Best Medical Malpractice Lawyers in NYC

A New York jury awarded $130 million to a child left brain-damaged at birth. Another returned $103 million in a similar case, and a third handed down $60 million for a man paralyzed after a routine epidural. Verdicts like these require a real trial record, not just paperwork, and this guide compares Fellows Hymowitz Rice, a New York medical malpractice law firm, with four other firms.

The Standard Behind This List

Advertising budgets don't tell a family whether a firm can actually win a malpractice case. Medical malpractice claims require expert physician testimony, years of document review, and a willingness to face a hospital's defense counsel through trial rather than accept an early settlement offer. We looked for firms that show, not just claim, they can do that:

1. Independent peer recognition, through U.S. News–Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" rankings, Martindale-Hubbell's AV Preeminent® rating, or Super Lawyers.
2. A public trial record, meaning reported jury verdicts a family can verify, not only a total settlement figure.
3. A caseload built around malpractice specifically, covering birth injury, surgical error, or misdiagnosis, rather than a general accident practice that occasionally takes one on.
4. The staffing and resources to litigate for years, since hospitals and their insurers rarely settle a strong case quickly.
5. Contingency-fee representation, so a family never pays a retainer to pursue a claim.

The 5 Best Medical Malpractice Lawyers in NYC

1. Fellows Hymowitz Rice

Location: New City, NY (Rockland County), with a second office in the Bronx.

Focus: Medical malpractice, birth injury, surgical error, personal injury exclusively since 1981.

Fellows Hymowitz Rice has practiced personal injury and medical malpractice law exclusively for more than four decades, and its structure reflects that: cases are handled directly by the named partners rather than routed through a rotating team of case managers. The firm's published case results include an $8,000,000 birth injury recovery, a $4,000,000 birth injury negligence settlement, and a $2,885,000 result for a surgical error that led to an unnecessary amputation, alongside broader personal injury verdicts topping $8 million.

What sets FHR apart:

• Martindale-Hubbell AV rating of 4.9 and Avvo 10/10 ratings across all three partners.
• Robert L. Fellows has been named a New York Metro Super Lawyer for personal injury every year from 2013 through 2024.
• Physical offices in both Rockland County and the Bronx, giving clients direct, local access on either side of the Hudson.
• Free consultations available 24/7, in English and Spanish, with no fee unless the firm wins.

2. Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf

Location: Manhattan, serving all five boroughs and the greater New York metro area.

Focus: Medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury.

For 16 consecutive years, U.S. News–Best Lawyers has named Gair Gair a Tier 1 firm for medical malpractice litigation in New York City, a distinction few firms in the state can match. The firm has practiced for more than a century and reports over $5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including a 2025 result believed to be the largest medical malpractice verdict ever recorded in Nassau County: $60 million for a man left permanently paralyzed after a routine epidural injection.

Why it makes the list:

• Eight attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers in America specifically for medical malpractice, including Richard Steigman, named the category's 2022 "Lawyer of the Year" in New York City.
• Partner Jeffrey Bloom co-chairs the Medical Malpractice Committee of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.
• More than 60 reported verdicts exceeding $1 million.

3. Kramer, Dillof, Livingston & Moore

Location: Manhattan, representing clients throughout New York State.

Focus: Medical malpractice and catastrophic injury litigation exclusively.

Founded in 1950, Kramer Dillof Livingston & Moore has been recognized on Best Lawyers' lists for 20 consecutive years and is routinely ranked among the top three plaintiffs' firms in New York for medical malpractice. Senior partners Judith Livingston and Thomas Moore, both members of the Inner Circle of Advocates (an invitation-only group limited to the country's top 100 trial lawyers), together secured a $130 million verdict for a child injured at birth due to hospital negligence, the second-largest medical malpractice verdict in New York State history.

Why it makes the list:

• More than 150 verdicts exceeding $1 million and over $3 billion in total recoveries.
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® rating.
• Bilingual case handling in English and Spanish.

4. The Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm

Location: Manhattan, with a dedicated medical malpractice practice serving the Bronx.

Focus: Medical malpractice and civil rights litigation.

Founded by the late Judge Jacob D. Fuchsberg, the first attorney in New York history to secure a $1 million personal injury verdict, this firm is now led by the third and fourth generations of the Fuchsberg family. Its malpractice team secured a $103 million verdict for a child who suffered brain damage at birth, one of the larger reported birth injury awards in the state, and the firm holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® rating along with a permanent place in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Why it makes the list:

• Attorneys available 24/7, with full legal services offered in Spanish.
• A practice model built specifically around complex litigation against hospitals, insurers, and government defendants, rather than routine claims.
• Decades of combined malpractice litigation experience across the Bronx and greater New York City.

5. Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C.

Location: Garden City, NY (Nassau County), with additional offices in Suffolk County, Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Focus: Medical malpractice exclusively for more than 30 years.

Silberstein, Awad & Miklos has represented families across the New York metro area for three decades in malpractice claims ranging from failure to diagnose cancer to birth injury and surgical error, and firm partners have held elected leadership roles within the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, including the presidency of its Long Island affiliate. The firm's reported case history includes a $35 million verdict against a hospital and pediatric neurology group for negligent diagnosis and treatment of an enzyme disorder, the largest verdict recorded in Nassau County that year.

Why it makes the list:

• Six offices spanning Nassau, Suffolk, Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, putting a physical location within reach of most of the metro area.
• Round-the-clock phone access for new and existing clients.
• Free consultations offered in English and Spanish.

What Qualifies as Medical Malpractice in New York

A bad medical outcome isn't automatically malpractice. New York law requires proof that a healthcare provider's treatment fell below the accepted standard of care and that the deviation directly caused harm, and a qualified medical expert must be prepared to testify to that standard before a claim can move forward. Claims most commonly involve:

• Surgical errors, including wrong-site procedures, retained instruments, or avoidable nerve damage.
• Birth injuries caused by a delayed C-section, mismanaged labor, or a failure to respond to fetal distress.
• Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of conditions like cancer, stroke, or sepsis, where earlier detection would have changed the outcome.
• Medication errors, including incorrect dosing or a failure to catch a dangerous drug interaction.
• Anesthesia errors, including improper dosing or inadequate monitoring during a procedure.
• Hospital-acquired infections tied to unsanitary conditions or improperly sterilized equipment.
• Failure to obtain informed consent before a procedure carrying known, undisclosed risks.

How Long You Have to File a Medical Malpractice Claim in New York

New York gives most malpractice victims far less time than they'd have for an ordinary injury claim. Under CPLR § 214-a, a medical, dental, or podiatric malpractice claim generally must be filed within two years and six months of the negligent act, or from the date treatment ends if the same provider kept treating the same condition under the "continuous treatment" doctrine.

Two narrow exceptions can extend that window. Lavern's Law, in effect since January 2018, lets the clock start from discovery rather than the act itself for a missed cancer or tumor diagnosis, capped at seven years total, and a retained surgical object, like a sponge or instrument, generally allows a year from the date it's discovered.

Claims against a public hospital, including NYC Health + Hospitals facilities, move on a far tighter 90-day notice requirement, while wrongful death claims tied to malpractice carry a separate two-year deadline, and a minor's filing clock is generally tolled until they turn 18. Missing any of these windows can end an otherwise valid claim.

Talk to a NYC Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today

If you suspect a doctor, nurse, or hospital's negligence caused your injury or a loved one's death, Fellows Hymowitz Rice can review what happened at no cost. Contact us today, and you owe nothing unless we win your case.