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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.

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Robert J. Gordon

OF COUNSEL

Focus: Mesothelioma and Asbestos, Defective Drugs and Devices, Personal Injury and Malpractice, Environmental Pollution

Phone: (212) 558-5500
Fax: (212) 344-5461

NEW YORK OFFICE
700 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

Get in touch

“Perry [Weitz] has never done anything but encourage us to spend whatever it takes to do the very best job, because he was a trial lawyer. If anything, he’ll say, ‘Why didn’t you do another focus group? Why didn’t you spend more money to prepare? Why not do more?’ It’s not just that they don’t say ‘no.’ They actually encourage you to do everything that you can to win.”

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BIOGRAPHY

As the Chief Trial Lawyer at Weitz & Luxenberg, Robert Gordon has amassed more than $400 million in jury verdicts over his career, which began when national asbestos cases were first starting to materialize.

In fact, Gordon tried the first asbestosis case and the second mesothelioma case in New York State history.

Gordon is not just a major player, he helped write the rules of engagement in asbestos litigation. He’s been at Weitz & Luxenberg since 1991, serving as the firm’s trial front man in high-profile cases involving asbestos-related illnesses, drug companies, dangerous medical devices and environmental pollution.

He’s engineered many of Weitz & Luxenberg’s biggest success stories, winning 12 cases with verdicts worth at least $10 million, among his 36 total judgments of $1 million or more.

Leader of a Team of Legal Experts Who Do Their Homework

While Gordon might be the focal point at times, arguing cases in the courtroom, there’s no understating the importance and impact of the overall team effort at Weitz & Luxenberg in helping win such large judgments for clients.

“To use a football analogy, I don’t think a quarterback would do well if he didn’t have a great offensive line, receivers and running backs,” Gordon said. “This is a team game, totally. So in these kinds of trials, you are both a performer and a conductor.

“That’s the magic to it. From the paralegals, to the staff attorneys, to the second-chair lawyer and to me, it’s a team game.”

Perhaps the best part about working at Weitz and Luxenberg, Gordon said, is the front office’s willingness to do whatever it takes to win a case, a notion that shouldn’t be lost on prospective clients. It starts with firm co-founder Perry Weitz, who also has a reputation as a trial lawyer of considerable repute. The firm has the resources and willingness to propel a case toward a maximum verdict for its clients.

“Perry [Weitz] has never done anything but encourage us to spend whatever it takes to do the very best job, because he was a trial lawyer,” Gordon said. “If anything, he’ll say, ‘Why didn’t you do another focus group? Why didn’t you spend more money to prepare? Why not do more?’

“It’s not just that they don’t say ‘no.’ They actually encourage you to do everything that you can to win.”

Long History of Successful Cases for Clients

In an era when personal injury firms are situated in every city, Gordon doesn’t blink when explaining why an injured party should call a national litigation giant such as Weitz & Luxenberg, which is entering its fourth decade of existence.

“Because we’re the biggest, we’re the best and we’ve been doing it the longest – all of those things,” he said. “Because we’re the biggest, we have incredible leverage over the defense and the resources to bring to bear. We’re the best because we’re the most experienced. I’ve been doing this since 1984. How many other guys are still doing it? The core here has been together a long time.”

While Gordon prefers to emphasize the team-based results of his work, his personal accolades are as notable as his courtroom earnings. A former Philadelphia assistant district attorney, Gordon has been named to the Super Lawyers list of elite attorneys every year since 2006, and in 2009 was a finalist for the Public Justice Foundation’s Trial Lawyer of the Year distinction. In 2011, he was named the New York Mass Torts Litigator of the Year by Best Lawyers.

More publicly, Gordon made major waves in the pharmaceutical arena during a landmark case against drug giant Merck a decade ago, prompting The Wall Street Journal to publish a lengthy feature story about the Rochester, New York, native. The story gushed over the victory, won alongside fellow Weitz & Luxenberg attorneys Jerry Kristal and Ellen Relkin, which resulted in a $13.5 million verdict after punitive damages were added and upheld.

Positioned alongside one of the newspaper’s famous pencil drawings of Gordon, the headline read, “Low-Key Lawyer Wins Vioxx Case In a Quiet Way.”

With Gordon at the helm, Weitz & Luxenberg was involved in some of the biggest groundwater contamination cases in U.S. history. Since 2000, Gordon has served as the co-chairman of the national steering committee that oversees thousands of consolidated cases seeking damages from the gas and oil industry. Hundreds of millions in damages have been distributed to towns with poisoned water systems.

His Diverse Legal Skillset Has Paid Dividends

It’s been a decorated career, but Gordon wasn’t always sure he wanted to be a lawyer. While an undergrad at University of Michigan, he enrolled in seemingly every general-education class under the sun in trying to find his path.

“Once I started the law students in court program, I said, ‘Oh, this is like acting, but you write your own lines,’” said Gordon. “But it’s for a good cause, it’s about the truth. Brains are required, but there’s improv. It’s really cool.”

He’s used to having an audience, legal or otherwise. In college, he performed in bands in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area and truly sang for his supper in area restaurants, playing his acoustic guitar for customers in exchange for free dinners. He has ten guitars in his collection.

He feels that being a guitar devotee has made him a better courtroom attorney, too. In court, moments of silence often make an impression bigger than a high-decibel harangue. Cadence and phrasing count for plenty.

“Dynamics, pacing, silence, volume, it’s all related to how well you speak, how you sing, or how you play,” he said.

It takes a certain personality to effectively argue multimillion-dollar cases against industry giants, under the klieg lights, with Gordon’s degree of success. Truly, the courtroom has become his stage.

“I’m a trial lawyer,” he said. “To me, it’s about trying cases. It’s all about being in court, with a client, cross-examining defense witnesses and winning a case.”

EDUCATION

  • J.D., George Washington University School of Law, 1980
  • B.A., University of Michigan, 1977.

ASSOCIATIONS AND LICENSES

  • New York City Bar Assn. (Committee on Tort Litigation)
  • New York State Trial Lawyers Assn.
  • American Association for Justice (Scientific, Medical Integrity Committee; List Committee)
  • Trial Lawyers for Public Justice

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court (NJ; NY Eastern & Southern)
  • U.S. Court of Appeals (Third Circuit)
  • U.S. Supreme Court

LOOKING FOR LEGAL HELP?

We would feel privileged to assist you.
For a free case review, please contact us today.

OF COUNSEL

“Perry [Weitz] has never done anything but encourage us to spend whatever it takes to do the very best job, because he was a trial lawyer. If anything, he’ll say, ‘Why didn’t you do another focus group? Why didn’t you spend more money to prepare? Why not do more?’ It’s not just that they don’t say ‘no.’ They actually encourage you to do everything that you can to win.”

Personal Injury Drugs & Devices Environmental Pollution Mesothelioma Abestos

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.

David M. Kaufman

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

Focus: Mesothelioma and Asbestos, Defective Drugs and Devices, Personal Injury and Malpractice

Phone: (212) 558-5500
Fax: (212) 344-5461

NEW YORK OFFICE
700 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

Get in touch

“We have a tireless commitment to fight against the harm caused by exposure to asbestos. It’s a good fight, a worthy fight. The men and women who built this country deserve to be compensated by the companies who put them in their unfortunate situation, and that’s why we do what we do here.”

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Overview

mesothelioma diagnosis or any injury that our clients come to us with, affects the whole family of its victim. Associate attorney David Kaufman, who supervises the Trusts & Estates department, works closely with those families as he guides them through the intricacies of the Surrogate’s Court system during one of the most difficult times a family can be forced to face.

“Many of our clients come to us and they are very ill,” Mr. Kaufman said. “Sadly, they may pass away before we’ve resolved their lawsuit.”

Responsible for handling probate and administration proceedings for Weitz & Luxenberg’s New York clients, Mr. Kaufman helps families set up estates.

“The reason for an estate in these situations is to continue a client’s case after they die,” he said. “We reach out to the next of kin and set up an estate so they can act as the new plaintiff.”

Our clients come to know Mr. Kaufman for his kind and calm demeanor in their time of need. But he is also well-known throughout New York’s court system as a firm and focused advocate of the clients Weitz & Luxenberg represents.

“I let our clients’ families know that this is what their loved ones would have wanted,” Mr. Kaufman said. “Their loved ones would have wanted at least some financial security for them. That’s why they decided to pursue this action while they were still alive. The companies that are responsible for their illness should pay.”

By virtue of his role, Mr. Kaufman has set up estates in all of the firm’s litigations beyond asbestos, including general negligence, malpractice, environmentaldrugs, and defective medical devices. He also calculates settlement allocation and distribution, and drafts Surrogate’s Court documents in all of the firm’s wrongful death compromise proceedings. 

Mr. Kaufman worked as a paralegal in Weitz & Luxenberg’s estates department before attending law school, where he worked for a South Florida personal injury firm while earning his degree. Mr. Kaufman joined the New York Attorney General’s Office after graduation before returning to Weitz & Luxenberg as an attorney in 2009.

Mr. Kaufman’s experience has allowed him to develop a strong sense of empathy for our clients and their families.

“I can relate to what they are going through because I have seen their situation so many times,” Mr. Kaufman said. “They can’t get their life back, but the companies that hurt them should pay. And their loved ones deserve to be taken care of to some degree beyond their life.”

Mr. Kaufman prides himself in being able to get a good night’s sleep for the work he does at Weitz & Luxenberg. He is proud to roll up his sleeves for the everyday working people who “built this country and the families they leave behind.” 

EDUCATION

  • J.D., Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, 2007
  • B.S., University at Albany, State University of New York, 2003

ASSOCIATIONS AND LICENSES

  • American Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • U.S. District Court (NJ, NY Southern & Eastern)

LOOKING FOR LEGAL HELP?

We would feel privileged to assist you.
For a free case review, please contact us today.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

“We have a tireless commitment to fight against the harm caused by exposure to asbestos. It’s a good fight, a worthy fight. The men and women who built this country deserve to be compensated by the companies who put them in their unfortunate situation, and that’s why we do what we do here.”

Personal Injury Mesothelioma Asbestos Drugs & Devices

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.

Nicholas Wise

PARTNER

Focus: Personal Injury and Malpractice

Phone: (212) 558-5500
Fax: (212) 344-5461

NEW YORK OFFICE
700 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

Get in touch

“Cases don’t only turn on facts — it also helps to have the right courtroom strategies and tactics. At Weitz & Luxenberg, we think clients deserve the strongest, most aggressive representation possible, and we’re always ready to provide it.”

Get in touch

Overview

Nicholas Wise is a senior trial attorney who handles negligence cases stemming from defective-product design or manufacture, excessive use of police forcemotor-vehicle accidentsconstruction accidents and violations of labor law, among others.

In addition to litigating claims, Mr. Wise also is the Negligence group’s attorney chiefly responsible for exploring alternatives to a potentially protracted legal fight, such as dispute mediation and negotiated settlement (in one illustrative accord, he obtained $1.5 million for a 47-year-old construction worker who fell from elevated train tracks along a New York City expressway).

Prior to joining Weitz & Luxenberg, Mr. Wise worked as a criminal defense attorney and was involved in several high-profile matters. He has been admitted to practice law in New York state since 1992, and is admitted to represent clients in the Southern and Eastern New York jurisdictions of U.S. District Court.

British-born Mr. Wise obtained a juris doctor degree in 1991 from Hofstra University School of Law and, earlier, in 1988, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Long Island University. His current memberships in the New York State Trial Lawyers Assn. and New York County Lawyers Assn. help ensure that he stays on the cutting-edge of practice.

EDUCATION

  • J.D., Hofstra University School of Law, 1991
  • B.A., Long Island University, 1988

ASSOCIATIONS AND LICENSES

  • New York State Trial Lawyers Assn.
  • New York County Lawyers Assn

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • New York
  • Colorado
  • U.S. District Court (NY Southern & Eastern)

LOOKING FOR LEGAL HELP?

We would feel privileged to assist you.
For a free case review, please contact us today.

PARTNER

“Cases don’t only turn on facts — it also helps to have the right courtroom strategies and tactics. At Weitz & Luxenberg, we think clients deserve the strongest, most aggressive representation possible, and we’re always ready to provide it.”

Personal Injury

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.

Jason P. Weinstein

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY, APPELLATE UNIT

Focus: Mesothelioma and Asbestos, Defective Drugs and Devices, Personal Injury and Malpractice

Phone: (212) 558-5500
Fax: (212) 344-5461

NEW YORK OFFICE
700 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

Get in touch

One of the great things about working for Weitz & Luxenberg is that you know you’re part of something bigger than just yourself. We’re all here to help people harmed in some way — by a company or a person who was irresponsible or, in the case of asbestos manufacturers, downright contemptible. When one of us achieves a “win” for a client, we all feel the satisfaction of having done something important, something that really matters to the people we’re trying to help.

Get in touch

Overview

Jason Weinstein joined Weitz & Luxenberg’s skilled and talented Appellate Unit in 2017. He is providing considerable assistance to our Mesothelioma and Asbestos litigation team and turning his talents to our Defective Drugs and Devices litigation unit cases as well as our Personal Injury and Malpractice litigation unit.

Our firm’s Appellate Unit is unlike any other Weitz & Luxenberg litigation division. The attorneys in this unit do not work for or within one specific litigation unit. Instead, Mr. Weinstein and his colleagues in the Appellate Unit perform essential appeals expertise across our litigation-specific units.

When Weitz & Luxenberg secures a victory in court against an asbestos manufacturing company, that asbestos company may decide to appeal the decision. Our firm’s appellate attorneys, including Mr. Weinstein, work to ensure that these decisions are upheld.

Particularly in cases involving asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, Weitz & Luxenberg attorneys feel strongly that asbestos manufacturing companies be held accountable for their unconscionable actions. In this country, we have known for decades asbestos is a carcinogen capable of causing lethal and debilitating lung diseases, including the aggressive cancer mesothelioma.

When an asbestos manufacturer exposes people to asbestos, that company is acting not only irresponsibly but also inexcusably. At Weitz & Luxenberg, we intend to hold these types of companies accountable by ensuring victims of asbestos exposure receive appropriate compensation.

If asbestos companies think they can get out of paying what victims are legally owed, they can think twice, because Weitz & Luxenberg’s Appellate Unit, including Mr. Weinstein, is fully prepared to take the legal actions necessary to uphold a just verdict.

In addition, our firm’s Appellate Unit provides the same types of legal expertise to all the other Weitz & Luxenberg litigation units. When any Weitz & Luxenberg litigation unit achieves a victory in court, the real winners are our clients — the people who have been compensated for suffering serious, sometimes life-threatening, injuries. Although no amount of money can make up for the suffering our clients have gone through, getting them justice helps them to heal.

The Weitz & Luxenberg Appellate attorneys, including Mr. Weinstein, are committed to justice for people harmed through the negligent, sometimes reprehensible, actions of others. As Mr. Weinstein says, “Our end goal is that victims will receive the compensation they deserve. Ideally, irresponsible companies will agree to settle out of court and acknowledge the harm they’ve caused. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

Already, Mr. Weinstein has proven he is up to the task of navigating the legal intricacies involved with appellate casework, crafting legal documents essential to our litigations. We feel privileged Mr. Weinstein decided to join our division of Appellate attorneys at this juncture in his career.

Notably, Mr. Weinstein has written and argued appeals across most of New York State before the New York Court of Appeals, as well as the Appellate Division, First Department, Second Department, and Third Department.

Prior to joining Weitz & Luxenberg, Mr. Weinstein worked for the New York Prosecutors Training Institute for several years. In addition to writing and arguing direct appeals to the New York Court of Appeals and the Appellate Division, Mr. Weinstein supported prosecutors across the state engaged in trial and pretrial practice by performing extensive, time-sensitive legal research.

From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Weinstein served as an associate at The Hoffinger Firm, PLLC, formerly Hoffinger Stern & Ross, LLP, in New York City. One of his primary responsibilities was working as part of a team representing clients in federal and state court in complex criminal and civil litigation matters. He also spent considerable time researching and drafting legal documents.

From August 2006 until May 2010, Mr. Weinstein worked for the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office in Mineola, New York, where he was charged with representing the District Attorney’s office in postconviction and other appellate litigation.

Over his years with the District Attorney’s office, his primary responsibilities included writing and arguing direct appeals to the appellate division, postconviction collateral motions to set aside judgment or sentence, and federal habeas corpus petitions. He also prosecuted misdemeanor cases and conducted plea negotiations, as well as a range of litigation, from pretrial motion practice and suppression hearings to trials.

Mr. Weinstein earned his juris doctorate in 2006 from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, where he served as a member of the initial group of Public Service Scholars, and was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. In addition, Mr. Weinstein worked as a legal writing teaching assistant and served as a research assistant for then-Dean David Rudenstine.

Mr. Weinstein is also noted for graduating cum laude, in the top 10% of his class at the Cardozo School of Law and was named a member of the Order of the Coif. In addition, before graduating, he was a judicial intern for a District Court judge in the Eastern District of New York and a legal intern with the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York.

Mr. Weinstein received his A.B., cum laude generali, in English literature in 1995 from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Mr. Weinstein is admitted to practice law in New York and the following federal courts: Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Outside of his work at Weitz & Luxenberg, Mr. Weinstein happily devotes time to his family.

EDUCATION

  • J.D., cum laude, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 2006
  • A.B., cum laude generali, Vassar College, 1995

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • New York
  • Second Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. District Courts: Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York

LOOKING FOR LEGAL HELP?

We would feel privileged to assist you.
For a free case review, please contact us today.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY, APPELLATE UNIT

“One of the great things about working for Weitz & Luxenberg is that you know you’re part of something bigger than just yourself. We’re all here to help people harmed in some way — by a company or a person who was irresponsible or, in the case of asbestos manufacturers, downright contemptible. When one of us achieves a “win” for a client, we all feel the satisfaction of having done something important, something that really matters to the people we’re trying to help.”

Personal Injury Asbestos Mesothelioma Drugs & Devices

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.

Leonard Sandoval

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

Focus: Personal Injury and Malpractice

Phone: (310) 247-0921
Fax: (310) 786-9927

LOS ANGELES OFFICE
1880 Century Park East, Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90067

Get in touch

“I have the most satisfying job of anyone I know because the people I get to represent are truly the salt of the earth. Most of them were simply going about living their lives and providing for their families when – through no fault of their own – they were exposed to asbestos. Worse, for the sake of profits, the companies responsible for that exposure failed to give warning or do anything to protect anyone. My job as an attorney is to make these companies pay for their wrongs and provide justice for my clients and their families. It’s never easy, but always satisfying.”

Get in touch

Overview

Leonard Sandoval is an integral part of the Weitz & Luxenberg personal injury litigation team. He handles all aspects of cases, from initial meeting with the client to the conclusion of trial.

Throughout his law career, Mr. Sandoval has represented a variety of clients. These include musicians, record labels, government entities and individuals suffering from catastrophic injuries.

Mr. Sandoval joined W&L in 2011, not long after being admitted to practice law in California. Since then, he has also been admitted to practice in U.S. District Court for California’s Central District and before the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.

In 2010, Mr. Sandoval — who first became intent on a career in law at age 6 — earned a juris doctor degree from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law. During his second year there, he served as a board member of La Raza Law Students Association. During his third year, he won election as president of the Student Bar Association. A native of the Golden State and the first member of his family to go to college, Mr. Sandoval earlier graduated from California State University, Fullerton, where he obtained a bachelor of arts degree in sociology.

Today, when away from the office, Mr. Sandoval writes music, plays guitar, tries his hand at cooking cuisine from all over the world and enjoys quiet time at home with his wife and three dogs.

EDUCATION

  • J.D., UCLA School of Law, 2010
  • B.A., California State University, Fullerton, 2007

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • California
  • U.S. District Court (CA Central)
  • U.S. Court of Appeals (Ninth Circuit)

LOOKING FOR LEGAL HELP?

We would feel privileged to assist you.
For a free case review, please contact us today.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

“I have the most satisfying job of anyone I know because the people I get to represent are truly the salt of the earth. Most of them were simply going about living their lives and providing for their families when – through no fault of their own – they were exposed to asbestos. Worse, for the sake of profits, the companies responsible for that exposure failed to give warnings or do anything to protect anyone. My job as an attorney is to make these companies pay for their wrongs and provide justice for my clients and their families. It’s never easy, but always satisfying.”

Personal Injury

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.