Timothy C. Nies Personal Injury, Defense Base Act & Longshore Attorney and Army Ranger Veteran Partner, Van Riper & Nies Attorneys, P.A.
Timothy “Tim” Nies is a seasoned injury attorney and Army Ranger veteran whose career blends elite military training, medical knowledge, and high-level litigation experience. Before entering the legal profession, Tim served as an Airborne Ranger in the U.S. Army’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment, where he earned his EMT certification and treated traumatic injuries in demanding operational environments. Today, he draws on that medical training in his representation of seriously injured clients—allowing him to understand not only the legal but also the clinical realities surrounding catastrophic injury.
Tim has represented the injured since 2001. For the first eight years of his legal career, he worked as an insurance defense trial attorney for some of the largest and most prestigious defense firms in Florida and the United States. During that time, he represented physicians in complex medical malpractice actions and defended major corporations in serious injury and wrongful-death cases. This experience gave him a rare, inside understanding of how insurance companies investigate, evaluate, defend, delay, and attempt to deny high-stakes claims. He now uses that knowledge exclusively for the benefit of his clients—turning the insurance companies’ own playbook against them.
Today, Tim is known as a legal warrior for the injured, bringing relentless preparation and a mission-focused mindset to every case. His personal injury practice includes automobile accidents, truck and commercial-vehicle crashes, motorcycle accidents, boating and waverunner accidents, maritime and cruise ship injury claims, premises liability cases including slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents, defective products, negligent security and crime-victim claims, and other serious injury matters. He aggressively prosecutes claims against negligent individuals, corporations, and insurance carriers, and is widely regarded for his command of both the facts and the law.
A substantial part of Tim’s practice is dedicated to representing injured U.S. Government contractors worldwide under the Defense Base Act (DBA) and injured longshore and harbor workers under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA). Tim advocates for contractors suffering from cervical and lumbar herniated discs, orthopedic injuries to the shoulder and hip, burns, electrocutions, traumatic injuries, and psychiatric conditions such as PTSD. His unique combination of military experience, medical knowledge, and litigation skill gives his DBA and LHWCA clients a powerful advantage before the U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of Administrative Law Judges.
Clients consistently praise Tim for his accessibility and unwavering commitment. Every client receives his personal cell phone number, and he believes strongly that injured individuals deserve an attorney who communicates clearly, prepares meticulously, and fights tirelessly.
Tim meets with clients at the firm’s offices in Stuart, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Deerfield Beach, and represents Defense Base Act claimants nationwide. Whether in negotiation, litigation, or administrative proceedings, he brings the discipline of a Ranger, the insight of a former insurance-defense lawyer, and the compassion of someone who has experienced life-changing injury firsthand.
