Malpractice

Since 2003, Allaben & Bandeen Attorneys at Law has provided a range of legal services in Grand Rapids, MI, and communities across Michigan. Our attorneys have 60+ years of combined skills and experience. They practice in a number of areas and take a client-first approach to every case. We represent clients in a variety of legal matters including personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, Michigan No-Fault law, divorce, and child custody cases.

After years of legal work, attorney Brent Adams realized the area of law closest to his heart was representing ordinary, everyday people who had been hurt through no fault of their own. That’s why Brent Adams & Associates only represents people who suffered injuries as the result of someone else's wrongdoing – as well as the families of victims who suffered severe or fatal injuries. Attorney Adams has been active in the North Carolina legal community throughout his entire career as a trial lawyer and has been recognized by his peers as an outstanding attorney. He has an Avvo rating of 10 out of 10. His Avvo rating includes more than 15 peer endorsements and several client reviews. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an honor held by fewer than 1% of trial lawyers. He is also the author of several books, including: “The Truth About Medical Malpractice Claims,” “How to Get Top Dollars For Your Workers' Comp Claim” and “Ten Costly Mistakes That Can Wreck Your North Carolina Case.” Our office makes these books available to all injured persons, whether they are clients or not. He completed both his undergraduate and Juris Doctorate degrees at Wake Forest University School of Law. Ready to fight for clients Attorney Adams has served on the boards of the Wake County Bar Association and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, eventually elected Secretary-Treasurer and Vice President of each, respectively. He was chosen to serve as the State Representative to the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the largest trial lawyer organization in the world. In an effort to share his knowledge with other attorneys, attorney Adams frequently lectures at trial lawyer groups. He has spoken at legal seminars sponsored by the North Carolina Bar Association, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Wake Forest University, The North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, as well as the prestigious Melvin M. Belli Seminar. Before concentrating on exclusively representing injured victims, Adams successfully represented banks, insurance companies and individuals on cases ranging from murder, rape, drugs and white collar criminal cases to lawsuits involving real estate, business contracts, bankruptcy and tax matters. A dedicated family man, attorney Brent Adams knows the importance of family and protecting the rights of our dearest friends and loved ones. He represents people, not banks, businesses or insurance companies. Attorney Adams is happy to put his experience to work for those who were injured because of something that wasn't their fault.

Mark R. Osherow is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Business Litigation with over 30 years of experience. He has practiced for most of those years in both state and federal courts throughout Florida. With significant trial and alternative dispute resolution experience, Osherow has taken countless depositions and served as first-chair in numerous trials, arbitrations and mediations. He serves as a legal advisor for his clients as they assess their business risks across a large segment of industry and service providers. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire How did you build a successful practice? Throughout my early career, I was involved in class action litigation, complex litigation for major clients and product liability cases. I was fortunate to be involved in complex cases and, through that experience, to develop expertise in a variety of areas,” he says. Osherow learned early on that success as a litigator requires a very high level of commitment and tenacity. After 2006, my practice focused almost exclusively on business litigation and related areas such as real estate, construction and employment litigation. Osherow believes in leading by example, a philosophy he developed and has carried out through his over 30 years of practice. Osherow says he works to be a good listener. That skill, combined with his experience as a board-certified business litigator, allows him to respond quickly and effectively to client needs in diverse areas of the law. He believes in The Florida Bar board certification process. He says he is proud of his certification as a board-certified business litigation specialist, and frequently encourages his colleagues to apply. “I believe in team effort and in leading in a way that makes other people want to perform for you as a team. My philosophy has come down to this – the way I define a problem is whether somebody is going to remember in a day, a week, a month, six months, a year or five years from now. If they are not going to remember it in the long term, it is really not a problem; it is just a bump in the road. And 99.9 percent of things fall into that category, although at that moment they may seem like major issues. We work in a high pressure, stressful profession and it’s important that people know someone has his or her back,” he says. “I’d say the biggest challenge is getting a case to the point that the client fully realizes how cases are resolved. It is basically strategy. Most cases can ultimately be resolved. Finding those solutions that get the participants to a point where they are ready to resolve the case is for me one of the most interesting aspects of practicing law,” Osherow says. He helps clients to see that sometimes they are motivated more by hostility, anger, frustration or something else that interferes with their ability to focus on the practical business aspects of their situation. One of his primary goals is to motivate those clients to see their situation from a practical perspective rather than an emotional perspective, to see the situation as it really is – a purely business transaction. “Sometimes clients don’t think as rationally as they believe they are and sometimes when they think rationally they don’t necessarily weigh all the different aspects of the case. It is very important to help clients see the various motivations and causes that are influencing them to make a decision. Once we have done that analysis and we have gone through all of the specifics, then they can decide whether or not litigation is called for,” he says. Osherow sometimes faces a client who initially only wants to litigate, someone who doesn’t want or doesn’t realize that one of the key aspects of a case is an attorney’s ability to resolve or at least attempt to resolve the case before the client gets involved in expensive, time-consuming and often emotionally-draining litigation. He says it is crucial for a lawyer to help a client assess his or her willingness to take a case through the litigation process and trial. The client must also feel comfortable that their law firm is providing advice that is in their best interests, whether they go the distance through trial or seek alternative dispute resolution. “I always want our clients to understand the costs and risks of the decisions they’re making. For me, that is critical. I’m always advising clients about the next step, about what they need to know, what we should be doing, and advising them constantly on pre-litigation, litigation, settlement and trial issues,” he says. Osherow says that whether cases are rewarding or difficult, an attorney has to have an even keel as a litigator. He upholds a philosophy of trust when it comes to his clients’ interests. “My father taught me to never give up and my first boss taught me how to think like a lawyer, to be precise, and to be articulate in my writing. From those mentors and others, I have come to believe strongly in creating an environment where people can do their best.” What should clients look for in a lawyer? Do not rely on what is on a lawyer’s website alone. Speak to the lawyer and make sure your questions are fully answered and there is no run around or diversion in providing direct answers. That does not mean that every question is subject to an easy answer however. Make sure the lawyer has the competence to proceed with your case or its defense. Many inexperienced lawyers claim to be experts in matters that are really outside of their experience level or abilities. Many lawyers do not have the extensive training and experience to handle complex litigation but represent to the public that they have this experience. But they can be cost effective by charging lower rates. Sometimes you get what you pay for so be careful in selecting a lawyer who can at a minimum learn the issues and competently address your situation. Look for a lawyer who will represent you or your company vigorously and professionally and will take the time to learn all the critical issues involved in your particular matter. Check for prior cases handled by the lawyer and the actual experience the lawyer has in similar or related types of cases, recognizing that each case may well present distinct issues. Find out when the lawyer was admitted to the Bar and if they are Board Certified as a specialist in their particular area of practice, which can also help select a lawyer with the competency to handle a matter within their specialty. How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? It is important to know the lawyers on the other side and the court rules and the reputations and differences in the way judges handle cases before them. This helps provide each client with valuable insight on how the case may progress in court. Where a case is in arbitration, where possible, it is critical to know the reputation of the arbitrators who may be chosen to hear the case.

At Franzblau Dratch, P.C. we provide our clients with legal services in a comprehensive, yet cost effective manner, while at the same time reflecting and pursuing only the highest legal and ethical standards. While large enough to offer our clients a wealth of diverse experience and skill, Franzblau Dratch's goal is to provide close, hands on, attention to every client and matter entrusted to our care.

Max Leifer has been practicing civil law since 1972 and is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Federal Court. He is a 32nd Degree Mason; a member of various religious and civil organizations, and is associated with numerous Bar Associations. He has a successful background in Social Security, Long-Term Disability, Union Benefits, and Personal Injury, both Plaintiff and Defendant. He is associated with other attorneys who specialize in criminal, trademark, malpractice, and commercial/real estate litigation. Due to successful trials, Max is a current member of the Million Dollar Club, which requires recoveries in excess of one million dollars. He has numerous cases reported in Jury Verdicts and has lectured on Social Security Disability and various conferences.

Paul F. Oliveri proudly serves as Director Emeritus in the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, whose organizational mission is “to promote a safer and healthier society, to assure access to the civil justice system by those who are wrongfully injured and to advance representation of the public by ethical, well-trained lawyers. ”Mr. Oliveri has served on several of its committees, including the New York State Trial Lawyers Association’s Judicial Screening Committee. Mr. Oliveri has addressed legislators and lectured before citizen groups about issues facing accident victims, consumers, the civil justice system, and has actively fought to preserve the rights of the injured. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice, the National Crime Victims Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association and several other Bar groups and associations. Mr. Oliveri has been honored on various occasions by being featured in Who’s Who in American Law and has been recognized by the respected legal services company of LexisNexis® in its Martindale- Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers™ with an “AV” rating in the practice areas of Motor Vehicle law, Premises Liability Law, Medical and Dental Malpractice law, Personal Injury Law. Less than 5% of all law firms qualify for this rating, making Oliveri & Schwartz, P.C. one of the most distinguished and respected law firms in the country.

Steven is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and a member of the bars of the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York and the U.S Court of Appeals for the Second and Fourth Circuits. He has been admitted pro hac vice to a multitude of U.S. District Courts across the nation. An aggressive and tenacious trial attorney /litigator prosecuting and defending complex cases in both the state and federal courts, he received recognition for his excellent professional skills and achievements, by being appointed as an ADR Mediator by the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York in 2001. Steven was lead class counsel in the MDL, In re Aon Corp. Wage & Hour Employment Practices Litigation No. 08CV5802 (Hon.Charles P. Kocoras) U.S.D.C., Northern District of Illinois and appointed as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In Re Nuvaring Products Liability Litigation, 4:08 MDL 1964 (RWS), United States District Court, for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Mr. Zucker earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1976. After gaining experience as a personal injury lawyer and an assistant district attorney, he founded our personal injury law firm in 1984. Mr. Zucker has since earned several notable awards, including a selection to the 2015 and 2016 editions of New York Super Lawyers and the New York Law Journal Motor Vehicle Verdicts and Settlements Hall of Fame.

Nicholas I. Timko is the managing partner of the firm of Kahn, Gordon, Timko & Rodriques, P.C. having joined the firm of Kahn & Gordon in 1998 to create the current firm. Mr. Timko has been practicing law since 1983. and is licensed to practice in New York and Pennsylvania. He is dedicated to promoting public safety through the civil justice system by holding corporations, businesses, government agencies, hospitals, doctors, manufacturers, and individuals accountable when their conduct causes harm and loss to members of the public. Mr. Timko has spent his entire career representing clients injured in all types of accidents resulting from unsafe conditions of sidewalks, roadways, subways, buildings, construction sites, defective products, vehicle accidents and those injured by medical malpractice. He has earned a reputation for fighting on behalf of his clients and always putting the clients' interests first. He is a highly skilled trial lawyer having tried many cases to verdict and resulting in multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients. He has also lead the fight to hold the City of New York accountable for unsafe sidewalks and roadways and its failure to comply with the prior written notice “pothole” law. Mr. Timko is past President of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) and currently serves on the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice and is a Dean of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, which is the educational arm of NYSTLA. He has received the highest professional and ethical rating, AV, from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, and has been named to New York Super Lawyers®. Mr. Timko writes and lectures on various legal topics, working to educate other trial lawyers on how to better represent their clients.

Craig Post has been practicing as a personal injury litigator since 1985, having gained substantial experience in New York City law firms before moving up to Rockland County to better serve the greater metropolitan area. Mr. Post fights for victims of personal injury throughout New York and New Jersey. His 30+ years’ experience includes basic slip-and-fall and motor vehicle cases to complex highway design, construction site accidents, and wrongful death matters. In addition, Mr. Post represents numerous medical practices in New York Motor Vehicle no-fault matters. These practices include chiropractic, ambulatory surgical and radiological in both New York and New Jersey.