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OUR ATTORNEYS
Weitz & Luxenberg has continued to build on this tradition of success, growing as a firm both in size and resources. W&L today has over 100 attorneys working in world-class facilities located in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Cherry Hill, N.J., outside of Philadelphia.
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
“Talcum powder contaminated with asbestos is something I take very personally. My mother used Johnson & Johnson baby powder for years. And I can’t imagine putting a lotion on my 17-month-old son, only to discover years later he developed cancer from that very substance. The thought is extremely unsettling. No company should get away with this type of behavior. Companies which knowingly put people’s lives at risk should be held accountable.”
Mesothelioma Asbestos
Focus: Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Phone: (212) 558-5500
Fax: (212) 344-5461
NEW YORK OFFICE
700 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
“Talcum powder contaminated with asbestos is something I take very personally. My mother used Johnson & Johnson baby powder for years. And I can’t imagine putting a lotion on my 17-month-old son, only to discover years later he developed cancer from that very substance. The thought is extremely unsettling. No company should get away with this type of behavior. Companies which knowingly put people’s lives at risk should be held accountable.”
Sheharyar Ali has joined our knowledgeable and experienced team of asbestos litigators. Mr. Ali works specifically on asbestos-contaminated talcum powder cases.
“I’m excited to be at Weitz & Luxenberg and to be given the opportunity to do this kind of work,” says Mr. Ali. “The firm has a stellar reputation for advocating on behalf of people harmed by the actions of large companies.”
“People can suffer harm from many kinds of products and the reckless, dangerous actions of others. But in my opinion, the severity of asbestos exposure is the worst of the worst — the harm is incalculable,” Mr. Ali insists.
“It’s one thing when a company doesn’t know if their product is unsafe and later finds out it is. People can be harmed and that is never acceptable,” Mr. Ali continues.
“But when a company knowingly puts people’s lives at risk and exposes them to substances they know can be lethal — when the company cares more about making money than safeguarding people’s lives — it is a whole different level of outrageousness. It is inexcusable,” Mr. Ali emphasizes.
“For years, we thought baby powder was safe. It was this ‘innocent’ product a lot of us used. It was marketed for use with infants. You could find it wherever baby products were sold,” Mr. Ali points out.
“I was in law school when the story broke — some baby powder products were contaminated with asbestos. This substance we trusted could actually lead to very serious and severe problems. It’s really frightening,” Mr. Ali stresses.
“Even worse, we found out companies selling these potentially dangerous products knew about the risks. They just chose not to warn consumers.”
“That’s the thing about asbestos. People go about their lives for years. Trusting the employers they work for to keep them safe and look out for them. Trusting manufacturers to sell safe products for them and their families,” Mr. Ali says.
“Then, through no fault of their own, people develop horrible diseases related to asbestos exposure years or decades after being exposed. A person’s whole life changes afterwards,” adds Mr. Ali.
“But it’s not just one person who suffers. The whole family is devastated. Once someone is living with a terrible disease, life revolves around that disease. And everyone in the family finds themselves caring for the ill person. All of their lives become about fighting the disease and trying to minimize the suffering of their loved one,” Mr. Ali explains.
“I knew in high school I wanted to be an attorney. I looked around at the people who inspired me, like Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi. Also, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was the founder of Pakistan. These amazing people had an enormous impact on their communities,” Mr. Ali explains.
“They were attorneys and I saw the tremendous good they were able to do. They were a driving factor in my choosing to become an attorney,” Mr. Ali adds.
“If your client can’t trust you, you don’t have a case,” Mr. Ali emphasizes. “Trust is everything, whether you’re working on behalf of a victim of a crime or your client has been harmed by a dangerous product.
“You let your clients know you’re there for them, and you just want to get the job done. You’re going to help them get the justice they deserve.”
Mr. Ali joined Weitz & Luxenberg directly from the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York, where he worked for several years. As a felony assistant district attorney in the Trial Bureau Blue, Mr. Ali prosecuted and managed hundreds of felony criminal cases from start to finish.
“I worked with 50 to 60 victims at a time,” Mr. Ali explains. “I became very familiar with each and every person. I wanted to know every detail about their situations and really get to know them. Sometimes I met them when they were still in the hospital. Other times, they had just gotten home after leaving the hospital.
“When my father first came to the United States, he moved to Brooklyn. When I had the opportunity to work for the DA’s office, it felt right. I wanted to help people in the Brooklyn community — be an advocate for them.”
At Weitz & Luxenberg, Mr. Ali sees himself continuing in that role — advocating on behalf of victims harmed by someone else’s criminal behavior or reckless actions.
Before earning his J.D. and joining the DA’s office, he held several legal internships. Mr. Ali was also a judicial intern for The Honorable Joseph Esposito, the supervising judge for the Queens County Civil Court in Jamaica, New York.
Mr. Ali is licensed to practice law in New York and in New York’s Supreme Court Appellate Division – Second Department. He earned his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and his B.A. from St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
Outside the office, family is number one. Mr. Ali’s parents are from Pakistan, so being with family also means traveling to visit with his huge extended family.
He also loves reading and sports. As far as teams go, his favorites are the New York Knicks, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Eagles.
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In addition to being a pioneer in asbestos litigation, our firm is in the forefront of asbestos legislation, championing laws that protect the rights of current and future asbestos victims.
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Asbestos Information
Attorney Advertising © 2021 Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. | Last Modified September 13, 2021
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
Focus: Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Phone: (212) 558-5500
Fax: (212) 344-5461
NEW YORK OFFICE
700 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
“Many of my clients are or were steamfitters. So is my husband — he’s a steamfitter, too. Being married to one makes me that much more connected to the work I do on behalf of asbestos-exposure victims — and that much more passionate about seeing justice done for them. I know exactly how hard these guys work. I also know how enraging it is for them — after having spent decades toiling and building for their retirements — to now be fighting to stay alive instead of enjoying their sunset years doing the things they always dreamed about doing. It’s not fair at all that they’ve been robbed of their retirement dreams by toxic substances. I’m grateful for the opportunity to try and make things right for them.”
Born in Vietnam, Phan Alvarado is a gifted practitioner of the law of torts. She is a member of our Asbestos Litigation team. In 2016, Ms. Alvarado was named as a 2016 New York Metro Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine.
Ms. Alvarado’s impassioned work on behalf of the surviving kin of three men who died of mesothelioma helped bring about a very satisfying 2014 courtroom verdict worth $12.5 million. The case was by no means an easy one — the defendants fought tooth-and-nail for four months to prevent Ms. Alvarado and her trial teammates from establishing to the jury’s satisfaction that all three plaintiffs developed mesothelioma as a result of the defendants causing them to be exposed to asbestos on the job.
Ms. Alvarado joined Weitz & Luxenberg in 2010. Ms. Alvarado prior to that served as a Bronx County assistant district attorney where she aided in the prosecution of cases involving felony narcotic crimes. She began her career in 2005 following admission to the State of New York Bar.
Ms. Alvarado holds a juris doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law. During her enrollment there, she served as administrative director of the school’s mock-trial program — the Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute — after initially becoming involved with it while still in her first year of studies (a rarity among students at that stage of learning). Ms. Alvarado went on to emerge as one of the mock-trial team’s preeminent members, helping her colleagues win the Texas Young Lawyers Assn. regional championship and gain a berth in the national finals (St. John’s earned top-ranking among mock-trial programs nationwide by the time Ms. Alvarado completed her schooling).
Leading up to law school, Ms. Alvarado garnered from St. John’s a 2002 bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice along with an academic excellence award for her stellar classroom achievements in pursuit of that major; she graduated summa cum laude.
Key Verdicts:
LOOKING FOR LEGAL HELP?
We would feel privileged to assist you.
For a free case review, please contact us today.
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
“Many of my clients are or were steamfitters. So is my husband — he’s a steamfitter, too. Being married to one makes me that much more connected to the work I do on behalf of asbestos-exposure victims — and that much more passionate about seeing justice done for them. I know exactly how hard these guys work. I also know how enraging it is for them — after having spent decades toiling and building for their retirements — to now be fighting to stay alive instead of enjoying their sunset years doing the things they always dreamed about doing. It’s not fair at all that they’ve been robbed of their retirement dreams by toxic substances. I’m grateful for the opportunity to try and make things right for them.”
Mesothelioma Asbestos
Request a Free Legal Consultation
In addition to being a pioneer in asbestos litigation, our firm is in the forefront of asbestos legislation, championing laws that protect the rights of current and future asbestos victims.
By providing your cell number you acknowledge and consent to receive and exchange communications via text messaging (SMS) and receive automated text messages. Messaging and data rates may apply. Text “stop” to opt-out at any time. No purchase necessary.
Asbestos Information
Attorney Advertising © 2021 Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. | Last Modified September 13, 2021
MANAGING ATTORNEY
Focus: Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Phone: (310) 247-0921
Fax: (310) 786-9927
LOS ANGELES OFFICE
1880 Century Park East, Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90067
“Weitz & Luxenberg Los Angeles is able to get great results for so many clients because, one, we have people with the right blend of credentials and backgrounds and, two, we enjoy national reach through our offices in New York, New Jersey and other locations, which cumulatively gives us leverage that’s hard to equal. As for me, personally, there aren’t too many jobs where you really get to help hard-working people who are so deserving. Asbestos cancer shatters people’s lives. I can’t make the injury or its consequences go away, but I can help give them back some of their lost dignity and stolen worth.”
Benno Ashrafi oversees the asbestos practice at Weitz & Luxenberg in California. He joined us in 2011 to help our Los Angeles office assemble a driven, client-focused team of personal-injury lawyers, each with his or her own track-record of success in asbestos-cancer/mesothelioma litigation.
Mr. Ashrafi entered the practice of law in 2006. His career began at the Los Angeles office of Waters & Kraus, a Dallas-based law firm, where he played a key role in delivering for his clients substantial verdicts — including one worth nearly $15 million. At Pepperdine Law School, his academic achievements were such that he graduated second in his class. Three years earlier, Mr. Ashrafi graduated as an economics major from the University of California at Berkeley.
Between undergraduate school and law school, Mr. Ashrafi worked in the field of commercial real-estate finance. A fan of Lakers basketball who himself enjoys shooting hoops, Mr. Ashrafi — a California native — confesses to a fondness for spending time in his kitchen (favorite dish: short ribs slow-braised in copious quantities of wine).
LOOKING FOR LEGAL HELP?
We would feel privileged to assist you.
For a free case review, please contact us today.
MANAGING ATTORNEY
“Weitz & Luxenberg Los Angeles is able to get great results for so many clients because, one, we have people with the right blend of credentials and backgrounds and, two, we enjoy national reach through our offices in New York, New Jersey and other locations, which cumulatively gives us leverage that’s hard to equal. As for me, personally, there aren’t too many jobs where you really get to help hard-working people who are so deserving. Asbestos cancer shatters people’s lives. I can’t make the injury or its consequences go away, but I can help give them back some of their lost dignity and stolen worth.”
Mesothelioma Asbestos
Request a Free Legal Consultation
In addition to being a pioneer in asbestos litigation, our firm is in the forefront of asbestos legislation, championing laws that protect the rights of current and future asbestos victims.
By providing your cell number you acknowledge and consent to receive and exchange communications via text messaging (SMS) and receive automated text messages. Messaging and data rates may apply. Text “stop” to opt-out at any time. No purchase necessary.
Asbestos Information
Attorney Advertising © 2021 Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. | Last Modified September 13, 2021
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
Focus: Environmental Pollution, Consumer Protection
Phone: (212) 558-5500
Fax: (212) 344-5461
NEW YORK OFFICE
700 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
Ms. Bolton is an associate attorney in the Environmental, Toxic Torts and Consumer Protection Unit of Weitz & Luxenberg.
Ms. Bolton joined Weitz & Luxenberg’s Environmental, Toxic Torts and Consumer Protection Unit in 2015. She currently supports the Unit’s efforts in representing thousands of residents injured by the October 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak in California, which resulted in the largest release of greenhouse gases in United States history. In addition to her work with existing litigation, Ms. Bolton also investigates cases concerning air, soil, and water contamination around the country.
Prior to joining Weitz & Luxenberg, Ms. Bolton gained substantial complex litigation experience as both a law clerk and associate at the Minneapolis firm of Zimmerman Reed, LLP. There, she worked on several consumer protection and employee rights cases, including In re Imprelis Herbicide Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, In re FedEx Ground Package System, Inc., and In Re: Zicam Cold Remedy Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation.
Ms. Bolton graduated from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in 2012, where she was a member of the law review and received a Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in Legal Research and Writing I. While in law school, Ms. Bolton served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Kevin S. Burke of the Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota from 2010 to 2012, and as a research assistant to real estate expert witness and consultant, Dr. Thomas Musil.
Ms. Bolton is licensed to practice law in California and is admitted to the United States District Court for the Districts of Northern and Eastern California.
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ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
Ms. Bolton is an associate attorney in the Environmental, Toxic Torts and Consumer Protection Unit of Weitz & Luxenberg.
Environmental Consumer
Request a Free Legal Consultation
In addition to being a pioneer in asbestos litigation, our firm is in the forefront of asbestos legislation, championing laws that protect the rights of current and future asbestos victims.
By providing your cell number you acknowledge and consent to receive and exchange communications via text messaging (SMS) and receive automated text messages. Messaging and data rates may apply. Text “stop” to opt-out at any time. No purchase necessary.
Asbestos Information
Attorney Advertising © 2021 Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. | Last Modified September 13, 2021
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
Focus: Mesothelioma and Asbestos
Phone: (856) 755-1115
Fax: (856) 755-1995
CHERRY HILL OFFICE
220 Lake Drive East, Suite 210
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
“Our clients are good people who spent the majority of their lives working tirelessly to provide for their families. Unfortunately, some companies were more concerned about money than human life. These companies made conscious decisions causing countless people to be exposed to asbestos, a known carcinogen that can poison people. What they did is wrong. I am dedicated to fighting for our clients and their families. I want to give them a voice and use the legal process to help them any way I can.”
Weitz & Luxenberg welcomes Erin M. Boyle to our specialized, highly dedicated Mesothelioma and Asbestos Practice Group. She is an experienced trial attorney and is serving clients out of our New Jersey Office in Cherry Hill, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“I’m thrilled to have been asked to join this outstanding team of attorneys who are passionate about fighting for people who have been injured by the harmful actions of others,” Ms. Boyle says. “Our clients were unknowingly exposed to asbestos, which can lead to mesothelioma and other devastating illnesses.
“The companies they worked for did not warn our clients about their hazardous working conditions. These companies did not take appropriate safety measures to protect their employees and their families from inhaling toxic asbestos fibers.
“Now, I want to assure our clients they are in knowledgeable and capable hands. Weitz & Luxenberg has dedicated itself to helping people harmed by others’ actions for more than 30 years,” she states.
“Working for Weitz & Luxenberg is an honor. This firm was founded to help people diagnosed with mesothelioma and other diseases related to asbestos exposure,” Ms. Boyle explains.
“As an undergraduate student, I thought about pursuing law enforcement at first. Then, I decided to go to law school with the goal of becoming a prosecutor and advocating for those who had been victims of horrific crimes.”
“In my work in the District Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia, I was able to pursue my passion of standing up for people wronged by others.”
Ms. Boyle adds, “At Weitz & Luxenberg, I have the opportunity to further my longstanding commitment to helping others by representing people who have been wronged under different circumstances. I will work hard for our clients every day in the hopes of making a positive impact on their lives. They deserve to be heard and they deserve justice.”
She points out, “A guiding principle of mine is a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.: ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.’
“It is incredibly important that these companies are held accountable for what they have done and for the way their selfish choices have destroyed lives. What these companies did is wrong, and I am determined to speak up and fight for our clients and their families.”
Before joining Weitz & Luxenberg, Ms. Boyle served as an assistant district attorney in the Office of the District Attorney in Philadelphia.
For almost 12 years, from August 2006 until June of 2018, she held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in the Trial Division of the District Attorney’s Office. These included serving as a senior litigator in the Homicide Unit, the bureau chief of the Central Division Bureau, and the assistant chief of the Homicide Unit, among others.
Ms. Boyle has a wealth of experience handling complex matters and directing investigations.
As the assistant chief of the Homicide Unit, Ms. Boyle supervised a high-profile, high-volume unit tasked with conducting and overseeing complex and often long-term homicide investigations and trials. Ms. Boyle instructed homicide attorneys on every aspect of litigation including case strategy, motions practice, trial preparation, grand jury investigations, discovery matters, pretrial negotiation, and the sentencing and appellate processes. She also acted as a legal consultant to local law enforcement during homicide and related investigations and maintained an active case load of complex jury trials.
For roughly two years, Ms. Boyle served as chief of the Central Bureau where her responsibilities included supervising 15 attorneys tasked with prosecuting cases in North Philadelphia and Center City. As bureau chief, Ms. Boyle was a member of the GunStat program and collaborated with local law enforcement to manage and interpret violent crime data.
Additionally, Ms. Boyle served as assistant director of the training program for all attorneys in the Trial Division; worked with law enforcement to establish a protocol for the storage and production of surveillance footage from body-worn cameras; and helped develop protocols for the retention, dissemination, and use of digital evidence. She also assisted in making technological improvements for trial presentations and office-wide data and discovery management, and maintained an active case load of complex jury trials.
Before becoming a supervisor, Ms. Boyle was a senior trial attorney and tried hundreds of cases and motions. While in the Homicide and Major Trials Units, she argued complex legal motions and tried challenging and high-profile cases before judges and juries.
Ms. Boyle has extensive experience with expert witnesses in multiple disciplines including historical cell site analysis, forensic pathology, DNA, and firearms.
In 2014, Ms. Boyle studied peace and conflict resolution at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand during a 3-month Rotary Peace Fellowship after being one of 24 individuals selected from a worldwide competition.
Outside the office, Ms. Boyle loves to spend time with her husband and twin 4-year-old girls.
Ms. Boyle is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania.
She earned her J.D. cum laude from Temple University’s School of Law in Philadelphia and her B.S. in psychology from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
LOOKING FOR LEGAL HELP?
We would feel privileged to assist you.
For a free case review, please contact us today.
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
“Our clients are good people who spent the majority of their lives working tirelessly to provide for their families. Unfortunately, some companies were more concerned about money than human life. These companies made conscious decisions causing countless people to be exposed to asbestos, a known carcinogen that can poison people. What they did is wrong. I am dedicated to fighting for our clients and their families. I want to give them a voice and use the legal process to help them any way I can.”
Mesothelioma Asbestos
Request a Free Legal Consultation
In addition to being a pioneer in asbestos litigation, our firm is in the forefront of asbestos legislation, championing laws that protect the rights of current and future asbestos victims.
By providing your cell number you acknowledge and consent to receive and exchange communications via text messaging (SMS) and receive automated text messages. Messaging and data rates may apply. Text “stop” to opt-out at any time. No purchase necessary.
Asbestos Information
Attorney Advertising © 2021 Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. | Last Modified September 13, 2021
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