July 15, 2001
Top Weston Attorney knew his calling early in life
 Growing up in the Bronx, N.Y., Roy Oppenheim knew then he wanted to be an attorney. "At that time I used to watch Perry Mason on TV, and by third grade there was no question I was going to be an attorney," Oppenheim said.
Today, Oppenheim, 41, together with wife Ellen Pilelsky, owns the Weston based law firm Oppenheim & Pilelsky.
Originally I designed to meet the needs of a young, upstart community near the Everglades, the 11-year-old firm now serves an inter- national client base, all from its' offices' on Weston Road.
Oppenheim's contributions to Weston have not gone unnoticed. Last month, 0ppenheim was honored by Weston Area Chamber of Commerce as the 2001 Small Business Person of the Year.
Oppenheim's practice areas are diverse, and his small firm often handles very big cases. He recently made the headlines, as founder and president of Private AG, a private corporation that represents the state under The Florida Whistleblower Act. Private AG is seeking to recover hundreds of millions of dollars from relocation companies that have failed to pay DOC stamp fees to the state.
Last summer, Oppenheim was involved in filing one of the first class actions against Bridgestone/Firestone concerning their defective tires. The lawsuit asked the company to issue vouchers so that Ford Explorer owners could replace their defective tires immediately.
"It's the attorneys who ultimately affect the rights of people in the U.S. and save them from being trampled by large institutions," said Oppenheim, who took just four months to make an impact on the case. Many people may choose the law firm to represent them but Oppenheim selects his clients carefully. "We don't advertise. People find us because of our passion for what we do," he said. "We actually turn down around 80 percent and take around five cases a year. Before we take on a case we look to see if it has underlying case policy issues which allow us to perpetuate change."
Oppenheim is determined to make changes that affect the way doctors are trained and supervised in the military. He is currently suing. The U.S. government concerning the alleged wrongful death of a 2-year-old who died of meningitis after a misdiagnosis by a doctor at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
The firm is able to take on large cases by creating virtual law firms to handle each project. Oppenheim works with lawyers from Tallahassee and top lobbyists from Florida; putting together a team for each project that communicate via the Internet and conference call meetings.
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