Weitz & Luxenberg Applauds the New York State Senate's Passage of a Bill, on November 29, 2010, Creating a Commission to Effectuate Pay Raises for State Judges, Who Have Not Had an Increase Since 1999

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Manhattan-based law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. commends the New York State Senate for passing a bill, in its special one-day session on Monday, November 29, 2010, creating a seven-member commission to evaluate and adjust judicial salaries once every four years, which have not increased since 1999. The firm has been advocating for this development for many years and is overjoyed with this news.

According to Managing Partner Arthur M. Luxenberg, "This is a long overdue development that will only benefit the state's judiciary and all of its residents. It eliminates the politics of linking judicial pay raises to the salary levels of state lawmakers." Perry Weitz, Senior Partner of the firm, added: "It has been unconscionable that judges have been denied an increase or even a cost-of-living adjustment for over a decade, which renders their current pay level at $24,000 less than they were making in 1999. Furthermore, when you consider that the average starting salary for associates at large firms is $160,000 and compare that with our judges compensation levels, it is absurd."

The National Center for State Courts has ranked the pay of New York State judges to be 48th out of the 50 states on a cost-of-living-adjusted basis, which when considering the high expense of living in New York, has created financial barriers for many talented and deserving jurists to act as the valuable public servants they would be as members of the state judiciary – the firm feels that serving as a state judge should not just be for those able to afford the "luxury" of working for substandard pay.

Perry Weitz has stated, "As trial attorneys and officers of the court, our ability to serve our clients' best interests is inextricably connected to the smooth running of the state's judicial system and having the bench attracting the best, brightest and most motivated individuals. The establishment of the judicial compensation commission will help ensure that this high standard is continued for the foreseeable future."

Weitz & Luxenberg also recognizes the efforts of Governor David A. Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in making this long-hoped-for bill a reality. According to Arthur Luxenberg: "We congratulate all members of the state senate, assembly and executive for doing what's right for our judges and all of New York."

About Weitz & Luxenberg P.C.

Weitz & Luxenberg, founded in 1986, is one of the leading plaintiffs' litigation law firms in America. The firm has played leading roles in national and local litigations involving mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer, as well as defective medicines and medical devices such as shoulder pain pumps, Yaz birth control, Zimmer Durom and DePuy ASR Hip implants, Advanced Bionics cochlear implants, Hydroxycut, Accutane, Avandia, Fosamax and Zicam, and general negligence and medical malpractice, among others. A forerunner in the legal fight against polluters, Weitz & Luxenberg has worked with clients harmed by the groundwater pollution in Endicott, New York, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, Fennville, Michigan, Paw Paw, Michigan, industrial degreasers PCE/TCE in groundwater and indoor air, the gasoline additive MTBE in water supply wells, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and PERC/PCE in coal float-sink test operations. In addition, our lawyers are also representing Gulf coast residents facing property damage and financial losses due to the BP oil spill.

SOURCE Weitz & Luxenberg P.C.