christopher digirolamo
CHRISTOPHER DIGIROLAMO, ESQ.

Managing Partner

Christopher DiGirolamo is the Managing Partner at Maggiano, DiGirolamo, Lizzi P.C. and is admitted to practice law in the State and Federal Courts of the State New Jersey, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. His practice focuses on auto accidents, construction accidents, workers compensation and product liability.

Mr. DiGirolamo has protected the rights of victims of car accidents, fall downs, construction accidents, on the job injuries, represented the men, women and families that make up the labor force in New Jersey and has helped union workers for over twenty-two years in various types of litigation including construction accidents, product defects, dangerous workplaces, employment disputes and most notably in workers compensation claims. He has achieved a number of multi-million dollar verdicts and recoveries for workplace accident victims and their families, including serving as co-counsel in the largest personal injury recovery ($101 million) in a construction accident in United States history.

He has dedicated his practice to the protection of the rights and benefits that every worker is entitled to and has built a strong reputation based on success in the courtroom and achieving the results that his clients deserve. There is no case or claim too large or small. He handles every case with the same tenacity and determination with one goal: protecting the rights of the injured worker. DiGirolamo is the grandson of a coal miner and steel mill immigrant who died of lung disease in the late 1960’s, before the industry and those running the mills were forced to be accountable for the dangerous conditions they created and exposed workers to for a generation.

The strength and drive that continues to motivate me 20 years after beginning my practice, comes from the responsibility bestowed upon me by my clients. The effort to build a bond of unconditional trust with each new client focuses my determination to most effectively represent each injured individual without ever tiring of the challenge.

His aggressive style has earned him numerous awards and recognition from his peers both in New Jersey and nationally, and he considers this his greatest professional compliment. He has been chosen year after year by his peers and colleagues as one of the best litigators in New Jersey as well as in the United States.

Awards and Recognitions

award


Announcing the Lifetime Achievement selection of Christopher DiGirolamo among America’s Top 100 Attorneys®.  Lifetime Achievement selection to America’s Top 100 Attorneys® is by invitation only and is reserved to identify the nation’s most exceptional attorneys whose accomplishments and impact on the legal profession merit a Lifetime Achievement award. 

He has been recognized as one of the best trial lawyers and litigators by his peers and members of the judiciary. Year after year, he has also received numerous accolades and honors, including being recognized by U.S. News and World reports and, over the last five consecutive years, by The Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group as a Top Injured Workers’ Attorney.

2022 Top Lawyer in Bergen County

Elite Lawyers of America- Recipient

American-Top-100-Attorneys

Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America

Martindale-Hubbell

(he has been awarded a rating of AV Preeminent, highest available)

New Jersey Super Lawyer

The American Society of Legal Advocates

The National Trial Lawyers

AVVO Rating 10.0 Superb: Car Accidents, Slip & Fall and Workers Compensation.

(201) Magazine’s Best of Bergen

New Jersey Law Journal

New York Law Journal

New York Magazine

The Wall Street Journal.

Workers’ Injury Law Advocacy Group

Mr. DiGirolamo has been recognized by the WILG as a Top Injured Workers’ Attorney for the last 5 years in a row.

New Jersey Monthly Magazine

Mr. DiGirolamo has been named to the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in NJ in the latest issue of New Jersey Monthly. Since 2015, he has received recognition from publications such as U.S. News & Word Report, 201 Magazine, Bergen magazine, and others.

Multi-Million Dollar Advocated Forum

Christopher DiGirolamo Football Champion


Mr. DiGirolamo uses a simple approach, to always be prepared and always be available for his clients. There are numerous complex issues facing an injured worker and he has learned that having the right answers for a client in need is the best way to safeguard the client’s rights. He prides himself in taking cases that are a challenge and gets referred matters by other lawyers that can’t see the way to win. His greatest reward is securing compensation for those that are the most desperate and for whom the compensation will provide a second chance.

He has been asked to present lectures to Union groups, attorneys and the general public in New Jersey and throughout the United States on workplace injury claims, settlement negotiation strategy, impeaching expert witnesses and damages. He presents educational lectures to groups on understanding auto insurance benefits and the workers’ compensation claim process.

DiGirolamo lives in Saddle River NJ with his wife and two children, where he coaches youth soccer, baseball and football teams. “This year’s Super Bowl and undefeated season are at the top of my coaching accomplishments and my greatest satisfaction in my 8 years of youth coaching”

“Unlike many attorneys we make ourselves accessible and available. That’s the secret to our success: We’re committed, compassionate and responsive.”

Christopher DiGirolamo Working

“One of the great things about our firm is that each attorney has their own unique approach, but we all complement each other very well. One of the biggest benefits for the lawyers at MDL is that we are constantly bouncing ideas and theories off each other and utilizing our different perspectives as we prepare each case. This ensures that we provide the most well-balanced approach to each case and our clients get the benefit of the experience and knowledge of not just one attorney, but all of the attorneys at MDL. There’s a closeness and caring among our staff and attorneys you won’t find at most law firms. Michael set the tone for that from the first day I arrived 20 years ago, and all of us have benefited. And, most importantly, our clients benefit from that as well.

Most of the telephone calls I get aren’t the friendly-chat kind. Most people call me when they are frustrated, or their situation needs immediate action. I don’t take the frustration personally; it’s taught me to stay focused on every process leading to a result – a positive conclusion. That’s part of being completely committed to a case, while not being too emotionally involved at the same time. That’s a balance only the best lawyers achieve.

The bulk of my practice focuses on auto accidents, construction accidents, and premises liability. These are the classic personal-injury cases. I also represent the injured worker who needs medical and disability benefits from his employer. These cases require immediate attention as injured workers are without any income while they recover from their work-related disability. But even in cases in which injuries are significant, the process is taking longer and calling for more resources than even five years ago. My caseload has certainly grown over the years, but we are still very selective.

CD with Paralegal IMG_3672

People will come in and ask, “What is my case worth?” We won’t engage in that kind of speculation. The constructive time we give people is really central to our work. In our first meeting, we will spend two or three hours explaining the law, and explain how the law relates to their potential case.

Ours is high-pressure work, in a high-pressure profession. Each of us has earned our own identity at MDL, and our success comes from a shared personal commitment to what we do. We are here on weekends when people have the time to meet with us. Unlike many attorneys, we make ourselves accessible and available. That’s the secret to our success: We’re committed, compassionate and responsive.

Latest Case Results

$2,000,000 • Motorcycle Accident …To a forty-five-year-old motorcyclist who was struck by a rented box truck making a left turn against traffic. The client sustained multiple leg fractures and ruptured Aorta and had multiple leg surgeries.

$1,478,000 • Tractor Trailer Accident …To a 41-year-old police officer injured off duty in his own parked car when a tractor-trailer hit the officer’s open driver’s side door, forcing the car up onto the sidewalk.

$1,300,000 • Motor Vehicle Crash …For a 76-year-old man who was struck by a vehicle that was traveling in reverse, running over his leg and leading to multiple surgeries and an above-knee amputation.

$1,067,000 • Truck Collision …To a female truck driver who suffered fibromyalgia following a multi-vehicle accident.  

$900,000 • Motor Vehicle Accident …To the estate of a 26-year-old Chinese exchange student who was struck crossing the street on a crosswalk and suffered pre-impact terror when she realized she was about to be struck and killed.

$817,500 • Premise Liability/Workers’ Compensation …Client 63 years old, was in the course of his employment as a driver for Benjamin Moore Paint and was doing his pre-drive inspection of his 18 wheel tractor-trailer. It had snowed 8 inches about 3-4 days prior and the temperature had fluctuated above and below freezing, creating a melt, thaw and then refreeze in the parking lot where the tractor-trailers were kept. It had rained/sleeted the night before the incident. My client had connected his tractor to the trailer and was in the process of walking back to make sure the trailer was secure. He walked over an area of hard-packed snow when suddenly his feet slipped out from under him. He reached out to grab the handle on the trailer but still fell forward, landing hard on his knees, chest, shoulder, and face. He received total disability from workers’ compensation and was also deemed totally disabled by Social Security. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was awarded a work-related disability pension that allowed him to receive full retirement benefits without penalty. 

$450,000 • Trucking Accident …A mother and her 3 sons traveling to NY with a car rental from Hertz, the car began to act up and lose power. The mother called Hertz for help and was told they didn’t provide roadside assistance but that she should head to their nearest location for further help, which was about 25 miles from her location. She couldn’t go more than 25-30 miles per hour, the car was not allowing it, when out of nowhere she is struck from behind by a tractor-trailer, sending the vehicle over a guardrail, down an embankment, and flipping it over into a ravine. The mother and her son’s all suffered severe injuries. 

$350,000 • Slip & Fall …A 71-year-old woman tripped and fell leaving a restaurant and suffered a hip fracture that required a total hip replacement. She was wearing 4-5 inch stiletto heels and claimed her heel got stuck in a large crack in the outdoor tile.  After two years of litigation, video of the fall was found and it determined she did not get heel caught in cracked tile but rather a tile about 4 feet away that did not look to be defective or poorly maintained.

$250,000 • Motor Vehicle Accident …To an 84-year-old man who was sideswiped by a moving car when he went to open his car door and received a vertebral fracture leading to emergency surgery 2 weeks after the accident.

$245,000 • Slip & Fall …Permanent total disability to a 64-year-old truck driver who slipped getting out a truck and twisted his knee and lower back, who already had a 20-year-old history of leg and back injuries.

$240,000 • Slip & Fall …To a 66-year-old individual “visiting” the college to attend a course on job interviewing skills and resume building, who was injured when he was caused to trip and fall on an exterior walkway outside the school building where he was attending the “meet and greet” session.  

$190,000 • Premises Liability / Gym Injury …Settlement in the case of a 46-year-old man who hurt his right elbow while lifting barbells on the gym club’s incline bench when the bench suddenly and unexpectedly went from a 45-degree angle to zero degrees. The individual went on to have an ulnar transposition surgery to his right arm seven months after the incident and lost several months of work following the surgery.

$187,500 • Motor Vehicle Accident …For a 22-year-old who was struck in the vehicle and suffered a lower back injury with minimally invasive surgery, leading to an argument that resulted in an $87,500 payment from the client’s own insurance company.

Education

Professional Practice

  • Licensed to practice law in the State and Federal Courts of the State of New Jersey
  • Licensed to practice law in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • Licensed to practice law in the United States Supreme Court
  • New Jersey State Accredited Mediator

Memberships & Associations

The Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group’s Top Injured Workers’ Attorney, member 
Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyer Association, MemberMVTLA
Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum Million-Dollar-Forum
Member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum 
Appointed Special Counsel and Honorary Deputy Sheriff of Hudson County for his service and representation of injured members of local Hudson County Law Enforcement 
Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Member 
New Jersey State Bar Association, Member 
American Bar Association, Member 
Trial Lawyers Association, Member top 100
Bergen County Bar Association, Member 
Hudson County Bar Association, Member. 
Board of Trustees for the Community Resource Council and a member of the Lawyers Committee.

 

Speaking, Lecturing, and Writing

 
Ten Leaders – Civil Trial & Personal Injury Law – Northern New Jersey, Inducted 2009, Member 
The American Society of Legal Advocates, Member 2013 – 2015 ASLA
Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America. 
Appointed Co-Chair of the Bergen County Bar Association Workers Compensation Committee. 
Appointed to oversee the Civil Division Arbitration Appointment Committee 

Speaking Engagements

Litigation-Counsel-Of-America

Mr. DiGirolamo has lectured and held seminars at numerous legal conferences including for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and at the Absolute Litigator’s Conference.

He has also spoken on legal topics at a variety of institutions of higher learning, including the New Jersey State Judicial College (where he lectured with a distinguished panel of Superior Court Judges), Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University, and has taught course at Bergen Community College and Fort Lee High School on the topics of General Tort Law, landlord-tenant, understanding the automobile insurance policy, Real Estate Management, and Municipal Traffic Law.

He created and was lead instructor of an 11-week course at Bergen Community College for the Division of Continuing Education, entitled “The People’s Law School”, an interactive seminar-style program where each week a different topic was discussed by specialized attorneys in different fields of law. The students left the course with a great working knowledge of varied fields of the law ranging from municipal court/traffic offenses to Bankruptcy, to Personal Injury.

Mr. DiGirolamo has lectured and moderated seminars at numerous legal conferences including for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, New Jersey Association for Justice, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the Absolute Litigator’s Conference. One of his most recent speaking engagements involved giving a lecture, entitled Preparing Your Expert for Trial, at the NJAJ Boardwalk Seminar in May 2018.

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