Practice

Employment Practices / Civil Rights

Our firm is retained by the insurance industry, private companies, municipalities, police departments, and school districts for our expertise in employment matters, including:

• Defense of Civil Rights cases, including Section 1983 and Title VII claims

• Defense of sexual harassment, First Amendment retaliation and other employment discrimination claims

• Land use, planning and zoning claims

• Excessive force/false arrest claims

• Title IX claims involving alleged athletic gender discrimination

Employment Counselling / Seminars

• Preparation of employee handbooks and manuals

• Counseling corporations on hiring and firing issues, including all employee discipline issues

• Conducting sexual harassment investigations

• Preparation of employment, severance, and termination agreements

• Counseling the restaurant industry and other franchisees regarding wage and hour violations under both Federal and State law

• Counseling private corporations regarding sick leave issues

• Conducting employment training seminars for management and employees, whether in compliance with State, City and/or Federal consent decrees or to aid companies in avoiding litigation

Insurance Coverage Practice

Our attorneys are well-recognized as the experts in insurance coverage litigation in New York State. Our insurance coverage practice includes the defense and prosecution of complex declaratory judgment actions, as well as providing coverage advice and opinions on numerous issues, including:

• Additional Insured Coverage

• Advertising Injury

• Bad Faith

• Directors and Officers Liability

• Errors and Omissions

• Environmental Liability

• First Party Property

• General Liability Claims

• Hospital Professional Liability / Medical Malpractice Claims

• Professional Liability - Attorneys, Accountants, Architects and Engineers

• Reinsurance

Our firm’s coverage practice is not limited to the New York/New Jersey area. Our partners have been and continue to be involved in insurance disputes throughout the country and have lectured on coverage issues.

Casualty / Tort Defense Practice

All of our attorneys handle general liability/tort matters ranging from routine automobile cases to complex pharmaceutical and product liability litigation. Like our coverage practice, our clients hire us to defend these claims not only in New York and New Jersey, but in other States throughout the country. Our focus in these cases is not only the defense of our client, but also locating other potentially responsible parties and their insurance carriers to whom we can shift financial responsibility for an accident. With our insurance expertise, we have successfully obtained coverage from other carriers via tender and/or declaratory judgment actions. The areas of our tort defense practice include the following:

• Automobile liability

• Construction accident litigation

• Defense of Municipalities and School Districts

• Medical Device Litigation

• Pharmaceutical litigation

• Premises liability

• Product liability

• Property damage - both first and third-party claims

• Trucker’s Liability

• Toxic Torts

Specialty / Professional Liability

Our partners each have substantial expertise in the defense of professional liability claims in the State and Federal Court. Our professional liability practice includes the defense of:

• Accountants

• Architects and Engineers

• Attorneys

• Directors and Officers

• Insurance Brokers and Agents

• Miscellaneous Professionals

• Real Estate Agents