Rheingold, Valet, Rheingold & McCartney Announces New Partners and New Firm Name

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- High-profile New York based mass tort and personal injury litigation firm Rheingold, Valet, Rheingold & McCartney announced today a name change to correspond the expansion of its practice with the addition of new partners Thomas P. Giuffra and Sherri L. Plotkin and their staff.  The firm will be known as Rheingold, Valet, Rheingold, McCartney & Giuffra LLP. Founding partner Paul Rheingold said about the expansion, "We are pleased to have the opportunity to expand our practice to include talented attorneys such as Tom and Sherri and their extensive practice group and look forward to the future growth and expansion of our firm."

Mr. Giuffra, formerly a partner with the law firm of Barton, Barton & Plotkin, LLP is recognized as one of the most successful trial lawyers in New York under the age of fifty and specializes in the trial of complex personal injury and medical malpractice actions. Over his sixteen year career he has amassed ten verdicts and numerous settlements over one million dollars.  One of his significant verdicts was for $21 million for three children who suffered lead poisoning due to the presence of lead-based paint in their apartment. This was one of the largest verdicts in the United States in 2008 as reported by the National Law Journal. Mr. Giuffra also had one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in New York State in 2009 and 2010 as reported by the New York Law Journal. During his career, Mr. Giuffra has handled cases involving medical malpractice, construction accidents, civil rights violations, product liability (including motor vehicle crashworthiness), toxic torts, admiralty, pharmaceutical mass tort litigation, car accidents, premises security and general negligence. Mr. Giuffra was previously associated with Rheingold, Valet, Rheingold and McCartney from 1997 to 2001.

"Tom is one of our most successful alumni. While he was with our firm he achieved his first million dollar verdict when he was only a few years out of law school, he demonstrated his extraordinary skills as a trial lawyer by averaging a million dollar verdict every year since he left the firm. There are very few attorneys who can claim such a record. We were very proud of his accomplishments and were eager to have him return where he started his career as a trial lawyer," said Paul Rheingold.

Ms. Plotkin, formerly a partner with the law firm of Barton, Barton & Plotkin, LLP has exclusively represented victims of medical malpractice and serious personal injuries for over 35 years.  She is widely acknowledged to be one of the leading attorneys practicing in these areas of the law in New York.  Ms. Plotkin is a tenacious litigator who is an aggressive advocate on behalf of her clients.  She is a dedicated, passionate and knowledgeable trial attorney who takes great pride and satisfaction in being able to help people who have been injured.  Ms. Plotkin's advocacy skills have led to numerous verdicts and settlements on behalf of her clients in excess of one million dollars over the course of her career.

"We are pleased to have Sherri join our firm, she brings her many years of experience in medical malpractice and complex personal injury litigation which has yielded tremendous results which will further build upon our successful medical malpractice and personal injury practice," noted Thomas Valet, the head of the firm's medical malpractice department.

The addition of Mr. Giuffra and Ms. Plotkin includes an extensive practice group and involved a significant increase in the size of the firm. "The expansion of our firm further strengthens one of the top plaintiff's law firms in the country and will enable us to provide our clients with the very best legal representation which yields outstanding results," said Rheingold.

The firm has been a dynamic force among plaintiff's law firms nationwide and has been involved in numerous groundbreaking litigations since its founding in 1971 by Paul Rheingold.  The firm practices throughout the United States representing victims of negligence in the fields of pharmaceutical mass torts, defective product, medical and professional malpractice and general negligence matters. The firm is regularly called upon by other lawyers to act as counsel for them. The partners of the firm are all recognized as leaders in their fields and lecture regularly.

Contact: Rheingold, Valet, Rheingold, McCartney & Giuffra LLP, 212.684.1880, www.rheingoldlaw.com

SOURCE Rheingold, Valet, Rheingold, McCartney & Giuffra LLP