AWARD WINNERS

Personal Injury

Personal Injury

Michael D. Napolitano is a shareholder of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. and chair of the firm’s Personal Injury group. With more than 33 years of experience, Michael represents clients with matters ranging from motor vehicle, slip/trip and fall to complex construction accidents. Michael has successfully litigated and obtained hundreds of injury settlements for his clients and prides himself on continuous communications and accessibility.

Prior to joining Meyer, Suozzi in 2010, he was in private practice and performed Of Counsel work for various personal injury firms. He began his personal injury career as an Assistant Town Attorney for the Town of Hempstead and his legal career as a tax attorney for Ernst & Young. He is actively involved in charitable and community institutions, and has served on various committees for the Arthritis Foundation, Long Island chapter and St. Anthony’s High School, Melville.

Q&A

What has been your greatest achievement(s) within the past year?

I had been handling a case for a client for the past few years and because of Covid, it had been delayed longer than anyone anticipated. I was able to get the matter into mediation and then resolved for an amount that exceeded the client’s expectations. He was genuinely appreciative of all of my efforts and expressed how thankful he was to have retained me when he was being inundated with recommendations from friends and relatives of other personal injury attorneys. He advised me that he knew I was the right choice after we had met, and I had kept him informed all along the way of the status of the litigation and was always responsive to his questions about his matter. He told me that he would make sure to recommend me to anyone he knew who needed an attorney that would always protect the best interests of the client.

When I receive such heartfelt gratitude from a client I know why I’m in this profession.

Frank Torres, trial attorney at Duffy & Duffy, was born in Brooklyn of Latino immigrant parents. Frank went on to attend Brooklyn Prep, then St. Francis College, graduating summa cum laude, and later Columbia Law School. Frank has practiced for the past 40 years in the field of medical malpractice and personal injury, initially on behalf of defendants, and for the past 23 years solely on behalf of plaintiffs.

Since 2010, Frank has been with the renowned medical malpractice and personal injury firm of Duffy & Duffy, representing injured parties, throughout the tri state area. As a past President of the Long Island Hispanic Bar Association, Frank mentors a number of young, Latino/a lawyers. Being bilingual,Frank represents many Latino clients throughout the NY region. His awards include, Top Latino Lawyer, 50 Over 50, Super Lawyer, Top Attorneys of New York, Distinguished Attorney of the Year and The Latino Lawyer of the Year. Frank serves on the Boards of the Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association and Accident Mate.

FRANK TORRES Associate Attorney Duffy & Duffy, PLLC Q&A

What/Who inspired you to be on the path you’re on today?

My parents, neither one with a formal education, and both from the Islands of Cuba & Puerto Rico, instilled in me the importance of education and were always there for me through their sacrifices as a constant encouragement.

JAY M. HERMAN Partner

Herman Katz Cangemi Wilkes & Clyne, LLP

Jay M. Herman began his legal career in the field of property valuation litigation (Tax Certiorari and Condemnation Law) as a trial attorney for the two largest assessing jurisdictions (New York City and Nassau County). He was fortunate to be associated with both jurisdictions at a time when each litigated matters on a frequent basis.

Jay subsequently became a partner in several major Long Island law firms. In 2005, Jay and his longtime friend and former colleague in the tax certiorari department of the NYC Law department, Robert S. Katz, formed Herman & Katz, LLP. The firm consisted of two attorneys and three support employees.

Today, over 17 years later, the firm Herman Katz Cangemi Wilkes & Clyne, LLP has three offices (NYC, Long Island, Westchester) and consists of 11 attorneys and 25 support staff. Jay and the firm practice throughout New York State and have developed a national presence by overseeing national portfolios for major clients. Jay’s litigation experience has involved properties from Buffalo to East Hampton.

Jay is a member of the Institute of Professional in Taxation (IPT) where he and the HKCWC attorneys have lectured numerous times to a national group of attorneys, consultants and corporate real estate leaders. He is also affiliated with the IAAO (International Association of Assessing Officers) and The Appraisal Institute and has lectured before both organizations.

Q&A

If you weren’t in the industry, you’re in now, where would you be?

Since I wasn’t going to play centerfield for the New York Yankees, I was admitted to the LLM program in Corporate Law at New York University with a pending interview at Citibank.

We pride ourselves in answering not only the questions our clients ask of us, but also in answering the questions they didn’t think to ask; of analyzing not only what we are given to analyze, but what we were not given as well.