Our Attorneys

We are proud of the experience and diversity represented by our attorney staff.  Below, please find brief biographical details of each attorney, including their background, their dates of admission to practice law, and the jurisdictions to which they have been admitted to practice law.

Frank Weiss

Education: B.S., American University, 1958; L.L.B., American University College of Law, 1961

Professional:  Former Trial Counsel for the State Insurance Fund, concentrating in occupational disease claims; Hearing attorney and trial counsel, concentrating in workers' compensation and disability benefit claims for various major insurance companies; Admitted to practice in New York (1969); Partner. 

Bruce E. Wexler 

Education: B.S., Ohio Northern University, 1967; J.D., St. Johns Law School, 1973

Professional:  Former Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of New York; Former hearing attorney and trial counsel for Consolidated Mutual Insurance Company of New York, concentrating in workers' compensation claims; Admitted to practice in New York (1974) and New Jersey (1975); Partner.

Darryl S. Wornow

    Education:  B.A., University of Delaware , 1987; J.D., cum laude,

    Thomas M. Cooley Law School , 1990

   Professional:  Former trial attorney concentrating in areas of

   workers’ compensation and general liability defense for various

   major insurance companies and self-insured clients; Lecturer in 

   all aspects of Workers’ Compensation Law

   Managing Partner; Admitted to practice in New York (1991) and

   New Jersey (1991)

    Robert R. Snashall

    Professional: Former Chairman, New York State Workers’          

   Compensation Board (1995 – 2003);  Former Chair, IAIABC

   (Associate Members Council and Legislative and Regulatory

   Committee); Former Board of Directors member, American

   Society of Workers’ Compensation Professionals; Former Board

   of Directors member and former Chair, Risk Management

   Certification Board of the Employer Services Assurance; Former

   Board of Trustees member, Government Law Center of Albany

   Law School.

   Special Counsel to the firm on regulatory and legislative affairs;

   Admitted to practice in New York (1979)

Louis R. Salvo

Education: B.S., Fordham University, 1958; L.L.B., Fordham University Law School, 1961

Professional:  Former New York State Workers' Compensation Law Judge; Trial Counsel for major

insurance companies, both in the field of workers' compensation and liability defense; Lecturer in all aspects of Workers' Compensation Law; Senior counsel concentrating in general liability, subrogation and employer defense; Admitted to practice in New York (1962); Junior Partner.

Ronald S. Einziger

Education:  B.A., City College of New York, 1968; J.D., Brooklyn Law School, 1971

Professional:  Former Senior Attorney and Trial Counsel for the State Insurance Fund 1971 – 1980; Trial Attorney, Bower & Gardner, P.C., 1980 – 1984; Senior trial attorney concentrating in workers’ compensation defense; Admitted to practice in New York (1972); Junior Partner.

Solomon H. Basch

Education:  B.A., Yeshiva University, 1972; M.B.A., Cleveland State University, 1977; J.D., Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 1975

Professional:  Former Assistant Attorney General for the Workers' Compensation Section of the State of Ohio; Trial Counsel in Ohio and New York, both in the field of workers' compensation, liability defense and medical malpractice; Admitted to practice in New York (1981) and Ohio (1975); Senior trial counsel concentrating in subrogation, employer defense and workers’ compensation litigation; Junior Partner.

Jerry A. Cohn

Education:  B.A., cum laude, Brooklyn College, 1972; M.A. and Ph.D., Syracuse University, 1978; J.D., St. John’s School of Law, 1987

Professional:  Former Staff Attorney with Social Security Administration, 1987 – 1989; Former Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of New York Law Department, 1989 – 1992, concentrating in workers' compensation claims; Admitted to practice in New York (1988); Senior Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Barry Friedlich

Education:  B.A., State University of New York at Stonybrook, 1981; J.D., California Western School of Law, 1984

Professional:  Former Staff Attorney, Litigation Specialist, for Department of Human Resources of the City of New York, 1987 – 1990; Admitted to practice in New York (1985); Senior Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Donna M. Salvo

Education:  B.A., summa cum laude, Fordham University, 1989; J.D., Fordham University School of Law, 1992

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (1992) and New Jersey (1992); Senior Associate concentrating in Section 32 settlements and workers’ compensation defense.

Kristofor T. Fantulin

Education:  B.A., Fordham University, 1988; J.D., Fordham University School of Law, 1991

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (1992), New Jersey (1992), Pennsylvania (1992) and Connecticut (1991); Senior Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Cory I. Zimmerman

Education: B.S., Cornell University; 1989; J.D., Yeshiva University, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 1992

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (1993), New Jersey (1992), Washington D.C. (1993) and Colorado (1993); Associate concentrating in all areas of litigation, concentrating in defense of employer liability actions, arbitration and intercompany transfer/subrogation.  

Brian B. McDonnell

Education:  B.A., Southampton College, 1984; J.D., cum laude, New York Law School, 1996

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (1997) and New Jersey (1996); Litigation Associate, Rubenstein & Rynecki, 1997; Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense. 

Brian J. Connor

Education:  B.A., magna cum laude, Boston College, 1991; J.D., cum laude, Boston College Law School, 1994

Professional:  Former Asst. Corp. Counsel, City of New York Law Department, 1994 – 1998; Awarded “Legal Rookie of the Year – 1995” by Mayor Giuliani; Former in-house attorney for Pepsi Bottling Group and Wausau/Nationwide Insurance Companies; Admitted to practice in New York (1995) and Massachusetts (1994); Senior Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation defense.

Mary Colletta

Education:  B.A., summa cum laude, St. John’s University, 1989; J.D., Albany Law School of Union University, 1992

Professional:  Former in-house trial attorney for Kemper Insurance Companies; Admitted to practice in New York (1993); Senior Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation defense and subrogation.

Daniel T. Eckert

Education:  B.A., summa cum laude, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1986; J.D., Brooklyn Law School, 1989

Professional:  Former Trial Attorney for New York City Office of Administration for Childrens’ Services, 1989 – 2000; Admitted to practice in New York (1990) and Connecticut (1990); Associate counsel concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Maggie L. Tam

Education:  B.A., Barnard College, Columbia University, 1988; J.D., Brooklyn Law School, 1993

Professional:  Former Agency Attorney for the City of New York Police Department Legal Bureau, 1996 – 2000; Admitted to practice in New York (1994) and New Jersey (1993); Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Patrick A. McCaffrey

Education: B.A., State University of New York at Stonybrook, 1983, J.D., Fordham University School of Law, 1990

Professional:  Former Trial Attorney for New York City Office of Administration for Childrens’ Services, 1990 - 2001, Admitted to practice in New York (1991); Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Calliopi A. Kalantzopoulos

Education:  B.S., New York University, 1990; J.D., Brooklyn Law School, 1994

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (1995); Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation defense, alternate dispute resolution programs and Section 32 settlements.

Matthew E. Weerth

Education:  B.A., State University of New York at Binghamton, 1998; J.D., St. John’s University School of Law, 2001

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (2002); Associate practicing in all areas of litigation, concentrating in appeals, liability defense, third party recovery, arbitration and inter-company transfer/subrogation.

Heather A. Galfunt

Education:  B.A., Northwestern University, 1993; J.D., Yeshiva University, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 1996

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (1997); Legislative Attorney for NYC Council, 1996 – 2000; Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Gary M. Wexler

Education:  B.A., cum laude, Muhlenberg College, 1998; J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law, 2003

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (2004); Associate concentrating in Section 32 drafting and workers’ compensation defense.

Margaret M. Orange

Education:  B.A., cum laude, Maynooth University (Ireland), 1987; Diploma, Trinity College, Dublin (Ireland), 1989; J.D., cum laude, John Marshall Law School, 2002.

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (2003); prior insurance defense litigation practice 2003 – 2005; Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Nicholas K. Rupwani

Education:  B.A., Hartwick College, 2000; J.D., Syracuse University School of Law, 2003

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (2004); Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

John M. Murphy

Education:  B.S., University of Notre Dame, 2002; J.D., St. John’s University School of Law, 2005

Professional:  Admitted to practice in New York (2006) and New Jersey (2005); Judicial Law Clerk, Monmouth County, New Jersey Superior Court (2005-2006); Associate concentrating in appeals, subrogation and workers’ compensation defense.

Raquel L. Alexander

Education: B.A., Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, 1995; J.D., Michigan State University, College of Law, 2002

Professional: Admitted to practice in New York (2005); Former Hearing Officer, Dept of Education, 2003; Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Alejandro Clemente

Professional: Admitted to practice in New York;

Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.

Stacie L Boomstra

Education: B.A., Northwestern University, 2000; J.D. , Boston University School of Law, 2003

Professional: Admitted to practice in New York  (2004); Associate concentrating in workers’ compensation trial defense.