Don’t Be Fooled by CPLR 50A & 50B: Case Costs & Settlements

The NYS Academy of Trial Lawyers is the largest statewide trial bar in the US with 5,700+ lawyer and judge members. We are committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing the civil justice system. Our highly acclaimed CLE programming features extraordinary presenters covering the most timely and important topics.

Kira is a co-founder and Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at NYSM, Inc. Kira has more than 30 years of experience working as a specialist in marketing and advertising, including eight years as Luxury Goods and Retail Director at New York magazine. She has put her extensive marketing background to use in promoting the benefits of structured settlements and new business development at NYSM, Inc.

Sam is co-founder and President of NYSM, Inc., a full-service structured settlement brokerage with a concentration in personal injury, medical malpractice, maritime liabilities, and the complicated settlement and judgment math of New York. To further serve his clients and help them to appreciate New York's challenging settlement math, Sam created an exclusive and proprietary website featuring custom-made online settlement calculators.

Christine Coscia is a partner at Danzi Law Partners LLP, in Jericho, New York, where she has focused her practice primarily on representing plaintiffs in all types of medical malpractice actions, handling all aspects of pretrial litigation, trials, appeals, and posttrial proceedings throughout New York State. Ms. Coscia is passionate about the law and about successfully representing her clients who have been wrongly injured by the negligence of medical providers. She also realizes the importance of being compassionate to her clients and listening to their needs and concerns as they navigate the legal process and cope with the difficulties of dealing with the complications of the injuries they or their loved ones sustained. Throughout her career, Ms. Coscia has developed an encyclopedic knowledge of medicine, a keen eye for detail, and a particular acumen for writing. In that regard, Ms. Coscia handles most of the substantive writing for the firm, including motions and appeals. She has earned the respect of clients, colleagues, adversaries, and court personnel for her legal acumen, advocacy skills, work ethic, and determination. Ms. Coscia is a contributor to continuing legal education publications and has given presentations on various topics to high school and college students across Long Island. She is a member of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, New York State Bar Association, Nassau County Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Columbian Lawyers’ Association of Nassau County, Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Association. Ms. Coscia earned her law degree from Hofstra Law School magna cum laude, and is admitted to practice law in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as numerous federal courts. Her firm, Danzi Law Partners is a boutique plaintiffs’ medical malpractice and personal injury firm that devotes the time and resources necessary to consistently obtain seven and eight figure settlements for their clients across New York State.

Born May 22, 1968, Paul is the son of a Brooklyn lawyer who was the son of a Brooklyn lawyer. From an early age he was exposed to challenging, everyday life experiences that his father’s clients were going through, as well as difficult and thought-provoking questions that helped mold him into the quick-thinking and overly-prepared attorney he is today. As a trial attorney, he knows you are either in the case 100%, or you can’t represent your clients properly. To be dedicated 100% means to essentially become the case: live it, eat it, sleep it, and think about it constantly. This is the only way Paul knows how to practice law, and his passion and dedication yields huge results for his clients and personal satisfaction. Paul’s passion for the law doesn’t stop at the office. On September 10, 2005, Paul married Maritza Fanith whom he met while she was serving jury duty in Brooklyn. They now have two little jurors of their own who are as challenging and rewarding as any case Paul can remember.

Charles S. Gucciardo is the founder and principal attorney at The Gucciardo Law Firm, specializing in plaintiffs' personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, labor law, automobile accidents and wrongful death cases. With over 43 years of experience, Mr. Gucciardo has built a reputation as one of New York’s top trial attorneys, representing individuals and families who have suffered due to the negligence of others. Mr. Gucciardo is widely recognized for his expertise in plaintiff’s trial practice in multiple jurisdictions. His publications include Proving a Cause of Action under the Federal "Anti-Dumping" Act in malpractice, published in the New York State Bar Journal. He has also contributed to the legal community through his writing on issues like the preclusion of expert testimony at trial due to failure in expert witness disclosures, which was featured in Trial Lawyers Quarterly. As an advocate for legal education, Mr. Gucciardo has served as an instructor and lecturer at several respected institutions, including Hofstra University Law School, the New York County Lawyers Association, and New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Additionally, he has taught trial skills to both students and practicing attorneys across the United States as far west as Stanford Law School in California through to the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) program at Hofstra Law School in New York. He has also lectured at NYCOM to Osteopathic students and instructed nurse practitioners at Adelphi School for Nurse Practitioners. Over the course of his career, Mr. Gucciardo has received numerous accolades, including being honored by the New York State Assembly for superior legal services and given a philanthropic award by The National Council of Young Israel. He was named a New York Super Lawyer for many years and is also rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell for his legal ability and ethical standards. His list of notable trial achievements in the seven-figure and eight-figure range are too many to list here but can be found on the firm’s website at guccilaw.com. He is one of the few attorneys in New York to secure a punitive damages verdict against a doctor in a medical malpractice trial and has obtained a 20.5-million-dollar verdict for a court officer against the County of Nassau which will be discussed during this course. Bar Admissions New York State U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York The Supreme Court of the United States (1991) Professional Associations & Memberships New York State Trial Lawyers Association Million Dollar Advocates Forum Association of Trial Lawyers of America In addition to his professional work, Mr. Gucciardo is dedicated to his Judeo-Christian faith and the great commission. He is an accomplished pianist and served as a music worship leader at the Christian Family Fellowship International Church and currently as the Director of the Music Worship Team at The Bethpage Community Church.

Howard F. Strongin graduated from Hunter College of the City University of New York with honors, BA cum laude with a concentration in Political Science and Economics. He earned his law degree from Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. Howard is a member of the New York State Bar, and he is admitted to practice in all four federal district courts in New York and the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Howard also practices in the New Jersey and Connecticut state and federal courts on a pro hac vice basis. Howard’s practice includes responsibilities, through trial and appeal, for a variety of tort cases in the fields of products liability, general liability, and premises security. Some of Howard’s past and current representative clients include Nike, Inc., The Home Depot, Sony Pictures Entertainment and its subsidiary production companies, Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc., United Nations, Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America, Komatsu, Toyota, Nissan and Tokio Marine Claims Services, Inc. Howard also holds the title of Adjunct Associate Professor at New York University School of Professional Studies, where he teaches law to graduate and undergraduate students. He has also lectured at continuing legal education seminars sponsored by the New York State Bar Association. Howard’s pro bono activities include advocacy work on behalf of the mentally ill and participation in the New York State Surrogate Decision Making Committee.