Steven Schiesel

Bar / Professional Activity

• U.S. District Courts Eastern Districts of New York
• Member, New York County Lawyers Association, 1992 - Present
• Member, New York State Bar Association Committee on Attorney Professionalism, 2006 - Present
• Member, New York State Bar Association
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. District Courts Southern Districts of New York
• President's Club, American Association for Justice, 2005 - 2007
• Connecticut, Admitted, 1992
• Member, American Association for Justice, 1989 - Present
• Member, American College of Legal Medicine, 1992 - 1998
• Board of Directors and Executive Committee, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2006 - 2007
• New York, Admitted, 1993

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• $500,000.00 settlement for driver of car who sustained a herniated disc when rear ended by another car.  
• Settlement: $5,000,000.00 settlement in Federal Court against a Foreign Government for airplane cleaner who fell and sustained fractures while removing garbage from a Government owned plane at JFK airport. The case had been declined by two law firms who believed the case lacked merit.
• Settlement: $475,000.00 for truck driver who lacerated a finger while working.
• Settlement: $2,100,000.00 for husband whose wife was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while she was crossing the street with a red light.
• Verdict: 1,500,000.00 for trip and fall while exiting commercial building.
• Settlement: $3,500,000.00 for spouse of an individual who died as a result of medical malpractice.
• Verdict: $619,388.00 for labourer who fell from scaffold fracturing both wrists.  Plaintiff was working and not undergoing medical treatment at time of trial. The verdict was for pain and suffering only.  
• Settlement: $36,000,000.00 structured settlement for woman paralyzed in an automobile accident in Queens, New York. Plaintiff was intoxicated, not wearing a seatbelt, and was sitting on another passenger's lap in an overcrowded car at the time of the accident. The corporate defendant which owned the car declared bankruptcy prior to trial, and the case was litigated in Federal Bankruptcy Court in Delaware when it was settled at full value with the defendant's insurance company.  
• Settlement: $3,250,000.00 for welder who fell from ladder and fractured wrist.
• Settlement: $300,000.00 for debilitated patients who fell on ice and sustained a torn tendon.
• Settlement: $375,000.00 for elderly nursing patient who fell and fractured hip due to lack of nursing supervision (fracture repaired by minimally invasive surgery). 
• Settlement: $1,500,000.00 in Federal Court for Carnival Worker injured by metal pipe that fell from a Ferris Wheel. 
• Verdict: Obtained a directed verdict on behalf of a self insured dentist sued for malpractice.
• Settlement During Trial: $975,000.00 for labourer who fractured skull after falling from a scaffold. 
• Verdict: $1,210,088.00 for worker who sustained sciatic nerve injury at work.
• Settlement: $3,000,000.00 for upstate New York infant injured during child birth.  
• Settlement: $1,125,000.00 for patient injured as a result of Hospital's failure to diagnose an aneurysm.
• Settlement: $650,000.00 for individual involved in motor vehicle accident causing dental injuries and a knee injury requiring minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery.  
• Verdict: $300,000.00 for dental tech. who sprained wrist in car accident.
• Settlement: $230,000.00 for man who sustained a knee injury as a result of tripping and falling on depressed asphalt in the street while walking to his car outside the crosswalk. 
• Settlement: $700,000.00 for Labourer who fractured leg as a result of falling at a construction site.  Cast worn for 4 months, but no surgery performed. Case had been declined by other law firms.
• Settlement: $1,825,000.00 for woman who sustained herniated disc in car accident.
• Verdict: $1,064.357.00 for plaintiff who was involved in minor car accident. Minimally invasive shoulder surgery performed.
• Settlement During Trial $1,360,000.00 for passengers injured in a motor vehicle collision.
• Verdict: Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a dental lab sued for malpractice, breach of warranty and breach of contract. Plaintiffs, a large group of Dentists, sued the lab for manufacturing defective dentures and other prosthetics which allegedly exposed the dental group to malpractice claims.   
• Settlement During Trial: $2,400,000.00 for upstate New York infant injured during childbirth.
• Settlement: $750,000.00 for young girl who sustained a mild shoulder injury, erbs palsy, during her birth.
• Settlement: $975,000.00 total settlement for restaurant worker who slipped and fell injuring lower back (no surgery)
• Settlement: $400,000.00 in a malpractice case against a City Hospital for improper treatment of an infection in elderly AIDS patient. 
• Verdict: $587,000.00 for wrist fractures for labourer who fell from ladder.
• Settlement During Trial: $450,000.00 for man who sustained a fractured hip after being struck by a stolen car being pursued by police after robbery.
• Settlement: $750,000.00 for elderly hospital patient who fractured jaw as result of fall.
• Settlement During Trial: $375,000.00 for man who sustained an ankle fracture as a result of slipping and falling on ice on a city sidewalk.
• Settlement: $1,250,000.00 in a Federal Court Civil Rights case for a plaintiff who was wrongfully convicted of murder. Case settled prior to discovery. The case had been declined by other law firms believing it lacked merit.
• Verdict: $1,200,000.00 for patient who injured arm and neck while riding as a passenger in an ambulette involved in an accident. 
• Verdict: Obtained a plaintiff's verdict on liability on behalf of a dental technician in a claim against a large dental practice for breach of contract in the sale of dental prosthesis. 
• Settlement: $750,000.00 for repairman who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery after falling from a ladder.
• Settlement During Trial: Confidential settlement with Life Insurance Company for the Estate of a man who died as a result of a heart attack three months after purchasing multiple life insurance policies. The insurance company refused to pay the policy proceeds claiming that the decedent made material misrepresentations on the insurance application.
• Settlement: $850,000.00 for electrician who fell at a construction site injuring his neck and losing 8 months from work (no surgery).   
• Settlement During Trial: $2,950,000.00 for worker who suffered neck and back injuries as a result of a fall. 
• Settlement: $1,800,000.00 for maintenance man hit by a van while going to work. Fractured skull with surgery.

Special Licenses / Certifications

• Masters of Trial Law, Highest Designation, American Association of Justice.
• Masters Level, Highest Designation, Keenan Trial Institute
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Diplomat, The National College of Trial Advocacy, Washington, D.C.
• ASTA Certification, The National College of Trial Advocacy, Washington, D.C.

Pro bono / Community Service

• Serves as a Judge for Trial Advocacy Competitions at the High School, College and Law School Levels. 2006-2014.
• Coaches High School Moot Court and Trial Advocacy teams in underserved areas in New York City.   
• Represents mentally ill individuals pro bono in various legal proceedings, 2007

Educational Background

• Columbia University, New York, New York, B.A. cum laude, Honors: Elected to the Psi Chi National Honor Society and was regularly on the Dean's List
• Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, PA, LL.M. in Trial Advocacy

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• Deposition Skills, Guest Instructor, Temple University School of Law, LL.M. in Trial Advocacy Program
• Instructor, Trial Advocacy Skills, Trial Advocacy Program For H.S. Students, 2008
• Fordham International Law Journal, Staff Writer
• Book Review-Litigating Brain Injuries Bill of Particulars (New York State Trial Lawyers Association), 2007

Other Outstanding Achievements

• Pro Bono Award from The New York State Bar Association
• Intertel. Life Member. Granted membership based upon score achieved on competitive admissions examinations, 1987
• Harvard Law School, Harvard Negotiation Institute. Completed a one week practical skills workshop in negotiation and mediation. 
• Mensa, Life Member. Granted membership based upon score achieved on a competitive admission examination, 1985
• Graduate, Trial Lawyers Institute, Atlanta Georgia. Completed 14 course Trial Skills program at the Keenan Law Firm in Atlanta, Georgia, 2017
• Certified, Advanced Studies in Trial Advocacy, National College of Advocacy, Washington, D.C.
• Graduate, Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College, Dubois Wyoming. Completed one month Advanced Trial Skills program at the Spence Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming, 2013

Honors

• New York Super Lawyers, 2009 and 2010
• Named as one of the top 10 personal injury attorneys in the Northeastern United States, Arrive Magazine, 2010
• Empire State Counsel Award, New York State Bar Association, 2008
• Named a Top Rated Lawyer by the New York Law Journal, New York Law Journal Top Rated Lawyers, 2018
• AV (Preeminent 5/5 Peer Review) Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, 2010-present.  Ratings are based on a questionnaire Martindale-Hubbell submits to Judges practiced before as well as peers who practice personal injury litigation  
• Trial Advocacy Award American Association for Justice, 2007
• Diplomat, Trial Advocacy, National College of Advocacy, 2007
• Rated 10/10 (Superb, Highest Rating) by AVVO Lawyers Rating Service
• Named as One of the Top 10 Personal Injury Attorneys in the Northeastern United States by Arrive Magazine, Top 10 Personal Injury Attorneys, Arrive Magazine published by AMTRAK, 2011
• Lifetime Membership, Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Finalist, Lawdragon's 500 Leading Lawyers In America Lawdragon Magazine, 2008
• Rated among the top 3000 Leading Plaintiff's Lawyers in America Lawdragon Magazine, 2006
• Trial Advocacy Award American Association for Justice (ATLA), 2010
• Included on the list of Top Rated Trial Lawyers in the United States published by Martindale-Hubbell and the National Law Journal. 2013-2018. 

Awards

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AV Preeminent®: This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.

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