Medical Malpractice

Civil litigation. 20+ years' experience in the New York Courts representing injured plaintiffs and their families in neglience, personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice cases.

Please call me "Val" ("Mr. Wallace" is fine too if you prefer).

When a person is injured or killed as a result of negligence or medical malpractice, the financial fallout for their family is devastating. Considering the high costs of medical care, the hospital bills alone can run into six or seven figures. Unfortunately, it is virtually unknown for a medical provider to admit their mistake and voluntarily make good for the patient and their family. The only option a patient and their family has is to file suit for compensation.

A New York civil case on the grounds of medical malpractice is brought only after a highly qualified physician expert in the medical field involved has carefully reviewed the case, and in their professional opinion, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, there is a good faith basis for proceeding with court action to highlight the error in treatment. 

Health care providers, Municipal entities, hospitals and nursing homes are required to carry insurance, and court actions are brought where atypical and unusual situations in these settings result in patient harm or death. These cases are brought on behalf of the patient, with the use of experts in the medical field involved, who will identify for the institution itself where they went wrong, so that an acceptable standard of medical care can be preserved, and the harm caused to the plaintiff can be avoided for future patients.

The insurance companies that cover health care providers often elect to vigorously defend against legitimate claims in Court to reduce their financial exposure. Sides are taken: an injured plaintiff and an insured defendant, and the insured defendant, with attorneys appointed by the insurance company to represent them, is always very ably represented in defending these claims. Injured plaintiffs, on the other hand, who would otherwise be no match for the insurance companies, rely on attorneys such as myself to take their cases on a contingency, so that they may have their day in Court and hope to achieve justice.

My office handles cases filed in the Courts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Westchester and Nassau counties, and where appropriate, in Federal Court.

There are no upfront fees. All cases accepted under Retainer are undertaken on a 'contingent fee' basis, which means we will advance case costs, and no legal fees are payable unless and until a successful financial recovery is achieved in Court on your case. Pursuant to New York law, the legal fees are then deducted from the financial recovery.

I work hard to obtain the best possible outcome.