Napa-based law firm Dickenson Peatman and Fogarty said it will add three more attorneys to its Santa Rosa office to “serve the evolving needs of the North Bay community.”

Rounding out the Santa Rosa hires are Susan Teel, who joins as a senior counsel for the firm’s wealth management group, specializing in estate planning, trust administration, probate and tax matters; Delphine Adams, who will be a senior counsel in the litigation group, with emphasis in real estate matters; and Jennifer Phillips, who will join as a associate in the labor and employment and litigation groups, also specializing in real estate as well as labor.

Gregory Walsh will take on the role of a director at the firm’s labor and employment group.

At the same time, five attorneys are leaving the firm: Brandon Blevans, who joined Blevans & Blevans in Napa, and Michael Holman, Kevin Teague, Cathy Roche and Rob Anglin, who formed their own firm in Napa under their names.

America was created by people who understood that power unchecked is power abused.  That’s why we have separation of powers, the Bill of Rights, and the right to a day in court. The law firm of Block O’Toole & Murphy makes it possible for the average American  to have their day in court by taking on cases to fight for hard working people, including construction workers, laborers, electricians, carpenters, police officers, fire fighters, and everyday  Americans, as well as New York City police, fire, and sanitation workers. Block O’Toole & Murphy’s lawyers believe that their responsibilities do not end when they have settled a case or gotten a verdict in favor of their clients. As champions of justice, they need to do whatever they can to prevent future injuries. Individuals and businesses that harm people  deliberately or through negligence  need to take responsibility for their actions. As advocates for injured people, Block O’Toole & Murphy does what it can to make the world safer. When they see injustice, when they see companies that choose greed over safety, they fight back in the courtroom, and they also work to change the laws. Today, The Insider Exclusive takes an inside look at one of New York’s premier law firms, Block, O’Toole & Murphy, and their outstanding record for seeking justice for their clients. Jeffrey Block, Daniel O’Toole and Stephen Murphy of Block O’Toole & Murphy will join us, along with Ryan Maguire and Agron Halili, two clients successfully represented by the firm, as well as guest lawyers Javier Solano and Tim Sullivan  as we examine some of the multimillion dollar record verdicts and settlements won by Block O’Toole & Murphy.

Jeffrey Block began his prolific career as a trial attorney after only being admitted to the New York State Bar for three weeks. He handles significant construction accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, medical malpractice cases, premises liability cases and motor vehicle accidents for the firm. Jeffrey has been elected as a "Super Lawyer" in New York State, recognizing him as one of the top 5% of New York personal injury trial lawyers. He honed his reputation as a young lawyer by achieving astounding results on cases that other attorneys dismissed, like a trial he handled where the Appellate Division in the Second Department sustained $1,350,000 on a non-surgical herniated disc case. He now consistently reports some of the largest verdicts in New York, including a $14,000,000 result in Nassau County, reported to be the highest non-medical malpractice verdict ever in Nassau County by the New York Jury Verdict Reporter, and a recent trial that resulted in a verdict in excess of $9,000,000 in Kings County. Jeffrey is known as a tireless worker who never settles for anything but the best for his clients. He is heavily involved in many charities and enjoys being in the position to make a difference in people's lives in and out of the courtroom.

Daniel O’Toole is one of New York's premier catastrophic injury trial attorneys, having graduated from the Fordham University School of Law in 1992. During the course of his career he has obtained in excess of $150,000,000.00 worth of settlements and verdicts, all by the age of 40. He is also the Vice-Chairman of the Labor Law Committee for the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. He is active at his church and serves on the Parish School Advisory Board as well as Chairman of his parish's Capital Campaign Committee. Daniel is an active supporter and sponsor of the St. Jude Children's Hospital, The Frances Pope Memorial Foundation (to aid the families of children with cancer), The Butterfly Foundation (to aid the families of children with cancer), Candlelighters of New York City and Judges and Lawyers Cancer Alert. He recently funded the construction of a classroom at a school for autistic children in Connecticut and is a major donor of an autism school near his home in New Jersey. Additionally, Daniel provides multiple needs based scholarships for children on annual basis for parochial grammar and high schools in New York and New Jersey.

Stephen Murphy is a lifetime New Yorker with Irish roots. He comes from a family of firefighters, police officers, prosecutors and teachers. Both of his grandfathers were members of the Fire Department. His grandfather, Stephen J. Murphy, served the City of New York as Interim Fire Commissioner. His maternal grandfather, Walter Matthews, reached the rank of Assistant Chief of Department. Stephen joined the firm Block & O'Toole in early 2005 after a successful and rewarding career as a homicide prosecutor. He handles a wide range of cases including labor law and construction accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, trucking collisions, medical malpractice and motor vehicle cases. Stephen began his legal career working as an Assistant District Attorney under Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. He honed his skills in the criminal courtrooms in Brooklyn, prosecuting persons accused of violent crimes. In early July 2003, Stephen traveled to Sarajevo on behalf of the United States Justice Department to assist in the implementation of a new justice system in post-war Bosnia & Herzegovina. Stephen is also an adjunct professor of law at the St. John's University School of law. He teaches trial advocacy and lectures on criminal and civil trial practice and evidence.

Joseph Donahue has successfully represented workers in various trades, including construction workers. In 1997 he began his career as a trial lawyer as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York. As an Assistant District Attorney Joseph investigated thousands of criminal cases, presented hundreds of cases to the New York State Grand Jury and successfully obtained jury verdicts on behalf of crime victims. He began his career in private practice at a prominent New York City law firm specializing in medical malpractice litigation. He represented hospitals and physicians against claims of medical malpractice in the fields of cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, neurosurgery, general surgery and failure to diagnose cancer. Joseph also handled substantial personal injury cases, including negligent security matters. In March 2008 he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. He is a 1994 graduate of Loyola College in Baltimore Maryland and a 1997 graduate of The City University of New York School of Law. Joseph is licensed to practice in the Federal and State Courts of New York and New Jersey. 

Block O’Toole & Murphy is one of the premier personal injury law firms in New York City. The firm’s experienced team of New York personal injury lawyers is devoted to truly caring for and fighting for the rights of their clients. The firm’s clients are diverse, hard-working people including laborers, construction workers, electricians, carpenters, police officers, firefighters and iron workers. Block O’Toole & Murphy has had the privilege of representing persons involved in construction and scaffold accidents, wrongful death actions, tractor trailer accidents, medical malpractice cases and motor vehicle collisions. The firm is proud to include members of the New York City Police, Fire and Sanitation Departments that are injured while on the job as both clients and friends.

You can contact Jeffrey Block, Daniel O’Toole and Stephen Murphy at 212-736-5300, or www.blockotoole.com

Khorrami Pollard & Abir LLP, a national plaintiff-only law firm specializing in class actions and mass torts, has just settled a $2.15 million class action case.

The case was brought before the court on behalf of certain students who attended Modern Technology/Maric College in Northern California, alleging they were mislead regarding their eligibility to sit for the ARRT examination.

More information on Khorrami Pollard & Abir LLP, including the attorneys involved and the firm’s case load, can be found on our website at www.kpalawyers.com.

For additional information please call me at 213.596.6000 or email at bwilson@kpalawyers.com.

A law firm employing the trustee winding down Bernard Madoff's investment firm has won court approval to be paid $20.3 million of additional fees, pushing its total to $50.9 million for 13-1/2 months of work.

In an order made public on Thursday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland in Manhattan authorized the additional payment to Baker & Hostetler LLP, plus reimbursement of $390,200 of expenses, covering the Oct. 1, 2009 to Jan. 31, 2010 period.

Baker & Hostetler has been awarded $59.8 million of fees overall, but is deferring 15 percent, or $9 million, until the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC is complete, court records show.

Irving Picard, the court-appointed trustee and a Baker & Hostetler partner, has been trying to recover assets for victims of Madoff and his estimated $65 billion Ponzi scheme. He has separately been awarded $1.93 million in fees.

Lifland's order came over the objections of some Madoff victims. They believe Picard either undervalues some claims, allows claims to be paid too slowly, or has a conflict of interest because he also represents the interests of the Securities Investor Protection Corp against the victims.

Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler PLLC is joining firms who have filed class-action lawsuits relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

A Charleston law firm has joined a consortium of 10 law firms filing lawsuits against British Petroleum relating to a recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The law firm of Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler PLLC is joining firms throughout the country who have filed class-action lawsuits on behalf of people who allege they have been damaged by the spill.

According to a release by the Kennedy Environmental Law Group, or KELG, the oil spill and the inability of BP to contain the spill, has resulted in significant damage to the fishery ecosystem and the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

The consortium has filed suits in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida.

Ed Hill, an attorney for Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler, said the law firms involved with the cases all have been involved in previous environmental law cases. He said the suits were filed after the firms recognized the enormous environmental disaster occurring in the Gulf of Mexico.

New Jersey law firm Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard has hired a trio of Fort Worth bankruptcy attorneys.

Michael Warner, Emily Chou and Rachel Obaldo have joined the firm. The three were formerly with the firm WarnerStevens LLP, which is dissolving.

They will open a new office for Cole Schotz in Fort Worth.

The move is the firm's first expansion into Texas. It also has offices New York, Delaware Maryland and Texas.