We are right in the middle of “regular-firearm” (as opposed to bow-and-arrow) deer hunting season in New York State. It started October 23 and ends December 12. So let’s talk about car-on-deer collisions, how to avoid them, and the legal consequences if you don’t. Deer are a lot like you…
Today I am going to blog about legal advertising and my love/hate relationship with it. First, why do Syracuse NY area personal injury lawyers like us have to advertise at all? The question is a fair one. After all, our law firm is, according not just to us, but to…
We are pleased to announce that all four of M&S’s lawyers have once again been ranked in the publication The Best Lawyers in America© (2022 edition). Dave Kalabanka was listed for representing plaintiffs in personal injury and products liability litigation, Lee Michaels and Jan Smolak for personal injury litigation, and…
Hello there blog readers! This is Dave Kalabanka, Mike Bersani’s partner. I’ve hijacked his blog for today to interview Mike about another important award he just got: Mike has been selected the 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for the Syracuse metropolitan area in the field of “professional malpractice” for his outstanding…
The answer to the question posed in the title of this blog post is “yes”. I will show you how this is true using a recent case I settled as an example. My pedestrian-client was injured while j-walking across East Genesee Street in Auburn, right outside our main office. The…
I have been representing personal injury victims for decades. No two victims are alike. They’re kind of like snowflakes: They are each unique. This goes for how they deal with their injuries, too. But generally you can think of how they handle their injuries as running along a spectrum, a…
I am arguing an appeal tomorrow. I am writing this blog post during a “break” in my preparation. Let me tell you about the appeal, and how I am preparing to argue it. First, it’s a big case. We have sued for more than $8,000,000. Our client is a wealthy…
We get this question a lot. When we get it early on – while the client is still treating for her injuries, the answer is, “we don’t know”. It depends on how well and how quickly you heal”. But once the client is done healing and we can see what…
You are walking along the shoulder of a road with no sidewalk. You are facing traffic, as you are supposed to. To your right, walking with you, is your husband. Suddenly the car heading towards you veers off the road and onto the shoulder. You have time to jump to…
Several years ago, Lee Michaels, our senior member, was asked and agreed to endow this significant scholarship and award at Syracuse University College of Law recognizing a second-year top trial or appellate advocacy student. The primary goal in initiating this scholarship/award was to help a worthy student, but it was…