michael maggiano receives the mel award and christopher digirolamo settles an important case

Michael Maggiano Receives the Mel Award & Christopher DiGirolamo Settles an Important Case

Michael Maggiano is a founder and senior partner of Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi and has specialized in personal injury litigation with a focus on Construction Accidents as well as Medical Negligence for over 35 years. His outstanding and effective approach in the courtroom has gained him notoriety over the years. Known for his thoroughness and exacting approach, Maggiano has achieved a string of seven and eight-figure verdicts and settlements for clients, some of which were survivors of those who gave their lives due to someone’s negligence.

Maggiano was the 2004 recipient of the Trial Bar Award and 2013 recipient of the New Jersey Bar Foundation Award for Excellence in Continuing Legal Education. Furthermore, in June 2015, Maggiano was recognized in (201) Magazine in an article that featured a segment known as Bergen’s Top Lawyers. He was presented with the Bergen’s Top Lawyer Award. It is safe to say that Michael Maggiano’s skill in the courtroom has earned him many awards and recognitions over the years that were well deserved.

The Mel Award

In 1946, the National Association of Claimants’ Compensation Attorneys (NACCA) was formed. In the tradition of progress, it was decided that, with Melvin M. Belli’s approval, there should be a group of lawyers who had distinguished themselves as trial lawyers and who were dedicated to the principles of education on an international basis. Lawyers would be able to join this prestigious group only by invitation and approval of the Board. This group took the name of America’s most famous trial lawyer, Melvin M. Belli. It was established in 1981. Its purpose would be to promote the international exchange of ideas among lawyers through meetings and education.

In 2000-2001, Gary Gober was President of the Belli Society and initiated an award in the spirit of Mel Belli to be given to an attorney who was innovative and made a significant contribution to the practice of Trial Law in America. Every year since, a special trial lawyer has received the award and recognition.

This week, Michael Maggiano will receive the outstanding honor of the Mel Award from the Belli Society. Receiving this award is a very prestigious honor, as each year, only one attorney is chosen who has made a large contribution to the practice of law in America. Both the reception and dinner will be held at the Ritz Carlton in Montreal, Canada, Friday evening, July 10, 2015. Michael Maggiano is honored to have his accomplishments recognized once more.

Gary Gober has said on behalf of the award, “I conceived the Mel Award some years ago as a way of honoring one attorney from around the country who, by virtue of his or her creative advocacy, spirit of innovation and paradigm-shifting techniques in the presentation of evidence, best exemplified Mel Belli’s tremendous contribution to the work we do as trial lawyers. Thus, the Mel pays tribute to the recipient and keeps alive the legacy of the greatest personal injury lawyer of the Twentieth Century.”

This year, for 2015, one more name will be added to the list of prestigious and deserving lawyers – Michael Maggiano.

In more exciting news for the firm, Christopher DiGirolamo settled on a case for $817,500 recently. Attorney DiGirolamo helped settle a premises liability and workers’ compensation case. The client, a 63-year-old man, was in the course of his employment as a driver for Benjamin Moore Paint. He was working on completing his pre-drive inspection of his 18-wheel tractor-trailer. That day was like any other typical winter weather – It had snowed a whopping 8 inches about 3-4 days prior and the temperature had fluctuated above and below freezing. This weather created a melt, thaw, and then refreeze in the parking lot where the tractor-trailers are kept. On top of all this, it had rained and sleeted the night before the incident in question took place.

The client had connected his tractor to the trailer and was in the process of walking back to make sure that it was secure, when all of a sudden his feet slipped out from under him! This was unexpected to him, as he had just tediously walked over an area of hard, packed snow in the parking lot. He reached out in a split second to grab the handle on the trailer but still fell forward, landing hard on his knees, chest, shoulder and face. He was quite dazed from the incident and remembers trying to get up but feeling ice under a thin layer of snow. The client was then rushed to the Emergency Room, where he was promptly treated for facial lacerations, a broken nose, ruptured bicep, torn rotator cuff, and sprains to both of his knees.

Private mediation failed and the case was scheduled for trial on June 22, 2015. Christopher DiGirolamo took on the case for the client after receiving full details and working with all parties involved in the matter. In the end, this matter was settled with all three Defendants, the property owner, Snow Removal Company, and the company the Plaintiff was delivering the paint for. They all agreed to percentages of responsibility for a global settlement of $817,500! It was an overall successful agreement for the client, further proving that DiGirolamo will work tediously with clients to get them the compensation they deserve.

Michael Maggiano and Christopher DiGirolamo continue to fight for the rights of the deserving. They continue to impress and astound in their practice each and every day.