Taras Rudnitsky’s unique background as a consumer justice attorney, automotive engineer and expert witness provides invaluable insight for consumers in cases throughout Florida and the United States. He has been a featured speaker before consumer justice attorneys, governmental investigators, and corporate executives. He has also been interviewed by several television station and newspaper reporters regarding consumer justice issues.
This commitment to consumer justice is not new – in fact, it started before Taras even graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. As part of the Law School’s Clinical Law program, Taras represented consumers in cases ranging from landlord/tenant to employment discrimination. At the time, he was the only student to then earn a position in the Advanced Clinical Law program and focus on seeking justice for consumers.
Taras firmly believes all attorneys should contribute to their community. In 2009, the Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society awarded him the Pro Bono Award for the voluntary free legal assistance he provided to Seminole County (Florida) consumers. In 2010, he was again recognized for his contributions to Florida consumers by the Legal Advocacy Center of Central Florida. His volunteer work as a pro bono attorney for consumers in the greater Orlando and Daytona Beach areas earned him the Advocate of Justice award from Community Legal Services of Mid Florida in October of 2011. Just recently, that organization awarded Taras with the Seminole County Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for 2012. As a result of his commitment to his community, the Florida Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized Taras’s contributions to the public by awarding him Outstanding Pro Bono Service awards.
Taras also believes in actively contributing to the legal professional. He currently serves on the Florida Bar’s Small Claims Rules Committee, and on the Board of Directors for Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida and the Legal Advocacy Center of Central Florida. He is also an active member of the Ukrainian American Bar Association, where he serves on the Board of Governors.
Licenses
- Attorney, 2004 – The Florida Bar
- Attorney, 1998 – State Bar of Michigan
- Professional Engineer, 1995 – State of Michigan
Education
- Juris Doctor, 1998 (Order of the Coif – top 10%): University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, 1993: Wayne State University College of Engineering, Detroit, Michigan
- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, 1988: Wayne State University College of Engineering, Detroit, Michigan (summa cum laude)
Court Admissions
- The Florida Bar
- Michigan State Bar
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Experience
- Attorney and Counselor at Law, 1998-present, Owner of law firm exclusively representing consumers
- Pursued justice for numerous consumers in disputes with big businesses, banks / debt collectors, automotive dealers, RV dealers and other entities
- Representative consumer cases include consumer debt collection defense, lemon law claims, auto fraud, misrepresentations, home solicitation sales, deceptive and unfair practices, landlord/tenant, employment discrimination, post-judgment representation, and others
- Representative products liability cases include defective automotive products cases against numerous car companies (General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia), as well as their suppliers and dealers
- Consultant and Expert Witness, 1998-2004: Court-recognized expert witness in cases throughout United States
- Retained as an expert witness to investigate hundreds of vehicles and vehicle components during accident investigations to determine whether a defect caused or contributed to any injuries
- Analyzed vehicle safety performance in hundreds of cases throughout the United States
- Recognized as an expert air bag engineer by state and federal courts throughout the country
- Automotive Design / Performance Engineer, 1988-1995: Designed, developed and/or tested air bags, seat belts, seats, steering systems, vehicle interiors, vehicle structure, and other components for General Motors, and conducted actual vehicle crash tests and laboratory tests
- As an automotive design/release and performance engineer and safety trouble-shooter, conducted over 30 barrier crash tests, 130 sled tests and hundreds of sub-system tests for assessment of occupant crash protection, including air bags, seat belts (safety belts), dash panels (instrument panels), steering wheels, steering columns, knee bolsters, interior padding, firewalls, safety cages, fuel systems, vehicle structure, frame rails, and numerous other components
- Served as General Motors’ representative at U.S. Government sponsored crash tests to verify compliance with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), and as divisional representative to General Motors’ Passenger Air Bag Core Group expert technical teams and task force investigating seat performance in rear-end collisions
- Air bag project leader for team that achieved highest possible 5-star rating in U.S. Government crash testing, and certified compliance to U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards related to occupant crash protection for several car lines
Affiliations
- American Association for Justice (AAJ)
- Attorneys Information Exchange Group (AIEG)
- Center for Auto Safety (CAS)
- Central Florida Trial Lawyers Association (CFTLA)
- Florida Justice Association (FJA)
- Million-Dollar Advocates Forum
- National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA)
- Orange County (Florida) Bar Association (OCBA)
- Order of the Coif (top 10% of law school graduating class)
- Public Justice
- Seminole County (Florida) Bar Association (SCBA)
- Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
- Tau Beta Pi (national engineering honor society)
- Ukrainian American Bar Association (UABA)
Community Involvement Has Included
- President of Church Council
- Board of Directors: Community Legal Services of Mid Florida
- Board of Directors: Legal Advocacy Center of Central Florida
- Board of Directors and Treasurer: Meals on Wheels, Etc.
- Sponsor of Seminole County Legal Aid Society
- Sponsor of March for Meals for Seminole County Meals on Wheels
- Sponsor of Lake Mary High School 5K Run/Walk
- Judge for High School debate tournaments
- Volunteer for Justice Teaching initiative at Lake Mary school
- Member of the Parent Teacher Student Association
- President of the Dibrova Homeowners Association
- Member of the Green Oak Township Road Committee
- Coach – indoor and outdoor soccer
- Member of the Parent Teacher Association
- Proud contributor to numerous charitable organizations
Publications and Presentations
Taras has been a featured speaker in the areas of debt collection lawsuits, contracts, air bags, seat belts, crashworthiness, occupant crash protection and other similar subjects. For example, he has made several presentations to senior citizens in Seminole County relating to consumer protection law and how to protect themselves from unsrupulous businesses and debt collectors. Taras has also taught other consumer protection attorneys in Florida. He was a speaker at a presentation to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during an investigation of an air bag defect in Nissan Altima vehicles. Following that investigation, the vehicle was recalled. Taras has also been interviewed by several television station and newspaper reporters.
He frequently lectures at seminars for other consumer lawyers to educate and train them. He has presented over a dozen lectures on consumer justice issues.
Other languages
- Oral and written fluency in Ukrainian
