Every year thousands of construction workers are seriously injured in New York City. Construction workers find themselves confronted by dangerous, unsafe work conditions on a daily basis. New York State has enacted laws and regulations to protect all workers, whether they are ironworkers, construction workers, electricians, mechanics, bricklayers, painters or carpenters. However, these laws and regulations can be very difficult for the injured worker to navigate without the help of experienced construction lawyers. Block O’Toole & Murphy is one of New York’s premier construction accident law firms. These “Lawyers with Hardhats” have a long and proud tradition of representing laborers of all kinds who have been injured on the job. They are well versed in labor law, and have recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of injured workers. They also represent documented as well as undocumented workers. Today, The Insider Exclusive takes an inside look at the New York law firm of Block O’Toole & Murphy, and their outstanding record for seeking justice for workers injured on the job. Joining us from the firm are Jeffrey Block, Stephen Murphy, Daniel O’Toole, Joseph Donahue and David Scher. We will also examine some of the firm’s multimillion-dollar verdicts and learn more about some of their clients, including Oscar Torres, Carlos Tirado and Carmine Christiano. Remember, this firm won’t be outworked. And they will not rest until their clients get justice.
Jeffrey Block is highly regarded for his career in the courtroom and is often called upon by fellow trial attorneys to serve as trial counsel on their significant cases. In fact, over the last two years, he has been elected as a “Super Lawyer” in New York State, recognizing him as one of the top 5% of New York personal injury trial lawyers. Jeffrey is a leading trial attorney but is also respected for his negotiation skills. His negotiation instincts have served his clients extremely well throughout his career. He is known as a tireless worker who never settles for anything but the best for his clients. Jeffrey is heavily involved in many charities and enjoys being in the position to make a difference in people’s lives in and out of the courtroom.
Stephen Murphy is a lifetime New Yorker with Irish roots. He comes from a family of firefighters, police officers, prosecutors and teachers. Both of his grandfathers were members of the Fire Department. His grandfather, Stephen J. Murphy, served the City of New York as Interim Fire Commissioner. His maternal grandfather, Walter Matthews, reached the rank of Assistant Chief of Department. Stephen joined the firm Block & O’Toole in early 2005 after a successful and rewarding career as a homicide prosecutor. He handles a wide range of cases including labor law and construction accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, trucking collisions, medical malpractice and motor vehicle cases. Stephen began his legal career working as an Assistant District Attorney under Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. He honed his skills in the criminal courtrooms in Brooklyn, prosecuting persons accused of violent crimes. In early July 2003, Stephen traveled to Sarajevo on behalf of the United States Justice Department to assist in the implementation of a new justice system in post-war Bosnia & Hercegovina. Stephen is also an adjunct professor of law at the St. John’s University School of law. He teaches trial advocacy and lectures on criminal and civil trial practice and evidence.
Daniel O’Toole is one of New York’s premier catastrophic injury trial attorneys, having graduated from the Fordham University School of Law in 1992. During the course of his career he has obtained in excess of $150,000,000.00 worth of settlements and verdicts, all by the age of 40. He is also the Vice-Chairman of the Labor Law Committee for the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. He is active at his church and serves on the Parish School Advisory Board as well as Chairman of his parish’s Capital Campaign Committee. Daniel is an active supporter and sponsor of the St. Jude Children’s Hospital, The Frances Pope Memorial Foundation (to aid the families of children with cancer), The Butterfly Foundation (to aid the families of children with cancer), Candlelighters of New York City and Judges and Lawyers Cancer Alert. He recently funded the construction of a classroom at a school for autistic children in Connecticut and is a major donor of an autism school near his home in New Jersey. Additionally, Daniel provides multiple needs based scholarships for children on annual basis for parochial grammar and high schools in New York and New Jersey.
Joseph Donahue has successfully represented workers in various trades, including construction workers. In 1997 he began his career as a trial lawyer as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York. As an Assistant District Attorney Joseph investigated thousands of criminal cases, presented hundreds of cases to the New York State Grand Jury and successfully obtained jury verdicts on behalf of crime victims. He began his career in private practice at a prominent New York City law firm specializing in medical malpractice litigation. He represented hospitals and physicians against claims of medical malpractice in the fields of cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, neurosurgery, general surgery and failure to diagnose cancer. Joseph also handled substantial personal injury cases, including negligent security matters. In March 2008 he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. He is a 1994 graduate of Loyola College in Baltimore Maryland and a 1997 graduate of The City University of New York School of Law. Joseph is licensed to practice in the Federal and State Courts of New York and New Jersey.
David Scher has achieved great success both in and out of the courtroom in his young career. A recent case involving a motor vehicle accident that led to a shoulder and knee surgery, which David tried with Stephen J. Murphy of the firm, resolved for $1,000,000. Prior to joining the firm, David worked for the Office of the New York State Attorney General, volunteered for a Civil Rights legal aid clinic and served as a law clerk for New York County Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich. David is a member of the New York State Bar Association, New York State Trial Lawyers’ Association, New York State Trial Lawyers’ Association Labor Law Committee and New York County Lawyers’ Association. He is also a proud Committee Member for an annual fundraising event that supports the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. David is a gradiate of the Fordham University School of Law.
Block O’Toole & Murphy is one of the premier personal injury law firms in New York City. The firm’s experienced team of New York personal injury lawyers is devoted to truly caring for and fighting for the rights of their clients. The firm’s clients are diverse, hard-working people including laborers, construction workers, electricians, carpenters, police officers, firefighters and iron workers. Block O’Toole & Murphy has had the privilege of representing persons involved in construction and scaffold accidents, wrongful death actions, tractor trailer accidents, medical malpractice cases and motor vehicle collisions. The firm is proud to include members of the New York City Police, Fire and Sanitation Departments that are injured while on the job as both clients and friends.
You can contact Jeffrey Block, Stephen Murphy, Daniel O’Toole, Joseph Donahue and David Scher at 212-736-5300, or www.blockotoole.com