust to living with a permanent disability, and to be able to pay for these cutting edge treatments.
Sometimes families are hesitant to reach out to a medical malpractice attorney or law firm. Other parents feel overwhelmed by their circumstances and worried that they will not be able to help out in a lawsuit involving their child’s birth injury.
Why Should You Talk with the Knowledgeable Attorneys at Miller Weisbrod Olesky?
The only way to find out if you have a birth injury case is to talk to an attorney who understands birth injuries leading to a delay or failure in developmental milestones including birth injuries that cause cerebral palsy. Many times a gestational diabetes related complication is a preventable birth injury, but it takes a detailed expert review of the facts and circumstances of your child’s birth to determine the birth injury was the result of medical malpractice.
At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, a team of committed attorneys, nurses and paraprofessionals uses our detailed medical negligence case review process to assess your potential birth injury case. We start by learning more about you and your child and the status of meeting/missing developmental milestones. Then we gather medical records to determine what happened before, during, and after your delivery. We call in skilled medical experts who review your records and let us know if they think medical errors could have caused your child’s injuries.
If we feel medical negligence caused or contributed to your child’s injuries, we meet with you to discuss how you can receive compensation from the medical professionals who made the errors.
At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment when you do.
Contact Our National Birth Injury Lawyers
Our Birth Injury Attorneys
Les Weisbrod
Les Weisbrod has been on the cutting edge of the national birth injury litigation scene for almost 40 years.
As a national birth injury attorney, Les has settled over 204 medical negligence cases for more than $1,000,000. He also obtained settlements in 75 birth injury cases for over $1,000,000 each.
His $31 million verdict against Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas was one of the top 100 verdicts in the United States that given year.
Les is recognized nationally and internationally as one of the top plaintiff’s medical malpractice trial lawyers in the United States. But the recoveries for the clients and the differences made in the lives of the children and families Les has represented tell only part of the story.
Les has worked with his law partner Clay Miller for years to build a one-of-a-kind law firm.
Miller Weisbrod Olesky provides unique and unparalleled services to families of birth-injured and brain-injured children from the moment the firm decides to take the case.
The registered nurses and registered nurse-attorneys on staff are valuable team members who assist Miller Weisbrod birth-injury clients. Les has designed a system where each birth injured child is assigned a nurse-attorney liaison to guide them through the process of medical treatment/evaluation, therapies, home assistance, and quality of life improvement.
Miller Weisbrod’s unmatched service allows families to better cope with the immediate challenges facing our young clients.
Birth-injured children and their families are Les and Miller Weisbrod’s priority.
Les and the attorneys at Miller Weisbrod fight for the justice their clients are entitled to under our nation’s system of justice.
This fighting spirit has taken Les across the United States to represent clients in birth injury and medical negligence cases. In fact, he has personally handled cases not only in Texas but also in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah, Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, Montana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and New York.
Les and Miller Weisbrod continue to expand their reach of helping brain-injured children to new states each year as we strive to bring a sense of justice to each affected family. And Les is not the only one who notices he fights for his clients.
Michael Rustad, a Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston who has done extensive research on punitive damage awards, says,
“Les Weisbrod has obtained more medical malpractice punitive damage jury verdicts for his clients than any other attorney in the United States.”
Also, a well-known defense medical malpractice attorney dubbed Les Weisbrod the “pitbull” of the Texas medical malpractice bar in a media profile of Les published by a major newspaper.
Les shares his experience and knowledge to improve the representation of all birth-injured children and their families.
In the early 1990s, Les recognized that a more focused effort needed to be made to educate attorneys who handle birth injury cases. As a result, Les was the founding Co-Chair of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Birth Trauma Litigation Group in 1991. He also was a founding Co-Chair of AAJ’s Medical Negligence Litigation Group in 1999 and served as Chair of AAJ’s Professional Negligence Section in 1996.
Combined, these groups have put on more than a hundred continuing education seminars across the United States. helping to educate other attorneys by bringing in world-renowned experts in the fields of:
- labor and delivery
- neonatal care
- the care and treatment of birth-injured children, including those suffering from cerebral palsy and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
Education and professional experiences back up his dedication to helping children and families harmed by medical malpractice.
Les received his B.A. magna cum laude in 1975 from Claremont Men’s College and his J.D. in 1978 from Southern Methodist University Law School.
He is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil Trial Law.
Les was a past president of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association in 1993. He has been a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association Board of Directors since 1990.
His work with the American Association for Justice (AAJ) (formerly ATLA) includes serving as President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian. Mr. Weisbrod has also served on the AAJ Board of Governors since 1998 and the 17-member Executive Committee of AAJ since 2001. In 1990, he was chosen as a Rising Star of the ATLA and presented a paper entitled “Dirt and Greed: A New Look at Medical Malpractice Cases.”
Les has written and lectured extensively on birth injury litigation, medical malpractice, and medical product topics.
Les is a contributing author to the 1996 text Operative Obstetrics published by Williams & Wilkins. He also co-authored the “Drugs & Medical Devices” chapter in AAJ’s Litigating Tort Cases.
He also has lectured to lawyer groups across the U.S., Canada, England, and Australia.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - School of Law, J.D. - Dallas, Texas, 1978
- Claremont Men's College - B.A. - Claremont, California, 1975
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Products Liability
- Personal Injury
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- National Association Of Distinguished Counsel
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- American Association for Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
- Pan-European Organization of Personal Injury Lawyers
- American Society of Law and Medicine
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association
- Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas and American Bar Associations
- ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates)
Clay Miller
Clay is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Clay has practiced solely in the field of catastrophic injury and wrongful death since graduating from law school. His practice has been limited to the representation of victims. Over the past twenty-four years, Clay has successfully settled or tried to verdict cases in the areas of vehicular negligence, medical malpractice, construction site accidents, workplace injury, premises liability, and commercial trucking and a nationwide business loss case (suits filed in a dozen different states) involving defective truck engines sold to trucking companies.
Clay represented dozens of trucking companies in lost profit and diminished value claims against Caterpillar in 2010 through 2012. These cases were filed in over a dozen states with the bellwhether trial set in Federal Court in Davenport, Iowa. After intense litigation and trial preparation, a global confidential settlement was reached for all the clients.
Clay's most recent 2017 victories are a $30,800,000 jury verdict in Tennessee arising from fraud claims in the sale of heavy-duty truck engines and a $26,500,000 jury verdict in a construction accident, obtained within 60 days of each other.
Clay was raised in Lewisville, Texas and completed his undergraduate degree in Finance at
Texas A & M University. Following graduation from Southern Methodist University School of law, Clay worked for two Dallas firms representing victims. In 1998, Clay began his own practice before forming his current partnership. In addition to his law practice, Clay has lectured at seminars and published in the areas of construction accidents, jury selection techniques, medical negligence, trucking accidents and settlement tactics.
He is active in local and statewide trial lawyers' associations including serving as the Chair of the Advocates for the Texas Trial Lawyers' Association in 2002 and remains on the Board of Directors. Clay served as President of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association from 2008-2009. He has also been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 2014.
Education
- Southern Methodist University School of Law - Dallas, Texas
- Texas A&M University - Finance - College Station, Texas
Areas of Practice
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- State Bar of New Mexico
- State Bar of Colorado
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers’ Association
- American Association of Justice
David Olesky
David Olesky is Vice Chair of the Health Care Professional Liability practice. David is a trial lawyer focusing his practice on complex litigation matters that involve defending and protecting clients in all types of cases related to catastrophic injuries or death, but with a special focus on birth injury cases. David regularly advises his health care clients on the issues and challenges that they face on a daily basis. Clients repeatedly look to him for guidance to handle such high stakes cases and matters in Texas and jurisdictions outside of Texas.
David has earned the trust and reliance of clients he has worked with by consistently getting the results that matter most to them, whether that is a win at trial or a favorable outcome through alternative dispute resolution outside the courthouse. Through his representation, David demonstrates a true loyalty and hardworking commitment to the clients that he serves.
David believes the foundation of any client relationship is to act as a trusted advisor instead of simply as a litigator. Clients value his earnest representation of their business interests, accompanied by a devotion to understanding their businesses, prompt attention to their immediate needs and the challenges they face in their individual roles.
Education
- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, J.D., 1992 - Dallas, Texas
- University of Texas, B.B.A, 1989 - Austin, Texas
Areas of Practice
Associations & Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Foundation Fellow
- Texas Bar Association
Alexandra V. Boone
Alexandra Boone is a partner in Miller Weisbrod. She concentrates her legal practice in the area of birth injury, medical malpractice and mass tort products liability. Alex currently works directly with firm partner Les Weisbrod in managing the birth injury docket and working with the firm’s highly qualified expert witnesses in the review of potential cases. Alex also litigates her own docket of medical negligence cases.
Over the course of her 17 years with the firm, Alex has focused on the administration and prosecution of mass tort litigation, originally focusing on occupational toxins, but more recently in the area of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In the past, she has actively pursed cases involving hormone therapy, Vioxx, Fosamax, and Reglan. Alex was also instrumental in our firm successfully resolving thousands of cases transvaginal mesh, hip prosthetics, and the blood thinner Xarelto. She is actively prosecuting over 1,000 cases.
In addition to being a member of the Texas bar, she is also licensed in Oklahoma and is a member of the American Association of Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Oklahoma Association of Justice and the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
Education
- Baylor University - School of Law, 1996, J.D. - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Products Liability
- Mass Tort
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Oklahoma Association of Justice
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Pro Bono Activities
- East Texas Legal Services/Nix Law Firm Pro Bono Project, 1996 - 1997
Robert Wolf
Robert E. Wolf was born in Dallas, Texas and graduated Magna Cum Laude as a proud horned frog from Texas Christian University in 1997, with Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board. He obtained his law degree from Southern Methodist University in 2000 while serving as an Articles Editor for the International Law Review and winning awards at Mock Trial and Appellate competitions.
Robert has been named a Thomson Reuters | Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star (less than 2.5% of attorneys in Texas receive this distinction) in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Further, Robert was recognized as a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 attorney for Texas in 2012 (no more than 40 attorneys in Texas are eligible for this award annually).
Robert brought his passion for and over 14 years of experience of representing seriously injured individuals and their families to Miller Weisbrod in January 2015, and has concentrated his legal practice in the area of medical malpractice, products liability, and pharmaceutical/mass tort litigation. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
In addition to many successful jury verdicts and settlements across Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Idaho, Robert’s role as an attorney representing victims and their families has led to numerous changes to key safety practices and policies and procedures at corporations and medical facilities.
Robert and his wife Suzy also get plenty of exercise trying to keep up with their precious and very active daughter.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - Dedman School of Law, J.D. - 2000 - Dallas, Texas
- Texas Christian University - B.S. Political Science - 1997 - Fort Worth, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Personal Injury
- Products Liability
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Carrie Vine
Carrie Lynn Vine has over 15 years of experience in medical malpractice litigation, with a particular focus in representing children and families who have suffered birth injuries as a result of the negligence of either doctors, nurses or hospitals.
She is a passionate advocate for her clients and has handled hundreds of birth injury and birth trauma cases throughout the United States. As part of Carrie’s national birth injury legal practice, she has handled cases in Texas, Arkansas, California, Nevada, Kentucky, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and North Dakota. She is determined to seek justice and works to obtain fair compensation for the children and families she represents.
Carrie earned her law degree from Northern Illinois University where she tutored other law students. Prior to law school, she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in Biomedical and Biological Science, and earned both a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in Anthropological Genetics. She then conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan Medical School before deciding to attend law school. She applies an academic mindset and love of science and medicine to mastering the medical principles and literature relevant to the cases she pursues.
Carrie is an active member of the American Association of Justice as well as the Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BLTG).
Education
- Northern Illinois University:
Law School
- University of Notre Dame:
Biomedical Science
- Pennsylvania State University:
Anthropological Genetics
Areas of Practice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Medical Malpractice
Associations & Memberships
- American Association of Justice:
Member
- Birth Trauma Litigation Group:
Member
Larry Lassiter
Lawrence R. Lassiter is an AV-rated attorney with more than twenty years of experience in appellate and trial advocacy. He has been consulted by attorneys across the country to conduct research, evaluate cases, prepare appellate and trial briefs, and formulate litigation strategy. He has prepared hundreds of appellate briefs in federal and state appellate courts, including the highest courts of Texas, West Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio, Nebraska and Tennessee, and he is member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. Larry has a national appellate and legal briefing practice. Larry has filed extensive briefs and/or argued before either state or federal courts in 30 out of 50 states in his career.
Larry assists the Birth Injury team in all aspects of legal briefing. Unlike many other birth injury firms across the United States, Miller Weisbrod has an attorney dedicated to handling legal briefing on behalf of our clients across the country. Larry has handled extensive briefing in birth injury and other medical malpractice cases in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, New York, Utah, Arizona, Louisiana and West Virginia.
Since joining Miller Weisbrod in 2010, Larry has won a number of important victories vindicating the rights of our clients in both state and federal appellate courts, including Vitacost.com, Inc. v. McCants, 210 So.3d 761 (Fla. Ct. App. 2017); TTHR Ltd. Partnership v. Moreno, 401 S.W.3d 41 (Tex. 2013); In re E.B., 729 S.E.2d 271 (W. Va. 2012); Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Davis, 683 F.3d 651 (5th Cir. 2012); Rouhani v. Morgan, 2017 WL 3526719 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2017, no pet.); Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Andregg Contracting, Inc., 391 S.W.3d 573 (Tex. App. – Dallas 2012).
He was as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Harlington Wood Jr., Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Larry was a University of Iowa Presidential Scholar and served as Editor in Chief of the Iowa Law Review.
Larry is an active member of the American Association for Justice. He is a member of AAJ’s Birth Injury Litigation Group and Medical Negligence Sections.
Education
- University of Iowa - Political Science & History - B.A. - Iowa City, Iowa
- University of Iowa - School of Law - J.D. - Iowa City, Iowa
Areas of Practice
- Appellate Advocacy
- Medical Malpractice
- Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices
- Products Liability
- Personal Injury
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Laurie Pierce
Laurie draws upon extensive experience in state and federal courts with a focus on complex claims involving medical malpractice cases. After many years of defending health care providers and hospital systems in medical malpractice cases, Laurie joined David Olesky in the national birth injury and medical negligence practice at Miller Weisbrod Olesky.
Laurie’s focus is to understand not only the facts and circumstances of the matter at hand, but to understand the specific needs and goals of the client and their unique business considerations. Her extensive background in commercial litigation provides a foundation that enhances her health care litigation practice. She works with clients that require more than a strong trial lawyer; they expect an attorney who understands the relationship between law and their specific business and who will work tirelessly to protect their rights, interests and bottom line.
Education
- Southern Methodist University:
Dedman School of Law - 1992
- Order of the Coif:
Journal of Air Law and Commerce, J.D. - 1992
- Miami University-Oxford, Ohio
B.S. Education - 1982
Areas of Practice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
- Health Care Industry
- Health Care Litigation
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Medical Malpractice
Associations & Memberships
- American Association for Justice
- American Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Foundation Fellow
- Texas Bar Association
Distinctions
- Admitted to Pro Bono College of State Bar of Texas in 2019 for outstanding delivery of legal services to low-income Texans
Court Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
Linda Cuaderes
Linda Cuaderes is both a registered nurse and a licensed lawyer. Linda works exclusively in Miller Weisbrod’s Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice section. Linda acts as the firm’s patient advocate and liaison with our young clients and their parents.
Linda combines her legal and nursing experience along with her exceptional organizational talent and attention to detail to make sure each child we represent is provided the highest level of medical care and attendant care during the pendency of their case. Linda communicates with our parent clients regularly to monitor their birth injured child’s treatment, provide guidance as to additional care and therapies and when necessary assist them in obtaining specialized medical providers.
Linda was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honors at the University of Oklahoma. She started as an Oncology Nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City, quickly becoming the Assistant Head Nurse of the Outpatient Endoscopy Unit. Linda then entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Following graduation, Linda joined Les Weisbrod in the Medical Malpractice Section. After taking time off to raise her three lovely children, Linda returned to Miller Weisbrod and her passion of holding healthcare providers accountable for preventable errors. Linda is active in the American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Texas Bar Association. Linda is an active member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group and Medical Negligence Section of the American Association for Justice.
She is admitted to practice before the Texas Supreme Court and routinely works on cases pending throughout the United States. Linda has worked with child victims of birth injury, their parents and other victims of medical malpractice in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Iowa, Ohio, New York, Alabama, Georgia, Arizona, Utah and Missouri.
Education
- University of Oklahoma - School of Law, 1990, J.D. - Norman, Oklahoma
- University of Oklahoma - School of Nursing, 1985 - Norman, Oklahoma
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- Texas Bar Association
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Kristin Jones
Kristin combines her medical and legal training to provide invaluable, passionate service to parents struggling to care for their birth-injured children. Families often have questions as they go through the birth injury lawsuit process. Kristin diligently identifies and investigates all medical issues so the birth injury attorneys at Miller Weisbrod can answer those questions. Kristin ensures that our birth injured children’s medical records are thoroughly reviewed and organized. Miller Weisbrod’s birth trauma litigation attorneys and medical experts retained by the firm need her services while pursuing justice for our clients.
Education
- SMU Dedman School of Law - Dallas, Texas
- University of Texas at Arlington - Arlington, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Matt Adair
Matt Adair is an attorney specializing in medical malpractice, products liability, and pharmaceutical litigation. He received his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. During his time there, he studied abroad at the New College at Oxford University in Oxford, England.
Matt is a member of the State Bar of Texas, American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Dallas Trial Lawyers Association.
Education
- University of Notre Dame - Philosophy, B.A. 2012 - Notre Dame, Indiana
- Baylor University - School of Law J.D. 2015 - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Products Liability
- Pharmaceutical Litigation
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association of Justice
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Garrett Stanford
Garrett Stanford was born in Dallas, Texas and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2017 with a B.A. in Political Science. After graduation, he attended Baylor University School of Law. During his time at Baylor, he was a member of the Order of the Barristers and he won the Judge W.C. Davis Endowed Criminal Practice Professional Track Award. He obtained his law degree and license to practice law in 2020.
Garrett joined Miller Weisbrod in August 2021. His legal practice is concentrated in the area of birth injury and medical malpractice. Garret is actively involved in handling birth injury and medical malpractice cases in Texas, Ohio, Utah, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Education
- Southern Methodist University - Political Science, B.S. - Dallas, Texas
- University of Baylor - School of Law, J.D. - Waco, Texas
Areas of Practice
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury/Birth Trauma
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of Texas