Milton Ferrell Jr., RIP

Billy Shields reports that Milton Ferrell has passed on:

Prominent Miami attorney Milton M. Ferrell Jr. has died from complications of mesothelioma, a form of cancer linked primarily to asbestos exposure, his firm confirmed today.

Ferrell started his legal career in Miami in 1977 when he joined his father’s legal practice handling criminal defense work. He shifted to civil litigation in the late 1980s and started taking international clients in 1993. With the turn of the millennium, Ferrell took his firm worldwide, opening offices in cities like Beirut, Buenos Aires and Mexico City.

A firm that in 2000 had one office and 12 lawyers mushroomed to a 17-office, 67-lawyer litigation boutique by 2003. The firm suffered some major departures but maintained its offices in New York and Buenos Aires.

Ferrell, 57, was lauded as a superb lawyer and a shrewd businessman who emphasized community involvement as past chairman of the Jackson Memorial Foundation and a board member of the American Red Cross of Greater Miami.

An active Democrat, Ferrell was the Florida finance chairman of U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.

One of Ferrell’s last acts in court was as a plaintiff. He and his wife Lori filed an asbestos liability suit last week against Chrysler, General Motors, Borg Warner and others, alleging the companies were negligent in their use of asbestos, which he blamed for causing his mesothelioma.

Ferrell was a gentleman and will be missed. Services are 11 a.m. at Trinity.