Over a career spanning more than 40 years, David Perecman has dedicated his legal practice to advocating for New York accident victims. In the process, his team at The Perecman Firm has recovered more than half a billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for its injured clients, with cases that include some of the most influential matters in the personal injury field. It should come as no surprise, then, that this year Perecman was selected by his peers as the Best Lawyers 2022 Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs “Lawyer of the Year” in Long Island. Perecman also has been named in The Best Lawyers in America® for the past 15 consecutive years.
“For decades now I have been fighting for injured victims, workers and families; and the firm has achieved a stellar record across trial verdicts, settlements and appellate results,” says Perecman when considering these recognitions. “It isn’t common for a personal injury firm to handle its own appellate work, so I think the fact that we handle cases from start to finish—and have established a record of success in doing so—has helped our firm bolster its reputation in the community.”
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the number of cases going to trial, Perecman typically handles several trials a year. In one of his most recent successes, he obtained a $5 million settlement at trial for a premises liability client who suffered a slip-and-fall accident in his Manhattan apartment. At various points during the trial the defense sought to negotiate, but the most they offered was $3.5 million. When the jury rendered a verdict on liability, they found the defendant 100 percent responsible for the accident, which Perecman notes is rare for a slip-and-fall case, particularly in a matter where the plaintiff slipped and fell in his own bathroom.
“It was clear that after hearing the testimony of the landlord and managing agent witnesses, the jury felt strongly that the defendants had not maintained the building properly,” says Perecman. “I take a great deal of pride in the fact that we were able to achieve a full recovery for our client; there are many aspects of being a lawyer that I enjoy, but nothing is more satisfying than handing clients their checks at the end of a case and seeing the smiles on their faces and the sense of peace they have now that their case has concluded.”
