David L. Scher

David L. Scher is a partner at Block O’Toole & Murphy, a prominent personal injury law firm in New York City. As the head of the firm’s appellate practice, he has handled numerous seminal cases and helped obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in resolutions for clients. He practices in several areas, including:  

• Construction accidents   

• Motor vehicle accidents  

• Workplace injuries  

• Wrongful deaths  

From 2023 to 2024, Mr. Scher was chosen to serve as president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA), a group of nearly 4,000 lawyers dedicated to fostering civil justice in the state. His work as a fierce advocate for justice and a trusted legal authority has been recognized by a number of organizations, including Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers®, and National Trial Lawyers.  

Over his two decades in law, Mr. Scher has established a formidable reputation in the courtroom. In 2024, Mr. Scher helped firm partners Daniel P. O’Toole and Scott Occhiogrosso secure a $65,000,000 settlement – the largest known personal injury settlement in New York – for a paralyzed Brooklyn cyclist. In 2021, he and Partner Stephen J. Murphy returned the top three highest construction accident results in the Northeast, and in 2020, he handled three of Top Verdict’s Top 50 Settlements in the U.S.  

Some of Mr. Scher’s other top results include:  

• $15,000,000 settlement for an HVAC technician who tragically died while installing a chiller unit at a hospital in the Bronx. Mr. Scher’s unique argument in front of the Appellate Division reversed the lower court’s initial dismissal of the case.  

• $12,000,000 settlement for a local 147 union tunnel worker who sustained significant neurological and orthopedic injuries after falling through an open shaft at a Manhattan construction site.  

• $9,950,000 settlement for a young social worker in Buffalo who suffered an above-the-knee leg amputation after she was struck by a van in a parking lot while loading groceries into her car.  

• $8,800,000 settlement for a grandmother who suffered a traumatic brain injury, along with other orthopedic injuries, after she was hit by a van in Queens.  

Mr. Scher’s appellate arguments have also resulted in some of New York’s most critical construction safety decisions. His work on cases like Ortiz v. Varsity Holdings have helped extend the protections afforded to workers under Labor Law 240(1).  

Outside of the courtroom, Mr. Scher contributes to legal education by writing for legal publications, including the New York Law Journal, and speaking on various panels. He is also the Co-Chair of NYSTLA’s Labor Law Committee and a member of the New York State Unified Court System’s advisory committee on artificial intelligence. His charitable activities include significant fundraising for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through annual events. 

After earning his undergraduate degree from Tufts University, Mr. Scher was determined to pursue law. He attended Fordham University School of Law, and before his tenure at Block O’Toole & Murphy, he gained experience at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, interned for Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich, and volunteered at a civil rights legal aid clinic.