Long Island Personal Injury Lawyers
When you’ve been injured in an accident, you will have many questions that require quick and competent answers.
Who will pay my medical bills?
What about my lost wages?
Who will pay my out of pocket expenses?
What if I can’t go back to work?
YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS….
Each case at Leonick Law starts with compassion — and ends with legal expertise. The following examples come from real-life cases that we at Leonick Law count among our success stories. Successful Cases
I represented a New York City Department of Sanitation mechanic who was injured at work, while walking from a mechanic’s tunnel to the yard where the sanitation trucks were kept. He was carrying a container with hydraulic oil in it.
The area where he had to walk from the tunnel to the yard had a change in grade and in order to keep trucks from bottoming out, sanitation department employees had installed a steel plate to level out the surface. That steel plate was wet and oily, and on the day of my client’s injury it was raining. There was oil and water on the plate, and as my client stepped on the plate, he slipped; his feet went up in the air, he landed on his lower back, and afterwards was out of work indefinitely. He ended up having a discectomy and lower back fusion with instrumentation that was installed.
Typically, you cannot sue your employer when you have Workers Compensation insurance, but because of a unique relationship between the sanitation workers and the City of New York, they are able to bring lawsuits when work-related accidents happen. Eventually, the case settled for $875,000 and the client also was approved for Social Security Disability and his New York City disability pension.
I represented a woman who was visiting a friend living at a residence at a local country club. As my client made her way to the friend’s apartment at the property, she slipped and fell on ice that was not properly taken care of, resulting in a fractured femur.
She had surgery and had to have a rod put in her leg to repair it. She was an older woman, so her bones were somewhat brittle and therefore hard to repair without installing a rod. That meant surgery and rehab , which were both completed successfully. After coming out of rehab, she went back to living alone in an apartment.
Once back in her apartment, she felt the need to mop her kitchen floor, and in doing so, she slipped and re-fractured the same femur, starting the same slow process of healing all over again; another surgery, another stint in rehab.
Initially the insurance carrier involved only wanted to resolve the case based upon a value for the initial fracture, but we prevailed upon them to increase the settlement of that case, ultimately receiving a $475,000 settlement. It even surprised the defense attorney that I was able to prevail upon the insurance carrier to include that as part of their evaluation.
Wills (Last Will and Testament), Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Elder Law
Myth: “I don’t need a Will or estate planning until I’m elderly.”
Fact: Everyone should have these important documents starting at age 18.
Myth: “When I get older, I should transfer my house to my children.”
Fact: Capital gains taxes couldd take 20 to 25 percent away from the value of your home when your children sell it. You can transfer ownership of your home to protect its full value and still have it transferred to your children from your estate.
Myth: “Medicare will pay for nursing home care.”
Fact: Medicare will pay for a limited short term stay for rehabilitation but not for a long term stay.
YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS….
Each case at Leonick Law starts with compassion — and ends with legal expertise. The following examples come from real-life cases that we at Leonick Law count among our success stories. Successful Cases
A woman and her husband were divorced for many years. Their divorce agreement stipulated that when the youngest child reached 21, the house would be sold and the proceeds split. It also said in the agreement that each party had a right to make their own estate plan. Generally, if no estate plan is made, the law says that if one spouse dies, his or her spouse and children will split the estate. If the person has no children, it all goes to the spouse. If you’ve done no estate planning, that is what could happen.
When the wife predeceased the husband, a conflict surrounding her estate developed in the family. Two of the children came to Leonick Law and said, “We have a problem because my father thinks that he’s entitled to the whole house because it was titled in the name of the husband and wife.”
It is true that when any two people own something jointly, the surviving owner assumes complete ownership. The husband was making the argument that he should have the entire house and his daughters didn’t have a right to any money or the title to the house.
However, it is also true that the divorce automatically severed the tie that the joint ownership created in the title to the house. Joint ownership was automatically broken already, and in this case the divorce decree stated that the proceeds from the house sale would be split 50/50.
We were able to impress upon the ex-husband’s attorney that the law was in our favor. The house was sold, the profits were split according to the law, with the mother’s half of the house divided equally between her three children.
Real Estate
Whether you are Buying or Selling, Residential or Commercial Real Estate, we can help.
YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS….
Each case at Leonick Law starts with compassion — and ends with legal expertise. The following examples come from real-life cases that we at Leonick Law count among our success stories. Common Real Estate Matters
We will explain the process, discuss evaluating the home’s condition, title issues, and environmental factors. We will work with you during the mortgage qualification process and represent you during closing to make your dream of homeownership come true.
We will counsel you regarding zoning, inspections, testing, financing, leasing, assessing costs, and assisting you in making a sound investment decision for you or your business.
Whether you’re a landlord or tenant, whether you’re considering residential or commercial property, we can prepare the landlord’s lease and negotiate terms that suit your needs.
Before you put down a substantial amount of money to create the home of your dreams, contact us. We will discuss how to choose a contractor, review the home improvement contract and help you to avoid common issues that arise, such as inspections, permits, insurance, subcontractors, etc. For most people, their home is the single largest investment, and a substantial home improvement is worthy of the time and relatively minor expense to have an attorney review the project with you before you sign contracts.
