A widely circulated legal publication has rated a nationwide law firm that runs its California cases out of a downtown San Pedro office as one of the top 20 firms in the country.

The National Law Review included Wilkes & McHugh on its list of "plaintiffs' litigation firms that we feel have done exemplary work during the past year," the publication said in a story published Monday.

Nine attorneys work out of Wilkes & McHugh's San Pedro office.

The local branch of the Tampa, Fla.-based firm carries between 75 and 100 cases across the state at any given time.

The firm specializes in elder-abuse cases, mostly bringing lawsuits against for-profit nursing homes on behalf of residents who claim to have been victims of neglect or outright abuse.

In its history, the firm has secured more than $200 million in awards and settlements. In the past 12 months, the firm has secured $64 million for its clients.

The firm has been so successful securing high-dollar verdicts and settlements because of its aggressive investigative methods, said Jim Morgan, the managing attorney at the Sixth Street office.

Oftentimes, the firm takes on well-funded corporate nursing care units.

"What we do at this firm is we don't let the large corporations outspend us on the litigation," Morgan said. "We will spend whatever it takes to get the evidence we need."

Jim Wilkes, a U.S. Army soldier, and Tim McHugh, a former furniture salesman, started their firm in the mid-1980s in Florida.

The firms opened its San Pedro office in 2001. McHugh now lives in South Bay.

The firm has represented several San Pedro residents, but has targeted no South Bay facilities, Morgan said.

"There are only two facilities in South Bay that we have even heard people come to us to complain about," Morgan said. "A lot of the facilities are doing a good job."

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