Archive for the ‘Verdicts & Settlements’ Category

How To Choose A Personal Injury Lawyer

Monday, December 13th, 2010

How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer

One of the most difficult decisions the victim of an accident has to make is who to choose as their attorney. While there is no shortage of lawyers who will promise just about anything in an effort to entice you to become their client, making an informed decision can be difficult. The fact is, not all lawyers and law firms are equal. Who represents you is an important decision since to whom you entrust your case will have a huge impact on the outcome.

Some questions you should ask are:

What type of cases do you handle?

The law, like medicine and many other fields, has become increasingly specialized. While there are lawyers who would like to think they can handle just about any type of case, the truth is you are better served by a law firm that only handles the type of case you have. If you have been injured, retain a personal injury law firm. If you had a broken bone you wouldn’t go to a dentist. For the same reason, if you need help with a personal injury matter you should seek help from someone that only handles matters like yours. All of our firm’s efforts are focused on representing injured clients without the distraction of other types of legal matters. At Rosenberg & Gluck personal injury is all we do.

Does the firm have the resources to handle every aspect of your case in a timely manner?

Properly handling a personal injury case can involve the expenditure of tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of legal work. Expert fees, investigations, trial exhibits, and a host of other necessary expenses add to the costs of successfully prosecuting a case. Many firms simply cannot afford to thoroughly prepare their cases by making these expenditures of time and money. A lawsuit is not the place to cut corners. While smaller firms often cannot devote all the time and resources that a case requires, Rosenberg & Gluck is a substantial, well established firm with the personnel and resources to battle the insurance companies.

Does the firm have the personnel with the right experience handling cases like yours?

Rosenberg & Gluck is comprised of six experienced attorneys, complimented by a staff of seasoned paralegals and legal secretaries. The founding partners have each been representing the injured for almost 30 years. Our firm has successfully handled thousands of cases for the injured. Day in and day out, for decades, our lawyers and support staff have helped thousands of people whose lives have been affected because of their injuries.

How often does the firm go to trial on cases like yours?

Whether a law firm has the experience to try your case before a judge and jury is critical. This is important because ultimately you will be faced with making a choice between accepting whatever the insurance company offers you or taking your case to trial. The fact is that most lawyers either never try cases or rarely do; insurance companies know better than anyone which attorneys actually take cases to trial. Many lawyers simply write letters and serve some legal pleadings knowing full well they have no intention of actually fighting in court for their clients. Rosenberg & Gluck takes a different approach. We believe that each case should be treated as if it will go to trial. While this approach is more work for the attorney, the client benefits whether or not the case is actually tried. It really is just common sense; you either take the insurance company’s settlement offer or go to trial. If the insurance company knows your lawyer rarely goes to trial or is not a talented trial attorney, why should they make you a fair offer? There are only a handful of insurance company lawyers on Long Island that handle the vast majority of cases. The lawyers for Allstate, State Farm, GEICO, Liberty Mutual, and Progressive know which lawyers are in court every day fighting them and which lawyers just take what is offered. So when it comes to selecting a law firm to represent your interests ask, “When was the last time you actually went to trial on a case like mine?” “How many years experience do you have handling cases like mine?” The lawyers at Rosenberg & Gluck routinely go to trial on personal injury cases. We are in court almost every day fighting for our clients. In fact, we have been successfully trying cases like yours for decades.

What success has the law firm had in court with cases like yours?

Rosenberg & Gluck has a long standing and distinguished record of success in the courtrooms of Long Island. We are members of the prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. This organization is only open to those lawyers who have obtained multi-million dollar results on individual cases. We are also rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell. This is the highest possible rating for ability and ethics as judged by other lawyers on Long Island. Our success is well recognized by judges, defense lawyers and other law firms. So much so that they have referred their family and friends to Rosenberg & Gluck for representation. Of course, not all cases will result in awards in the millions, but we have had remarkable successes on cases of all sizes, cases that many firms would not take to trial, cases that other lawyers would settle for whatever the insurance company offered. Simply going to trial is not enough; your lawyer should have years of experience handling cases like yours on a daily basis. We have decades of experience and thousands of satisfied clients. If you want a law firm that has both extensive experience and a record of success then Rosenberg & Gluck is the firm to choose.

Rosenberg & Gluck Case Results

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Our client, a 25-year-old woman, was working at an office building when, unknown to her, the rear stoop was removed by a contractor who was going to reconstruct it. While attempting to exit the building she fell and fractured her ankle. The contractor claimed that they had blocked the door with warning tape. The owner of the building claimed that he had warned everyone not to use the rear door. The defendants offered $115,000 prior to the beginning of the trial. We obtained a verdict holding the defendants 100% responsible along with a $275,000 recovery for our client.

Ted Rosenberg entered into a pre-trial settlement agreement for 1.4million dollars for a client who was injured when a school min-bus skidded on ice and collided with her vehicle. The client who was 59 years old at the time suffered fractures . The insurance company for the bus argued that the bus driver was not at fault . Just prior to jury selection we convinced the defendants to double their previous offer.

On May 5, 2010 Ted Rosenberg settled a case during trial for $740,000. Ted represented an electrician who was injured in a Construction Accident when the staircase he was walking on collapsed. The client was in the process of wiring a new home when the wooden stairs separated from the first floor and fell into the basement. The worker suffered a dislocation fracture of this foot and required three surgeries. The company who installed the stairs went out of business and had no insurance. Rosenberg & Gluck alleged a violation of the NY Labor law and asserted that the general contractor was responsible for the negligence of its subcontractor.

A 42-year-old woman suffered “soft tissue” injures to her back in an automobile accident. Refusing to acknowledge she had suffered serious injury, the insurance company offered only $3,000. Our resolute pursuit to obtain justice for our client led the case to trial, and a Riverhead jury awarded her $140,000.

A 28-year-old man was involved in an intersection accident and suffered a herniated disc. The insurance company denied responsibility and claimed our client had run a red light. We convinced the jury otherwise, that it was the defendant who had actually run the red light. Once the jury acknowledged this finding, the defendant offered $5,000 to settle. We turned the offer down and proceeded to try damages, securing a verdict of $240,000 for this “soft tissue” case.

A 41-year-old ironworker suffered a crush injury on the job. A piece of iron came loose from a structure he was disassembling and it fell on his foot. The defense argued that since the man had caused the accident himself, they should not be held responsible. We were prepared to try the case and were successful in obtaining a settlement of $475,000 just prior to trial.

The client was a 49-year-old man who worked on a highway crew. While sitting in his work truck, he was struck by another vehicle. The accident aggravated his bulging discs
– a preexisting condition – and he also required arthroscopic knee surgery. Except for light duty, he was unable to return to work. The insurance company offered $50,000 to settle. By taking the case to trial, we were able to obtain a jury verdict of $2,390,000.

While staying in a local hospital, a 57-year-old woman developed pressure ulcers, bedsores. The State-run hospital denied responsibility, and we prepared the case for trial. Just before commencement, the State, however, reconsidered its position. They agreed to make a substantial six figure settlement.

A 39-year-old woman and avid bicyclist riding with members of her bicycle club was seriously injured in a crash approximately 65 miles into a 72 mile ride. The incident was precipitated by roadway repairs. Defendants’ motions for summary judgment based on the defense of “primary assumption of risk” were denied. They appealed. We prevailed on appeal and made new law in the Second Department significantly diminishing the “primary assumption of risk” defense. The case settled for a substantial sum before trial.

Our client, a young man with a wife and two children, injured his back as the result of an accident at a construction site. He was unable to work and lost everything, including the self-respect that comes from providing for one’s family. No settlement offers were made by the defendants, so we went to trial on the issue of liability and the jury found the defendants to be 100% liable. After the verdict, we obtained a seven figure settlement. Our client and his family got their lives back…they bought a house, are paying their bills, and most importantly, have recovered their self-respect.

Our client was shopping in K-Mart when she tripped and fell due to a ladder that was left in the aisle. She sustained a serious injury to her knee. Prior to trial, there was a $30,000 offer of settlement. This was unacceptable. We obtained a liability verdict for our client holding K-Mart 75% responsible, and then settled the case for $300,000.

Our client moved his family to Suffolk County from Brooklyn to improve their quality of life. While working one night, he slipped on ice and fell, injuring his neck and back. Unable to work, his dreams of a better life were fading away. Shortly before trial, we engaged in non-binding mediation and secured a $900,000 settlement. Our client’s dreams were restored…he and his wife bought a new home and he is able to provide a better life for his two young boys.

Our client was a 64-year-old woman with pre-existing degenerative disc disease of the spine. The defendant hit the rear of our client’s vehicle, further injuring her back, but causing only $400 in damages to the car. At trial we were able to overcome the difficulties of a pre-existing condition and the natural assumption that a light impact could not cause a serious injury. The jury returned a six figure verdict for our client.

Our client was seriously injured in a motor vehicle collision at an intersection. He was making a left hand turn and had the stop sign. Shortly before trial, all parties agreed to resolve this matter through binding arbitration. At the arbitration we put in evidence, produced expert witnesses, offered demonstrative evidence and argued our client’s cause. The expenses we advanced in bringing this case exceeded $37,000. In spite of the fact that our client had the stop sign, we obtained an award of $740,000.

Contact Rosenberg & Gluck for a free consultation if you have been injured in a accident.