I have experienced a broad spectrum of legal expertise including insurance law, commercial litigation involving architects, engineers, contractors and developers, as well as entertainment law involving music and copyrights. However, my principal practice over the past two decades involves the legal rights of the firefighters of the City of New York, including their pension rights and line-of-duty injuries.

I have been friends with members of the Fire Department of the City of New York for most of my adult life. Now I have the privilege of representing firefighters as an attorney involving a multitude of legal issues ranging from pension matters and disciplinary proceedings to injuries related to insufficient gear and protective clothing and line-of-duty injuries and burns by reason of building owners' negligence and violations of law.

I cannot think of a more honorable group of individuals to represent and have tackled a plethora of issues relating to firefighters' rights. I was the first attorney in New York City to write a firefighters' "Know Your Rights" Newsletter which first appeared in Firefighter's Quarterly magazine back in 1990 and have since published and sent this informational newsletter to members of the New York City Fire Department.

I have tried to stay on the 'cutting edge' of the firefighter practice by taking on important legal issues in an attempt to benefit the members of the FDNY and their families.

In 1998 a number of firefighters and ambulance workers were exposed to carcinogenic PCPs and dioxins at a Con Edison transformer fire on Staten Island. My office felt that the exposure was due to Con Edison's negligence and violation of law. The firefighter union's own attorneys refused to litigate against Con Ed citing the difficulty of proving "fear of cancer" cases. However, I personally interviewed dozens of firefighters at their firehouses and homes in Staten Island. My office was retained by hundreds of firefighters, ambulance workers and other emergency personnel who responded to the fire and/or who worked with contaminated equipment thereafter. Without instituting suit, Barasch McGarry settled a "fear of cancer" claim against Con Ed for an amount in excess of $2 Million. All the local newspapers (New York Times, Daily News, Staten Island...) reported on this settlement.

Another firefighter case that I am particularly proud of stems from studies in the 1970's and 1980's which indicated that New York City Firefighters were sustaining severe burns to their legs while fighting fires. Most fire departments around the country had already outfitted their members with protective bunker gear, thereby reducing the frequency and severity of leg burns. However, the City of New York failed to provide such gear to its members despite all OSHA regulations.

Special legislation enacted by Gov. Pataki's office in 1996 enabled firefighters to institute claims retroactively going back to 1987 for certain kinds of cases. Last year Barasch McGarry brought suit against the City of New York on behalf of hundreds of firefighters who had sustained leg burns by reason of the City's negligent failure to protect its firefighters.

Our firm will continue to fight for New York's Bravest, no matter how difficult the fight might be.