Attorney Profile: Michael Volk, J.D.
Email: michael@vpclaw.com
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Born: Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 9, 1947.
EDUCATION: Preparatory Education: University of Texas - El Paso, B.A. with honors 1974. Legal Education: University of Houston Bates College of Law, J.D. 1977. Editor of Houston Law Review. Research & Teaching Assistant in Law and Medicine, University of Houston, Bates College of Law, 1976-1977.
Admitted to Texas Bar, 1977; Admitted to United States Supreme Court, 1981; United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, 1978; 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1980; 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1980.
SPEAKER
1. Proving Damages in In-Utero Fetal Death Cases. November 7, 2002, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School & St. Mary’s University School of Law.
2. Lessons I’ve learned in Medical Malpractices Cases. March 14, 2002, sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, Texas bar CLE.
3. Pediatric Malpractice: Issues and Recurring Cases. November 15, 2001, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School & St. Mary’s University School of Law.
4. Obstetric & Neonatal Malpractice Cases, March 2, 2001, sponsored by the University of Texas School of Law & the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas.
5. Hospital Acquired Infection, November 2, 2000, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School & St. Mary’s University School of Law.
6. Vacuum Extraction Deliveries: How Safe Are They? April 8, 1999, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School & St. Mary’s University School of Law.
7. Epidemic of Group B Strep in the Newborn: Negligent Diagnosis and Treatment, April 2, 1998, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School & St. Mary’s University School of Law.
8. Pediatric Ethics, August 8, 1997, 8th Annual Pediatric Symposium, sponsored by Providence Memorial Hospital, El Paso, Texas.
9. Compromised Immune Systems, April 4, 1997, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School & St. Mary’s University School of Law.
10. Placental Pathology, April 11, 1996, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School & St. Mary’s University School of Law.
11. Negligent Interpretation of Mammograms and Life Expectancy, April 6, 1995, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School and St. Mary's University School of Law.
12. Liability for Shoulder Dystocia, April 15, 1994, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School and St. Mary's University School of Law.
13. Initial Care and Resuscitation of the Newborn, April 15, 1993, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School and St. Mary's University School of Law.
14. Intensive Care Nursery Malpractice, April 10, 1992, sponsored by Texas Tech University Law School and St. Mary's University School of Law.
15. Obstetrical and Neonatal Malpractice with Emphasis on Fetal Outcome, Medical Malpractice for Lawyers and Legal Assistants, State Bar of Texas, May 20, 1989.
16. Federal Tort Claims Act, 1988, Belli Seminar, Kansas City, Missouri.
17. Pitfalls in the Federal Tort Claims Act, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, March 1988.
18. Products Liability: DPT Vaccine, American College of Legal Medicine Annual Meeting, May 1985.
19. Medical Malpractice Claims against the United States, American College of Legal Medicine Annual Meeting, May 1984.
20. 74.351 of the Civil Practices and Remedies Code, February 9 and 10, 2007 sponsored by the El Paso Bar Association, Las Vegas, Nevada.
AUTHOR
TEXTBOOKS
1. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Obstetric and Neonatal Malpractice: Legal and Medical Handbook, 2nd Edition April 1996.
2. Shepards/McGraw Hill Textbook Medical Malpractice: Handling Obstetric and Neonatal Cases, 1st Edition April 1986.
3. Chapter 9 "Pediatric Emergencies" and Chapter 10 "Obstetrical Emergencies" in Emergency Medicine Malpractice, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1994.
4. Contributor: Risk Management Techniques in Perinatal and Neonatal Practice, Futura Publishing Co., Inc., 1996.
ARTICLES
1. Comment, Award of Attorneys Fees in Divorce Litigation in Texas”, 13 Houston Law Review, 1016, 1977.
2. Cross-examination of the Medical Expert, Trial Magazine, May 1980.
3. Avoiding Frivolous Malpractice Suits, American Medical News, November 28, 1980.
4. Processing and Negotiating the Military Medical Malpractice Claim, Trial Magazine, June 1982.
5. What's Wrong With the Feres Doctrine, Texas Trial Lawyers Forum, April-June 1983, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 15-17.
6. Computerized Medical Research, The Trial Practice Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 3-4, December 1986.
7. Damages in Texas Intra-Uterine Fetal Death Cases, Texas Lawyer, Vol. 18, No. 41, p. 27, December 9, 2002.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR, El Paso Trial Lawyers Review, 1974-1980.
MEMBER
• District 17 Grievance Committee of the State Bar of Texas 2004-2007, Panel Chairman 2008-2011.
• Associate-In-Law, American College of Legal Medicine 1981 to present
Convocation Committee, 1984-1985
Education Committee, 1984-1985
• Associate, American Board of Trial Advocates
• El Paso Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Statewide Medical Malpractice & Health Law Committee, 1985
• New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association
TRUSTEE: Melvin Belli Society, Who's Who in American Law.
AWARDS: Texas Super Lawyer 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
Best Lawyers in America 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
