ABOUT WINGATE, RUSSOTTI & SHAPIRO

The firm was started in 1990 when Bill Wingate and Phil Russotti merged their respective practices. Bill practiced personal injury law for nearly 50 years before his death and was recognized as one of the most successful personal injury attorneys in New York State. Phil, over the past 25 years, has successfully tried cases in virtually every state and federal courthouse in the New York metropolitan area. Phil is extremely well known in the personal injury/medical malpractice field having been selected a Super Lawyer every year since 2007 by his peers. "Super Lawyers," is a publication of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. For more information, click here. He also holds the rating of AV by Martindale Hubble, which is the highest professional rating for both legal ability and ethical standards. He has also been named to the Bar Registry of Pre-eminent Lawyers by LexisNexis.

Cliff Shapiro, who has exclusively practiced personal injury law since his admission to the bar, has been associated with Bill since 1986 and has been the managing partner of our firm since 1993. Cliff is responsible for negotiating most of the settlements in the office and managing the firm.

Ken Halperin is an expert in construction accident litigation, in which he has been specializing for over ten (10) years, and has a vast degree of knowledge about New York State Labor Law and the Industrial Code. He participates on the Construction Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and New York State Trial Lawyer Association. He has achieved excellent results, as is evident from the numerous million dollar settlements and verdicts he has obtained. Ken has an excellent reputation for expertly handling these difficult cases.

Phil is responsible for overseeing the medical malpractice team, which includes Jason Rubin, Thomas Oliva and Kathleen P. Kettles. Jason and Tom are both very experienced medical malpractice trial attorneys who are thoroughly versed in every aspect of both the medical and legal issues involved in every case. Jason was named a Super Lawyer in 2010, a tribute to his success in the medical malpractice field. Kathleen was a nurse prior to becoming an attorney, and uses her extensive medical background and knowledge to review and analyze the most complex medical malpractice and product liability cases we handle. That experience together with her legal skills enables her to identify the targets of our actions and then question them aggressively at depositions. Everyone works closely with each other and our malpractice department is as good as any law firm in the state.

Bill Hepner, a former Law Review editor, is an excellent legal writer with experience in all areas of personal injury cases. He is meticulous in his analysis and preparation of each and every case he handles. He is responsible for the most difficult and complex premises liability cases which often involves disgorging critical details in the discovery process from powerful real estate companies trying to shield their liability.

Michael Fitzpatrick is a seasoned litigator who concentrates on premises and construction litigation. Mike has extensive experience in the burgeoning area of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration.

Joseph Stoduto is an aggressive, skilled litigator and writer, often initiating and winning motions for summary judgment on behalf of our clients.

Nicole Gill has a wealth of experience in municipal liability cases having been previously employed as a New York City Corporation Counsel.

Rob Bellinson was a Democratic candidate in two campaigns for the New York State Senate. After he entered private practice, he has tried to verdict scores of premises liability, automobile accidents and general negligence cases.

Paula Greco, who concentrates on automobile litigation, is fully versed in the arcane provisions of uninsured and supplementary motorist coverage, which is often an area of potential additional insurance coverage overlooked by other firms. This combined wealth of experience matches that of any personal injury firm in New York.

Our philosophy is to thoroughly prepare every case for the crucible of the courtroom. That requires meticulous preparation of all relevant facts and complete knowledge of applicable law. Our attorneys work closely with doctors and other professionals in bringing together the best expert witnesses to assist in preparation and trial of our cases. We spare no expense because we believe that each client deserves the best opportunity to present his or her case to a jury.

Not only have we had great success at trial, but our appellate record is outstanding. We handle our own appeals and take pride in the firm's contributions to the advancement of personal injury law on the appellate level. We are especially proud of arguing and obtaining favorable decisions in two of the leading medical malpractice cases in New York, one permitting punitive damages, the other extending the Statute of Limitations in order to allow a doctor to be sued.

Of course, every case is not tried to verdict. We are able to obtain substantial settlements prior to trial because insurance companies and the defense bar know that our firm investigates every case thoroughly and expertly and is always well prepared to try every case. In addition, we firmly believe in the mediation and arbitration process which affords our clients a faster result with a full recovery. We approach the preparation of cases and representation of our clients as a team. Our highly skilled and knowledgeable support staff is enthusiastic and dedicated to its work. We also utilize the most advanced computer systems in order to manage our cases efficiently and to obtain legal, investigative and medical information as quickly and thoroughly as the most current technology allows. Simply put, our clients receive the best representation from outstanding attorneys, led by experienced litigators with exceptional judgment assisted by a motivated support staff. The combination of Bill's vast experience, Phil's trial skills and Cliff's negotiation and management techniques, together with excellent trial attorneys eminently capable of trying any case, is a unique and compelling combination which garners the best achievable result for our clients.