Richard M. Steigman
Partner Phone: 646-854-9172
Richard Steigman’s affiliation with the firm began nearly a quarter century ago with his work as a paralegal. After attending Franklin and Marshall College and graduating "With Distinction" from Hofstra University School of Law, where he was a member of the Hofstra Law Review, he joined the firm as an attorney in 1997.
As a partner at GGCRBHS&M, he performs all facets of personal injury litigation, including preparing complex cases from start to finish, serving as a trial attorney, and submitting appellate briefs. He has tried cases throughout the metropolitan area and argued appeals in both State and Federal Courts. He is known to those who work with him on a day to day basis as a "problem solver" whose insights and innovative ideas greatly contribute to the successful results obtained by the firms’ clients.
He has lectured to fellow members of the bar for the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the Practicing Law Institute, and law students at law schools such as Hofstra and Cardozo School of Law. His knowledge in the field has not gone unnoticed by lawyers throughout the State – he has been called on to field questions and solve difficult problems by many members of the bar. He is widely recognized as one of the most knowledgeable attorneys in the State.
Recently, Richard, along with Ben Rubinowitz and Jeff Bloom, secured a $120 million jury verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit against Westchester Medical Center. Additionally, as lead trial attorney with Ben Rubinowitz in the Metro-North train crash case in Valhalla, he achieved a significant verdict where a Westchester County jury found Metro-North primarily liable for the tragic accident at the Commerce Street Crossing, which resulted in six deaths and numerous injuries. The jury attributed 71% of the responsibility to Metro-North due to the train engineer's failure to slow down and the defective design of the third rail system. Richard has contributed to numerous outstanding results for our clients, including successfully handling an appeal in a wrongful death action involving a pedestrian stuck in a truck accident, which ultimately settled for $26 million, and achieved numerous multi-million dollar results as a trial lawyer, including medical malpractice cases involving failures to diagnose and treat diabetic retinopathy, a failure to diagnose an acoustic neuroma, and personal injury cases including a $5.5 settlement against the Police Department of the City of New York for striking a man with a police car who was fleeing on a bicycle.
In addition to his interest and experience in cases involving car accidents, medical malpractice and premises liability, Mr. Steigman also has handled cases involving civil rights violations and employment law.
His memberships in professional associations include the New York State Bar Association, the American Association for Justice and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.
J.D., Hofstra University, 1997
with distinction
Member, Hofstra Law Review
Bachelor of Arts, Franklin & Marshall College, 1989
U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, 1998
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 2009
New York State Bar Association
New York State Trial Lawyers Association
The Association of Trial Lawyers of America
- "Keeping Pace, A Guide For The Up-To-Date Litigator," Update on Automobile Cases, 1998
- "The Use of the Analogy During Trial," New York Law Journal, August, 2001
- "The Big Money Question: Dealing with Monetary Damages from Voir Dire to Summation," New York Law Journal, November, 2001
- "Cross-Examination: The Basics," New York Law Journal, July, 2002
- "The Voice of Reason: A Powerful Approach to Cross-Examination," New York Law Journal, August, 2002
- "The Freeze-Frame Technique: A Method for Exposing Key Points," New York Law Journal, November, 2002
- "Cross-Examination of Medical Doctors: Recurrent Themes," New York Law Journal, May, 2003
- "Economic Testimony: From Lay Witness to Economist," New York Law Journal, July, 2003
- "The Deposition as a Tool for Trial," New York Law Journal, September, 2003
- "The Cross-Examination of the Radiologist in a Soft Tissue Case," New York Law Journal, November, 2003
- "Golden Rule Violations: Placing the Jury in the Shoes of Your Client," New York Law Journal, December, 2003
- "Direct Examination of a Hostile Witness," New York Law Journal, May, 2004
- "The Use of Photographs in Personal Injury Cases," New York Law Journal, July, 2004
- "Tips on Narrative Direct Examination," New York Law Journal, September, 2004
- "Voir Dire in Medical Negligence Cases: A Plaintiff's Perspective," New York Law Journal, December 30, 2004
- "The Virtue of Patience: Setting up the Expert Witness on Cross-Examination," New York Law Journal, July 27, 2005
- "Who's Up First? Issues Related to Order of Summation," New York Law Journal, October 25, 2005
- "News Impeachment With a Prior Inconsistent Statement," New York Law Journal, January 6, 2006
- "Continuing to Try Your Case After the Summations," New York Law Journal, May 4, 2006
- "Introduction of Exhibits in Civil Cases," New York Law Journal, July 25, 2006
- "Common Mistakes and Simple Remedies," New York Law Journal, September 21, 2006
- "The Use of Hypothetical Questions as Weapons at Trial," New York Law Journal, October 31, 2006
- "A HIPAA Primer," New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, Bill of Particulars, Winter 2006
- "Hypothetical Questions on Cross," New York Law Journal, December 29, 2006
- "The Use of Authoritative Texts and Cross-Examination of Medical Experts," New York Law Journal, June 7, 2007
- "Using Operative Terms From Jury Charge in Cross-Exam," New York Law Journal, July 26, 2007
- "Time Constraints and Weaknesses in Cases," New York Law Journal, August 29, 2007
- "Proving Damages in a Wrongful Death Case," New York Law Journal, October 23, 2007
- "The Impact of Arons: A Look at the Court of Appeals Decision to Allow Ex Parte Interviews of Treating Doctors and Where We Go From Here," New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, Bill of Particulars, Spring 2008
- "Prep is Key to Cross-Exam of Examining Medical Witness," New York Law Journal, May 29, 2008
- "Getting the Picture: Using Exhibits Throughout a Trial," New York Law Journal, July 31, 2008.
- New "Speaking Agents" Law Overrides New York's "Prohibition On Employees"Out-of-Court Statements, New York Law Journal, January 20, 2022
- Richard, along with managing partner Ben Rubinowitz, served as the lead trial attorney in the Metro-North Valhalla train crash case. A Westchester County jury found Metro-North primarily liable for the tragic accident at the Commerce Street Crossing, which resulted in six deaths and numerous injuries. The jury attributed 71% of the responsibility to Metro-North, citing the train engineer's failure to slow down and the defective design of the third rail system.
- $120 million verdict for a 41-year-old man who endured irreversible brain injury due to a stroke that was misdiagnosed and untreated by doctors.This is the highest medical malpractice verdict ever achieved in Westchester County, NY.
- $26,000,000 settlement for a pedestrian struck by a truck in a personal injury action. The decedent was a research analyst at a well regarded brokerage firm who was on her way to work when the truck made a right turn striking her while she was walking in the cross walk.
- $5,500,000 settlement on behalf of a bicyclist struck by a police car which was pursuing him.
- $5,400,000 settlement in a Monroe County medical malpractice case on behalf of an infant who suffered brain damage as a result of the doctors’ failure to perform a timely caesarian section.
- $4,800,000 verdict for the wrongful death of a 8 year old child killed as the result of the negligence of a truck driver.
- $3,000,000 settlement in medical malpractice case on behalf of a woman who lost hearing in one ear and developed meningitis as a result of her doctors’ failure to diagnose an acoustic neuroma.
- $2,800,000 settlement against an optician on behalf of man who suffered legal blindness as a result of a the optician’s failure to refer him to a specialist for treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
Disclaimer: Please be advised that the results achieved in any given case depend upon the exact facts and circumstances of that case. Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf cannot guarantee a specific result in any legal matter. Any testimonial or case result listed on this site is based on an actual legal case and represents the results achieved in that particular case, and does not constitute a guarantee, warranty or prediction of the outcome of any other legal matter.