Articles Posted in Firm News

The Commission on Judicial Conduct has cleared the presiding justice of the First Department Appellate Division, Judge Luis Gonzalez, of all charges of misconduct in connection with allegations that he improperly made attestations on certain mortgage documents, improperly permitted the private practice of law by his executive assistant, permitted a “no-show” job and engaged in nepotism and favoritism in hiring certain individuals. The Commission of Judicial Conduct felt it appropriate to dismiss the charges after conducting a detailed and thorough investigation which included review of hundreds of pages of documents, interviews of more than 50 witnesses and two days of questioning of Judge Gonzalez himself. In dismissing the charges, the Commission’s report made clear that the Judge’s testimony was forthright and credible. The Commission did make recommendations to the Administrative Board of the Courts that they collectively examine the hiring practices of the Appellate Divisions and devise, among other things, a uniform and comprehensive guideline for hiring practices which would avoid nepotism and favoritism and promote merit.

Ben Rubinowitz, the lawyer representing Judge Gonzalez, said,

“I am pleased to see that after the Commission on Judicial Conduct conducted an extensive investigation prompted, in large part by baseless rumors, it has cleared Judge Gonzalez of any wrongdoing.

TRIAL PRACTICE Ben B. Rubinowitz

Ben Rubinowitz, a partner at the New York Law Firm, Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, will serve as Chair of the New York Bar Association‘s Practical Skills Course, The Basics of Civil Practice — The Trial. The program, which will take place on Tuesday, November 15, 2011, will include all aspects of a trial including: Jury Selection, Opening Statements, Direct and Cross Examination, and Summations. In addition, a portion of this program will be devoted to the use of Expert Witnesses at Trial along with informative suggestions on Motion Practice at Trial, Objections and Jury Instructions.

When asked about this program Mr. Rubinowitz said, “I am delighted to have been asked to Chair this program on Trial Practice. I will be joined with some very talented lawyers including David Dean, Michael Ross, Glenn Dopf, Jeff Korek,Leslie Kelmachter, and Henry Miller. This is sure to be an excellent program.” For more than 25 years Ben Rubinowitz has specialized in representing the seriously injured victims of automobile, train and bus accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice cases, products liability claims and civil rights violations. Known for his expertise at trial, Ben was recently inducted into the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates.

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Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf, a leading New York law firm, announces that it has been listed in six practice areas in the just released ranking of law firms by U.S. News Media Group, the publishers of U.S. News & World Report, and Best Lawyers®. This is the second edition of this highly-anticipated annual analysis.

Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf was nationally ranked in the top tier in Product Liability Litigation. The firm also ranked in the top tier in five legal specialties in the New York City Metropolitan Area in Legal Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury Litigation, Product Liability Litigation and Professional Malpractice Law. Additionally, the firm was ranked in the second tier in Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions in the New York Metropolitan area.

Inclusion in the “Best Law Firms” listing is based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes data collection, evaluation and feedback from thousands of clients, lawyers and law firm representatives spanning a wide range of practice areas nationwide.

The New York County Lawyers’ Association is presenting a Public Forum on Judicial Independence. Among the issues to be discussed include: The debate over whether Judicial Disciplinary Hearings should be open or closed and what the press’ responsibility should be to ensure balanced reporting of public accusations against a judge. Ben Rubinowitz of GGCSMB&R will be a featured speaker at this conference. Mr. Rubinowitz, known as a “Trial Lawyer’s Trial Lawyer,” who represents severely injured individuals in personal injury and medical malpractice cases, has also represented a number of judges in disciplinary matters before the NYS Judicial Conduct Commission. In a statement Rubinowitz said ” I am honored to participate in this conference with such esteemed members of the Trial Bar and Judiciary.”

The conference will take place on:

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 from 6:00 – 8:00pm

Our attorney Jeffrey Bloom will speak at the sold out Bridging the Gap program at the New York State Bar Association. He’ll be lecturing on “Commencing a Civil Lawsuit in New York” on September 12th.

You can register for overflow seating here.