For over 20 years I've handled well over a thousand cases all with the same goal of guiding my clients through the process and maximizing their results. There are few issues I have not seen and handled successfully.

Herbert Mendelsohn is a personal injury lawyer proudly serving clients in New Haven, Connecticut and the neighboring communities.

Representing the accused and the injured since 1957. We understand that sometimes good people make mistakes. The story of the LoRicco family and the LoRicco Law Firm is intertwined with the history of New Haven. Our firm has been engaged in the general practice of law since 1956, with an emphasis on personal injury matters such as auto accidents, bicycle accidents and work injuries. Our attorneys are revered for producing successful client outcomes by means of calculated negotiations and passionate representation. We regularly secure substantial verdicts on behalf of our clients in state and federal trial courts throughout Connecticut. With decades of combined experience and an over 50-year law firm history, we have the resources and talent to confidently guide your family or business through the legal process successfully and efficiently.

Attorney Seifert is a graduate of Trinity College, Hartford and Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio. He was a research assistant in products liability and criminal law. He is the recipient of the Criminal Law Book Prize. He has been practicing law in Connecticut since 1981. In October of 1987, the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, William H. Rehnquist, swore Attorney Seifert in to practice before the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Representative matters include breach of contract cases, professional malpractice actions, toxic tort litigation, insurance bad faith cases, personal injury cases, probate, trusts, estates and appeals. In 1990, he successfully represented three contestants in the Ethel Donaghue will contest case, the largest will contest case ever brought to trial in Connecticut at that time. He also has been a trustee and executor of various estates over the years. Attorney Seifert has argued successfully before the Connecticut Appellate Court, the Connecticut Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Representative appellate decisions are: State v. Graham, 200 Conn. 9 (1986), which expanded the right to impeach witnesses; Schmidt v. Yardney Electric Corporation, 4 Conn. App. 69 (1985), which expanded employee rights to sue employers for wrongful discharge; State v. Merritt, 36 Conn. App. 76 (1994), aff'd 233 Conn. 302 (1995), which affirmed the Frye doctrine and set the precedent that horizontal gaze nystagmus testing evidence is inadmissible unless qualified by a scientific expert; Charles Black, Administrator v. Goodwin, Loomis & Britton, Inc., Maryland Casualty Company, 239 Conn. 144 (1996), a landmark bad faith insurance case which created new insurance consumer rights, affirmed the use of stipulated judgments and upheld the constitutionality of the offer of judgment statute; Walsh v. Stonington, 250 Conn. 443 (1999), a significant environmental appeal which confirmed that municipal state-regulated plants may be held liable in private nuisance for the pollution damages incurred by a small number of private citizens; and State v. Payne, 260 Conn. 446 (2002), a landmark decision in which the appellant's criminal convictions were reversed solely on the basis of prosecutorial misconduct.

Maurice Maitland is a distinguished attorney with over 30 years of legal experience. He specializes in Social Security Disability Claims and Appeals, Immigration, and appellate practices. He also brings extensive expertise to family law, personal injury, railroad retirement, workers' compensation, and ERISA cases. Maitland’s commitment to providing personalized and effective legal counsel has earned him a reputation for excellence and trust in both the legal and broader community.

Polito & Harrington Personal Injury Lawyer, Humbert J. Polito, Jr. was recently selected as 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” for Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs in the New London, CT area. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer-review assessments. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Bert has previously been named Best Lawyers’ New London Area Lawyer of the Year for Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury Litigation 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2024. Bert has also been designated as one of the top 50 attorneys in the State of Connecticut by Connecticut Super Lawyers®. In April of 2016, Bert was honored to be named a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, which limits membership to 500 Fellows from the United States. Bert has been admitted to practice law in Connecticut since 1986, and in Rhode Island since 1987. His practice has focused exclusively on plaintiff’s personal injury litigation. In his work, Bert seeks to promote consumer and patient safety, and is particularly proud of two of his cases, one by verdict and the other by settlement. The former involved a product liability verdict in favor of a burn victim, wherein the Court ordered that product safety data in the possession of a non-party foreign manufacturer be produced over the objection of a defendant seller here in America. Bert also being designated as one of the top 50 attorneys in the State of Connecticut by Connecticut Super Lawyers® is involved the settlement of a hospital malpractice case on behalf of a family which included the hospital’s implementation of patient safety procedures, as well as the designation of a family member to a working hospital committee seeking to improve patient safety. A number of the cases Bert has resolved have been in excess of one million dollars. Bert is listed in Best Lawyers in America, in Connecticut and New England Super Lawyers, and admitted to the United States Supreme Court.

James M. Harrington is a Connecticut-based, board-certified civil trial attorney who has dedicated his career to fighting for those injured due to negligence. With a practice focused entirely on personal injury and wrongful death litigation across the state of Connecticut, James brings more than a decade of experience, a proven record in the courtroom, and deep local roots to every case he takes. Born and raised in southeastern Connecticut, James’s connection to the community runs deep. His father owned and operated The Wayfarer in New London for over 35 years, and James spent much of his youth in and around New London and Waterford. Today, James continues to serve his home state with pride, representing clients in towns and cities across eastern and central Connecticut.

Amanda J. DiFrancesca is an associate attorney of Polito & Harrington. Amanda joined the firm after clerking for a criminal defense firm, where she helped to serve incarcerated clients. Amanda is the youngest of two children, born and raised in Preston, Connecticut. Amanda graduated from the University of Connecticut and went on to receive her master’s degree in social work from Southern Connecticut State University, where she studied client counseling and social justice. She graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 2024. At Quinnipiac, Amanda received the Distinguished Academic Achievement in Constitutional Law, Best Appellee’s Brief: 2022 Dean Terence H. Benbow Intramural Competition, and Cornelius W. Wickersham Jr. awards. She served on the e-board of the Quinnipiac Health Law Journal and competed on the Moot Court Honor Society team. Throughout law school, Amanda served in the Quinnipiac University Civil Justice Clinic, where she helped to draft habeas corpus petitions and worked on compassionate release law reform. She also gained experience interning for a personal injury firm, where she drafted settlement breakdowns and worked with medical providers to obtain reductions for clients. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys reading and being outdoors.

Joseph T. Coppola II is Polito & Harrington’s newest associate, joining the firm after working at a Fortune 500 insurance company, where he handled employment matters all across the United States, including cases involving discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. Joe is the oldest of five children, born and raised in Madison, Connecticut. Joe is a graduate of Bryant University and Roger Williams University School of Law. At Roger Williams, Joe was awarded academic scholarships during each of his three years at the school based on academic merit. Joe also received recognition from the Feinstein Center for outstanding commitment to pro bono legal service, having performed over 100 pro-bono service hours within the community during his time in law school. In addition to his involvement within the school, Joe was fortunate enough to gain a great deal of experience through internships in his spare time. Joe served as a legal intern for the Rhode Island Department of Revenue, the Rhode Island Office of the General Treasurer, and as a law clerk for a firm focused on cases involving personal injury, products liability, and premises liability. During his third year in law school, Joe was accepted into two competitive programs which promote experiential education; The Roger Williams Business Start-up Clinic and the Corporate Counsel Externship Program. At the Business Start-up Clinic, Joe was one of only two students who worked at the clinic as an advanced student practitioner with a temporary license from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Joe not only gained valuable experience in advising and assisting clients with entity formation issues, contracts, articles of incorporation, trademark applications, as well as applications to form 501-(c)(3) corporations, but he also maintained a role as a supervisor and advisor to other clinic members and assisted them with their respective clients. In addition to his work with the Business Start-up Clinic, Joe simultaneously participated in Roger Williams’ Corporate Counsel Externship program, where he was offered a externship position in the legal department at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island under the company’s general counsel. Joe gained valuable exposure to the healthcare industry, medical claims, and general insurance knowledge that to this day allows him to better serve his clients who may be suffering from life changing injuries. Today, Joe proudly represents clients who have been injured in personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, and medical malpractices cases, both in Connecticut State Court and in the Tribal Courts for Connecticut’s two casinos, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. In his spare time, Joe enjoys hiking, camping, archery, and restoring musical instruments.

Attorney Jenna R. DeMartino is an Associate at Needle | Cuda, concentrating on matrimonial and family law in Connecticut, with a focus on complex family dynamics, particularly custody-related issues. Before joining Needle | Cuda, Attorney DeMartino worked at a New Haven County law firm, where she managed high-conflict divorce and custody cases. Her experience extends to criminal law matters that intersect with family cases, allowing her to navigate challenging legal issues like Temporary Restraining Orders and Emergency Custody filings. She has represented clients in juvenile, Superior, and Probate Courts, building a well-rounded understanding of the legal system. Certified as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) and Attorney for the Minor Child (AMC), Attorney DeMartino is listed on the court-approved AMC/GAL list in the Judicial Districts of Stamford, Bridgeport, Milford, and New Haven. She takes a strategic, solution-focused approach to help clients resolve disputes amicably, offering a clear path to a positive future. Additionally, she has served as a Special Master in court-appointed matrimonial mediation and is now expanding her practice into Fairfield County, specifically focusing on high-conflict family dynamics. Attorney DeMartino was recognized as one of Milford’s “40 under 40” and remains active in her community and with the Milford Bar Association. During law school, she held leadership roles, including serving on the board responsible for faculty hiring and organizing the annual Barrister’s Ball. After graduating, she mentored law graduates preparing for the bar exam. After law school, Attorney DeMartino clerked for a Family Judge in Milford, CT, worked for the Farmington Regional Probate Court and the Office of the Attorney General. Attorney DeMartino graduated from Western New England University Law School and joined the Connecticut Bar in 2020. Before attending law school, Attorney DeMartino earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Sacred Heart University.