Call Us Today What is the 5-Star Promise at Viles & Beckman?
The 5-Star Promise is our written commitment to every client we represent. It covers five things you can count on from the day you call us: responsive communication within 24 business hours, honest guidance about your case, trial-ready preparation from day one, no fees unless we win, and treatment with dignity and respect at every step. It is the standard behind our registered trademark, The 5-Star Law Firm®, and it is how we have earned the trust of injured Floridians since 1995.
If you are reading this page, chances are something hard just happened to you or someone you love. You should not have to guess what your law firm will do for you. This page spells it out.
⭐ The 5-Star Promise, at a glance
When you hire Viles & Beckman, you can expect:
- A response within 1 business day
- Honest guidance about your case
- Trial-ready preparation from day one
- No attorneys fees unless we win
- Dignity, respect and family-level care at every step
That is what The 5-Star Law Firm® means to us. It is not just how we want to be known. It is how we agree to be measured.
What does “The 5-Star Law Firm®” mean?
The 5-Star Law Firm® is a registered trademark of Viles & Beckman, LLC, a personal injury law firm founded in Fort Myers, Florida in 2005. The name is not a slogan we picked because it sounded good. It is a standard we chose to be measured against, in public, by the people we serve. Every client review is a report card on whether we kept this promise.
Proof Behind the Promise
We do not ask you to take our word for any of this. Here are the receipts:
- Founded in Fort Myers in 2005, serving Florida families for more than 20 years
- More than $200 million recovered in settlements and verdicts for injured Floridians
- Trial-ready preparation on every case we take
- Mock jury and focus group testing on major cases before we ever step into a courtroom
- A former insurance defense attorney on our team who knows how the other side builds its cases
- Over 800 public Google reviews with a 4.98 average across our offices
- Voted Best Law Firm in the Fort Myers Community Choice Awards in 2024 and 2025
- Named a Best Place to Work in Southwest Florida four years running, ranked number one in 2023 and 2026, because keeping a promise to clients starts with a team that wants to keep it
What are the five promises we make to every client?
1. You will hear back from us within 24 business hours.
Slow communication is the single most common complaint injured people have about law firms. We built our firm around fixing it. When you call, email, or message us, someone on your legal team responds within 24 business hours.
What this means for you: You are not left wondering whether your lawyer forgot about you, whether the insurance company called, or whether your case is moving.
2. You will always get the truth about your case.
We will tell you what your case is really worth, what the challenges are, and what we would do if we were in your shoes. If an offer is good, we will say so. If it is an insurance company trying to close your file cheaply, we will say that too, and show you why.
What this means for you: You can make real decisions about your health, your finances, and your future based on facts, not sales talk.
3. Your case will be prepared as if it is going to trial.
Most personal injury cases settle. But the cases that settle well are the ones the insurance company knows the firm is ready to try. We prepare every case for the courtroom, and we test our biggest cases with mock juries and focus groups so we understand how real jurors see your story before we ever step in front of one.
What this means for you: The insurance company cannot lowball you on the assumption that your firm will fold before trial.
4. You will never pay us a fee unless we win.
We work on a contingency fee basis. Your consultation is free, and you owe us nothing unless we recover money for you. We also advance the costs of building your case, including expert witnesses, records, and investigation. You focus on healing. We take the financial risk.
What this means for you: You can afford the same caliber of legal team as the insurance company, no matter what is in your bank account today.
5. You will be treated with dignity, from the first call to the last.
You are not a case number or a settlement figure. You are a person going through one of the hardest seasons of your life. Every member of our team, from intake to attorney to case manager, is trained and held accountable to treat you that way.
What this means for you: You will never feel like a file in a stack, and you will always know a real person is looking out for you.
Who will actually work on your case?
At many firms, you hire the name on the billboard and then never speak to that person again. That is not how we work. At Viles & Beckman, every client is supported by a full case team, not a single overworked attorney.
Before a lawsuit is filed, your pre-suit team includes your attorney, a case manager, an investigator, a legal assistant, and a legal intake specialist. Once your case moves into active litigation, your litigation team adds a dedicated paralegal.
You will always speak directly with your attorney at the moments that matter: strategy discussions, big decisions, major milestones in your case, and any time you have a question your case manager or paralegal cannot answer.
And you will never be left guessing when you will hear from us next. Every client has scheduled monthly calls with their team, so you always know exactly when you will speak with us, and you stay in the loop from start to finish.
After your case settles, a dedicated closing specialist takes over to reduce your medical liens, prepare your closing statement, and handle your disbursement, so you keep as much of your recovery as possible.
From your first call to your final check, you will always know who is on your team and how to reach them.
What happens if we fall short?
Tell us. Every client has a direct line to firm leadership, and every complaint about responsiveness or treatment gets reviewed by our management team, not buried in a file. We track our response times internally, and we read every review, including the hard ones. A promise only means something if someone is accountable for keeping it. At Viles & Beckman, that accountability starts at the top.
Why does trial readiness matter to your case?
Insurance companies track which law firms actually try cases and which always settle. When a firm never goes to trial, adjusters offer less because they know the firm will take it. When a firm shows up prepared, with tested arguments and a record of verdicts, the math changes.
That is why trial preparation is at the center of the 5-Star Promise. Michael Beckman, our CEO and lead trial attorney, has spent three decades trying cases in front of Southwest Florida juries, with results that include verdicts among the largest in the state. And our team includes attorneys who spent years on the insurance defense side before joining ours. They know exactly how the other side builds its cases, because they used to build them. When we evaluate your claim, we see it from both sides of the table.
How much does it cost to hire Viles & Beckman?
Nothing up front, ever. Your consultation is free, and we only get paid if we win your case. Our fee comes out of the recovery, at a percentage we explain clearly and put in writing before you sign anything. If we do not win, you do not owe us a fee. That is not a promotion. It is how we have operated since 2005.
Before You Hire a Florida Injury Lawyer
What should you expect from any personal injury lawyer in Florida?
Even if you do not hire us, you deserve to know what a law firm should promise before you sign.
Use this checklist before you sign with any Florida injury firm.
Ask for a specific commitment, not a vague reassurance.
Get names and roles, not just the face from the billboard.
A firm should tell you when, not just say “whenever there is news.”
Firms that never try cases tend to settle cheaply.
The answer should be a clear contingency fee explained in writing.
Real client reviews tell you more than any ad.
What makes Viles & Beckman different from other Florida injury firms?
Three things, and all of them are verifiable.
- Results over time. We have recovered more than $200 million in settlements and verdicts for injured Floridians since Marcus Viles and Michael Beckman founded the firm in 2005.
- Jury-tested preparation. We test our cases with mock juries and focus groups, and our team includes a former insurance defense attorney. We do not guess how the other side or a jury will see your case. We find out.
- A promise you can measure. Our name is The 5-Star Law Firm®. Our clients grade us in public, every day, in Google reviews. Read them yourself before you call us.
Where does Viles & Beckman serve clients?
We serve injured people across Florida. Our headquarters in Fort Myers serves Southwest Florida, including Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Lee County, and Collier County.
Whether your case involves a car accident, truck accident, wrongful death, or a catastrophic injury, the same promise applies at both offices.
We also serve Spanish-speaking families and can help you understand your rights, your case, and your next steps in clear language.
Talk to us. It costs nothing to find out where you stand.
If you or someone you love has been injured, call us at (239) 334-3933 or reach out through our contact form. We will listen, give you an honest read on your situation, and respond promptly. That is the promise. We are here to help.
