Richard Vladimir | Deer Park Personal Injury Lawyer

Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire

Please describe a case(s) in the last year or two where you made a big difference.
I recently settled a property damage case where my client's house located next to a large bay was destroyed by an electrical fire. Even though everyone agreed that there was an accidental electrical fire, the significant difficulty with the case was proving who was ultimately responsible for the cause of this fire. Although my client only hired one electrician to preform a total re-wire of her house, based on my investigation it turned out there was another electrical contractor that did a significant amount of installation work on the property a little more than a year before the incident. The original electrician said that he was unable to complete most of the project. The other electrical contractor hired their own inspector who we also sued. Although the electrical contractors admitted performing the installation work on the plaintiff's property, they completely denied responsibility for the fire's cause. In fact, the attorneys for one of the contractors filed a motion with the local court to dismiss my client's case. There was even an intervening event where a tropical storm flooded my client's basement before the subject fire. We immediately needed to hire an electrical engineer and certified fire investigator to prove that the fire was caused by the improper and careless installation of electrical wires by the electrical contractors. We had our experts examine all the physical evidence remaining at the subject property and apply the existing national and state electrical and fire prevention codes in their analysis. They determined that the defendant contractors were in violation of several different electrical codes related to the cause of the fire. Fortunately for my client, the Court denied the defendant contractor's motion to dismiss. They agreed not to appeal the Court's decision. Our office and defendant's counsel agreed to meet with a mediator to resolve the case and we settled the case about 2 months after Court rendered its decision.

How did you build a successful practice?
My father had a solo personal injury law practice in North Babylon, NY for many years until he retired in 1998. My brother and I that year started a new professional corporation which is now known as The Law Offices of Vladimir & Associates, PLLC. Most of our business originally came through word of mouth referrals from my father's old clients. Many of his old client's returned to our office for other legal services mainly personal injury cases. However, we also had to network in the local community where we held dinner and other seminars and had a local food drive. Gradually over the last 20 years, I had expanded my personal injury practice which resulted in starting a criminal defense practice as some of my personal injury client's needed representation on various traffic violations including license suspensions, DWIs, and non-motor vehicle crimes which included theft, domestic violence, criminal drug possession, assault, and other. Around 2010, I joined the Suffolk County Assigned Counsel Defender Program Misdemeanor Panel where I represented many defendants over the years which also made my practice successful.

What should clients look for in a lawyer?
Client's should look for a lawyer that is not only interested in pursing their case but a lawyer that is interested in the client as a person and lawyer that cares about his or her well-being. I always like to strike up a conversation with the clients and I ask my clients about their interests, hobbies, and their family, just to see how they are doing. Although text messaging is the most popular method of communicating these days, I feel that making a telephone call to the client is much more personable than a text message or e-mail.

How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases?
Local knowledge is very important to the success of my cases. In my cases that are in litigation in Suffolk County where my office is located, I frequently need to research the value of personal injury cases based on recent jury verdicts in that county. This really helps me tremendously in determining how much money I am going to demand when I am trying to settle a claim or case in litigation.

What information can you provide in a free phone consultation?
In a free phone consultation, besides my office location and contact infomation, I can provide the contact information for local police departments and other government agencies if there was an accident. I can also provide contact information regarding insurance companies to report an accident. I also tell prospective clients on the phone to speak to a lawyer first before they speak to an adversarial person or company.

What information do you need in a free phone consultation?
In a free phone consultation, I always tell a prospective car accident client, for example, to report his or her accident to their auto insurance company immediately and to obtain a police accident report right way so that they can make a claim for medical, lost wage, and other benefits. This is because there are quick legal deadlines that they must comply. If its a slip and fall case, I ask the client to make a written record/report of the incident with the either the owner or manager of the property were the accident occurred immediately. I also tell prospective clients to gather all of their health insurance information so that there will not be an issue in the future regarding the payment of medical bills.

What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community?
Because my practice is small and local, I spend a lot of time helping my clients get their medical claims and lost wage claims processed in my accident cases. I dedicate myself to returning my client's phone calls, texts, and e-mails the same day. I always follow up with my clients about the status of their medical treatment and their auto insurance claim status and I make sure that if they have any outstanding hospital or medical bills that notify me immediately even on weekends or holidays.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
A satisfied client is the most rewarding aspect of my job. As long as the client is happy, I am happy.

What are your other interests in addition to law?
Besides practicing law, I like hiking, bicycling, walking long distances and playing tennis. I also like to attend various sporting events and music concerts.

Are you involved in your community?
Yes. I am involved in the community. I volunteer at a local soup kitchen several times a year to help the homeless.

• New York State Defenders Association | Member | 2013 - Present
  New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers | Member | 2013 - Present
  American Civil Liberties Union | Guardian of Liberty | 2009 - Present
  Suffolk County Bar Association | Member | 1996 - Present
  New York State Bar Association | Member | 1996 - Present

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