Our Attorneys
Our reputation as trial lawyers is well known. When we appear in a case, our opponents know that they are facing an adversary that has the willingness and capability to see the matter through to verdict and to win. This is a unique capability in the present litigation environment, in which jury trials—and experienced jury trial lawyers—are rare.
Joseph A. D’Avanzo
Joe is a partner and the founding member of the firm. He is an AV-rated™ attorney, a Super Lawyer™ and has extensive trial and appellate experience in commercial, entertainment, mass tort and complex litigation.
Joe is a proven tactician in the handling and trial of litigated commercial and personal injury matters, from the mundane to the complex. His clients include: individuals; entertainment, fashion and sports managers and their talent; biotech and life science companies; product manufacturers; and real estate investment firms.
He has handled a number of mass tort and products liability matters where scientific and medical issues of causation are hotly contested. He has a Bachelor of Science with honors, majoring in Biology and Mathematics in his undergraduate studies. He graduated in the top ten percent of his law school class and was a member of the school’s Law Review. He was IBM’s National Trial and Coordinating Counsel in the In re: Repetitive Stress Injury Litigation and Lead and Liaison Counsel for the Computer Industry in New York County Data Entry Workers’ Litigation. He was also UPS’s National Trial and Coordinating Counsel in the In re: DIAD Litigation (another mass tort). He has to his credit a number of successful verdicts and decisions resulting from his strategy and personal involvement in these mass tort litigations.
In the In re: Fashion Model Antitrust Litigation, Joe represented IMG in a horizontal price-fixing class action and acted as lead counsel for the defense (all of the major fashion model agencies in New York). At settlement negotiations and the fairness hearing, the plaintiffs’ class counsel noted his skills as a trial lawyer as one of the factors justifying the settlement with our “deep-pocket” client. He has since become known as “The Lawyer to the Fashion Model Industry.”
His victories were publicized in The National Law Journal’s “Major Defense Verdicts: A Roundup Of Significant 1995 Cases” in its March 4, 1996 edition. He has the appellate, trial and tactical experience that is rarely found in today’s litigators.
Joe is currently Lead Counsel in the In re: New York Human Tissue Litigation, a mass tort in which the firm represents a tissue processor that received human tissue donations from a tissue recovery company that falsified the consents of the family members of the deceased. Upon learning of this criminal enterprise, the FDA issued a recall of all human tissue recovered by this rogue company. The claims involved are not only the emotional distress of the family members of the deceased, but also of the surgical patients who were recipients of this recalled tissue.
As national counsel for IBM and others, Joe’s role was not limited to simply defending the client’s interests in court and coordinating the efforts of numerous local counsel across the country. He also worked closely with corporate communications and government programs personnel to develop and coordinate public relations and lobbying strategies as part of the defense effort. He also played a role in coordinating the defense effort with the client’s new product development.
Joe is an active member of the bar and has lectured on mass tort litigation and trial tactics for bar associations, both locally and nationally, and has been appointed to the New York County Administrative Judge’s Tort Advisory Committee as a representative for the New York trial bar.
Charles C. DeMartino
cdemartino@davanzomorreale.com
Follow @ccdemartino
Charles is an associate of the firm. He is a member of the New York bar and admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York. He is a graduate of St. John’s Law School and a former member of its American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College.
Charles has been a protégé of Joe D’Avanzo and has second-chaired him on two federal trials that each went to verdict. His practice focuses on commercial litigation for major modeling, fashion, sports, and entertainment management companies – as well as the prosecution and defense of civil rights and defamation claims involving managed talent.
He has also handled and assisted Joe in the handling of toxic tort cases for a leading aerospace company, complex products liability cases for a crane manufacturing company and a major manufacturer of industrial material handling equipment. He is also currently assisting Joe as lead-counsel in the New York Human Tissue Litigation mass tort cases.
Nancy Ledy-Gurren
nledygurren@davanzomorreale.com
Nancy is of counsel to the firm. Her practice focuses on products liability, medico-legal issues of first impression, professional malpractice (attorneys and accountants), and eclectic appellate practice.
Nancy has extensive litigation experience with class action defense, including significant involvement with asbestos, DES and lead paint matters, among others. She was the principal partner in the New York Federal Powerhouse asbestos litigation for her firm’s client, a major public utility. Nancy orchestrated the successful resolution of the 775 cases comprising the Powerhouse litigation within 18 months and is now the partner-in-charge of asbestos claims for three additional clients (utility, manufacturer and contractor).
Deborah Bass
Deborah is of counsel to the firm. Her practice concentrates on the defense of products liability and general liability actions, professional malpractice, and appellate practice. Her litigation experience in products liability includes involvement in asbestos, prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals and lead paint claims. Deborah has extensive experience in defense of professional liability matters, with an emphasis in attorney malpractice and disciplinary matters.
Deborah also has varied appellate practice experience—before the New York Court of Appeals, Appellate Divisions, and Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Daniel E. Siff
Daniel is of counsel to the firm. Prior to his current role, he was the managing partner of a 220-attorney litigation defense firm, from 1972 to 1994. His extensive litigation practice includes professional liability, medico-legal issues, general liability tort defense (including products liability), and commercial litigation.
Support Personnel
The firm enjoys the support of a dedicated staff of paralegals, a nurse consultant and firm administrator. Our staff is capable of assuring our clients of complete service as we transition our growth.
Learn More About:
Why We Win or Our Practice Areas