Demetrios Zacharopoulos Attributes His Compassion to His Family and His Success to the Firm’s Trial Philosophy
National plaintiffs’ firm Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel is honored to welcome the firm’s newest partner, Demetrios T. Zacharopoulos. Named on the Maryland Rising Stars® list by Thomson Reuters, Legal from 2010 through 2013, Mr. Zacharopoulos has been making his mark with juries and clients alike since he joined Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel in 2007.
Mr. Zacharopoulos devotes his practice to representing working families in mesothelioma cases against the asbestos and equipment companies responsible for causing the terminal cancer. A passionate advocate for his clients, Mr. Zacharopoulos credits his repeated and impressive success in the courtroom to the firm’s trial philosophy: “The lawyers here give their complete attention and dedication to their clients from the moment they begin work on a case until it’s resolved in court. The firm is committed to trying so many lawsuits because the partners have learned from decades of experience that the courtroom is often the best place to ensure the maximum results for your clients.”
Peter Kraus, founding partner and respected trial lawyer, explains that juries can tell when lawyers genuinely care about the people they represent: “The thing about Demetrios is that he really gets to know his clients and their families on a personal level. The jury members can sense that. They see that Demetrios is not some hired gun representing a complete stranger; he’s in the courtroom helping a friend.”
According to Mr. Zacharopoulos, his clients are the reason he does what he does. “I knew from the day I started law school that I wanted to try cases. After graduation, I had been practicing criminal law for a short time when I learned about Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel and the important work the firm is doing. I knew immediately that’s what I wanted to do; the firm’s clients were the people I wanted to represent.”
Mr. Zacharopoulos suggests that he probably relates so strongly to the working families Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel represents because they remind him of his own parents. “My parents immigrated to this country from Greece in the 1960s with nothing more than a sixth grade education. They worked hard for their children and so did my clients.”
“Families struggling with mesothelioma did nothing wrong to deserve the challenges they face,” Mr. Zacharopoulos continues. They don’t understand the legal process or know anything more about it than what they’ve seen on television. When I talk to my clients, I hear my father saying, ‘I don’t like surprises.’ I know my clients don’t like surprises either. I work to make sure they know what’s happening at every step of the process. It’s what I’d do for my parents; I owe it to my clients.”
A 2002 graduate of the University of Baltimore Law School and former judicial clerk for the Honorable Joseph F. Murphy, Jr., chief judge of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, Mr. Zacharopoulos is a member of the State Bar of Maryland and is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland as well as the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
About Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel
Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel is a mid-sized plaintiffs’ law firm concentrating on complex product liability and personal injury/wrongful death cases. The firm’s diverse practice includes toxic tort (mesothelioma) litigation, pharmaceutical product liability, negligence, and consumer product liability, as well as qui tam whistleblower and commercial litigation. With offices in Texas, California, and Maryland, Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel has litigated cases in jurisdictions across the United States on behalf of individuals from all 50 states, as well as foreign governments. Learn more about ourpractice.
