Meet Attorney Julian Sweet
Jay Sweet retired from Berman & Simmons in December 2019. For case inquiries, please contact us here.
Attorney Julian Sweet has earned a reputation as the preeminent attorney in Maine who represents plaintiffs in serious medical malpractice cases. His dominant record of trial victories, including two of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in Maine history, places him among the very best lawyers in the nation. For more than three decades, Julian has been one of the driving forces in building Berman & Simmons into the leading firm in Maine for personal injury and medical malpractice law.
Since joining the firm in 1981, Julian has successfully handled personal injury and wrongful death cases, as well as hundreds of medical malpractice cases―involving birth injuries, general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and internal medicine. In 2001, he received a $9 million verdict in Cumberland County Superior Court, and in 2007, he received an $8 million verdict in Androscoggin County Superior Court. In both cases, Julian represented mothers whose babies suffered permanent disabilities because of negligence during labor.
These landmark cases served notice to powerful healthcare organizations, hospitals, and doctors: When they fail to meet the standards of care, Maine has a law firm with the talent, determination, and resources to hold them accountable.
“Over the past 20 years, we can see that hospitals and practices have put some safeguards and specific changes in place in response to problems we identified,” Julian says. “To me, that shows how important our role is. As healthcare continues to move toward a profit orientation, we must keep checking the power of the medical establishment. When we take a case, we’re fighting for those individual clients, and really for all consumers.”
Before attending law school, Julian worked in the field of social services, fueled by a desire to help the poor and those less fortunate. He pursued a career in law to continue that mission. A native of Connecticut, Julian represents clients from across the state of Maine, and takes pride in representing families from rural areas including Aroostook, Franklin, Piscataquis, Oxford, and Somerset counties.
Memberships & Distinctions
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, 2004–present
- American Board of Trial Advocates, 1995–present
- Maine State Bar Association, 1981–present
- Maine Trial Lawyers Association, 1981–present
- American Association for Justice, 1990–present
- Academy of Catastrophic Injury Attorneys, 2000–present
Highlights
- The Practical Implications of the Continuing Negligent Treatment Doctrine, In Brief (Berman & Simmons, Lewiston, Me.), Spring 2013
- Evaluation of Bowel in Jury Cases, In Brief (Berman & Simmons, Lewiston, Me.), Summer, 2011
- Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, In Brief (Berman & Simmons, Lewiston, Me.), Spring 2010
- Taking on Medical Malpractice Cases, In Brief (Berman & Simmons, Lewiston, Me.), Summer 2008