New York State has a new rule — §202.5[e] of the Uniform Civil Rules of the Supreme and County Courts — requiring attorneys to omit or redact “confidential personal information” from court-filed papers. The “confidential personal information” includes social security numbers (except the last four digits), the dates of birth…
A good personal injury trial lawyer is a good story teller. That’s what it takes to win a trial. A trial is really about competing stories. Whichever side tells the best, most compelling, and most believable story, wins. That’s why a good personal injury trial attorney shuns boring power point…
Last Friday I argued an appeal in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals at 40 Centre Street in Foley Square in downtown Manhattan. I had not done that I quite a while (a decade?). When you are used to arguing appeals in State court, a Federal appeals court is somewhat…
I just finished trying a case in Federal Court in Syracuse. It was an unusual case for me. I normally try only New York personal injury cases. But in this trial I represented a fellow lawyer who got fired from her job as Cayuga County Assistant Attorney. We claimed she…
Litigation lawyers are, in a sense, at war. Each lawyer is fighting for his client to prevail. A spirited fight requires, sometimes, spirited verbal exchanges. But there are limits. Fellow lawyers, here’s a little rule of thumb: Don’t call your opponent an “asshole”. That’s exactly what one lawyer called another…
A recent case published in the New York Law Journal illustrates the importance of personal injury lawyers promptly demanding that surveillance videos be preserved. Surveillance cameras are virtually everywhere now: In our streets, stores, businesses, banks, schools and traffic lights. So almost every time a new case comes into your…
Many moons ago, before we humans invented a civil justice system, we resolved our disputes by brute force. Might made right. In the words of Thomas Hobbes, life was “nasty, brutish and short.” Then trials and courtrooms evolved. We put down our fists and swords and let judges and juries…
Advice to a young personal injury lawyer: Hey there young fella. Look at me! Grey hair is creeping up the side of my scalp. I am within shouting distance of 60-years old. I am now a veteran New York personal injury litigator. My running stride is slower, and aches and…
There’s something new at Michaels Bersani Kalabanka: Personal injury informational videos. I have filmed about 20 so far (but not all are posted yet). Each runs for less than 5 minutes, and usually more like 3 minutes. Check them out here! For example, want to learn how a New York…
I came across a Stanford law professor’s study on the effect of “settlement mill” type personal injury law firms on personal injury case settlement results. If you’re searching for a New York personal injury lawyer, it’s worth a read! But since you probably won’t read it (it is 63 pages…