Mr. Awad has an excellent record of achievement in trial and appellate advocacy on behalf of consumers in matters including medical malpractice, construction site injury, premise security, automobile accidents, municipal liability and unsafe products. His experience includes million dollar recoveries in more than forty cases, including the highest jury and appellate award in a single year.
Education
Bachelor of Arts
State University of New York at Binghamton, 1976
Outstanding Academic Achievement Award
Departmental Honors, Foreign Policy
Juris Doctor
Albany Law School of Union University, 1981
Albany Law School Full Tuition Merit Scholarship
Professional Employment
Senior Partner
Silberstein Awad & Miklos, P.C. (Inc. 1980)
Nationally Certified Preeminent Law Firm (Recognized for the highest level of legal ability and standards of ethics and reliability), 1996-present
U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms
Featured Law Firm, Forbes Magazine, May 9, 2011
Professional Recognitions
Board Certified Trial Attorney by National Board of Trial Advocacy
An American Bar Association Accredited Organization, August 2002
Best Lawyers in America, 2006-Present
Best Lawyers in New York, 2006-Present
New York Super Lawyers, 2006-Present
Legal Eagle Award, Long Island, 2010-Present
Martindale-Hubbell Rating
Highest Rating (AV) for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability, Nationally Recognized Preeminent Lawyer, 2000-Present
Public Service Appointments
New York State Governor’s Medical Malpractice Task Force, Member, 2007-2010
New York State Court of Appeals Judicial Screening
Committee for Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Member, 2006-Present
Professional Appointments
President, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2006-2007
Chair, LawPAC, Most Affluent Political Action Committee for Lawyers, Nationally, 2003-Present
Governor, American Association for Justice, 2004-2011
Director, National Crime Victim’s Bar Association, 2002-2009
Community Service Awards
Chair, Dominico-American Society of Queens, 2008-Present (Joseph Awad’s President’s Message)
New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, Inc.
Recognition for Protecting New York’s Civil Justice System, 2009
Dominico-American Society of Queens’ Philanthropic Leadership and Volunteerism Award, 2007
Notable Achievements
The Million Dollar Advocates Forum Award and Membership
Recoveries of One Million Dollars or greater in over seventy (70) lawsuits
Largest Verdict in History for Failure to Timely Diagnose Cervical Cancer
Largest Verdict in History, Medical Malpractice Cause of Action Recovery for Blindness
Top Twenty Verdicts, New York State, 1999, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2011
Sustained Largest Appellate Court Decision for Pain and Suffering, 2003
Largest Medical Malpractice Verdict in New York State
Top Ten Medical Malpractice Verdict in the United States
Lifetime Appointment, Registry of Who’s Who
American Registry of Outstanding Professionals, Lifetime Achievement Award
Additional Professional Appointments
Immediate Past President, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2007-2008
President-Elect, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2005-2006
Vice President, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2004-2005
Vice President, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2003-2004
Vice President, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2002-2003
Secretary, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2001-2002
Vice-President/Secretary/Treasurer, Long Island Affiliation of New York State
Trial Lawyers Association, 1998-2001
Board of Directors, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, 2000-Present
Chair, Medical Malpractice Committee, New York State Trial Lawyers, 2002-2006
Chair, NYSTLA Statewide Symposium on Legal Advertising and Disciplinary
Rules Trustee, LawPAC, 2001-Present
Director, Board of Directors, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Memberships
Sustaining Member, American Association for Justice (Section Member:
Professional Negligence, Motor Vehicle Collision, Highway, and Premises
Liability Section; Office Management Section; Litigation Group Member: Birth
Defect, Birth Trauma, Breast Cancer, Inadequate Security, Laparoscopy, Construction Site Accident)
Sustaining Member, New York State Trial Lawyers Association
New York State Bar Association (Trial Lawyers Section)
The National Crime Victim Bar Association
Bronx County and Queens County Bar Associations
Reported Appellate Advocacy
Kletnieks v. Hertz, 54 A.D.3d 660 (2nd Dept., 2008)
Durney v. Terk, 42 A.D.3d 335 (1st Dept., 2007)
Dowd v. City of New York, 40 A.D.3d 908 (2nd Dept., 2007)
Jumawan v. Schnitt, 35 A.D.3d 382 (2nd Dept., 2006)
Vassell v. Magno, 30 A.D.3d 406 (2nd Dept., 2006)
Ramos v. Nouveau Industries, Inc., 29 A.D.3d 555 (2nd Dept., 2006)
Spano v. Bertocci, 22 A.D.3d 828 (2nd Dept., 2005)
Patterson v. New York City Transit Authority, 5 A.D.3d 454 (2nd Dept., 2004)
Michalowski v. D’Alessandro, 2 A.D.3d 508 (2nd Dept., 2003)
Maccaro v. Legouri, 306 A.D.2d 323 (2nd Dept., 2003)
David v. County of Suffolk, 1 N.Y.3d 525 (N.Y., 2003)
Stokes v. New York Medical Group, 304 A.D.2d 449 (1st Dept. 2003)
David v. County of Suffolk, 295 A.D.2d 556 (2nd Dept., 2002)
Spano v. Bertocci, 299 A.D.2d 335 (2nd Dept., 2002)
Quinn v. Nyack Hospital, 286 A.D.2d 675 (2nd Dept., 2001)
Patterson v. New York City Transit Authority, 276 A.D.2d 474 (2nd Dept., 2000)
Lugo v. Angle of Green, Inc., 268 A.D.2d 567 (2nd Dept., 2000)
Lounda Foreman v. B&L Properties Company, 261 A.D.2d 301, 691 (1stDept., 1999)
Aghabi v. Sebro, 256 A.D.2d 287 (2nd Dept., 1998)
Serfaty v. New York City Transit Authority, 254 A.D.2d 476 (2nd Dept., 1998)
Slutskaya v. Landau, 250 A.D.2d 594 (2nd Dept., 1998)
Cordero v. City of New York, 236 A.D. 2d 577 (2nd Dept., 1997)
Ramnarine v. New York City Bd. of Educ., 231 A.D.2d 724 (2nd Dept., 1996)
Harrell v. County of Nassau, 227 A.D.2d 590 (2nd Dept., 1996)
Farrukh by Farrukh v. Board of Educ. of the City of New York, 227 A.D.2d 440 (2nd Dept., 1996)
Epstein v. Eastman Kodak Co., Inc., 225 A.D.2d 516 (2nd Dept., 1996)
Torrado v. Lutheran Medical Center, 198 A.D.2d 346 (2nd Dept., 1993)
Staines v. Nassau Queens Medical Group, 176 A.D.2d 718 (2 Dept., 1991)
Ruiz v. New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., 165 A.D.2d 75 (1st Dept., 1991)
Areas of Practice
Medical Malpractice
Personal Injury
Municipal Liability
Construction Site and Work Place Injury
Premises Liability
Product Liability
Appellate practice
Lecturer
New York State Trial Lawyers Association
National Crime Victim Bar Association
New York State Bar Association and various local bar associations
Faculty Lecturer to the Judiciary, New York State Judicial Institute, 2002-2006
Chairperson
9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund, Long Island Section
Recent Papers Presented at Professional Meetings
“Proximate Cause in Negligent Security Cases”
“Trial of First Personal Injury Lawsuit”
“The Use of a Paralegal in a Personal Injury Law Practice”
“Discovery Update”
“Openings in a Medical Malpractice Case”
“Health Care for Minorities in New York State”
“Depositions”
“Labor Law 241(6)”
“Openings”
“Voir Dire”
“Preliminary Conference Negotiations and the Law”
“Construction Site Accidents and Federal Jurisdiction”
“Daubert, Frye, Expert Witness Testimony in NYS Supreme Court”
“Ethics Update”
“Motions and Pleadings Update”
“Metaphors and Use of Linguistics in Jury Trials”
“Summations”
“Law Firm Advertising and the First Amendment”
“Article 31 of the CPLR and Discovery”
“Negligent Security and Supervision”
Others
New York Law Journal Interview
Presidents Message DAS
Forbes NY Legal 2011
New York State Bar Association – Discovery 2004 – Joseph Awad, Speaker
New York State Bar Association – Construction Site Accidents Update 2010 – Joseph Awad, Speaker
Joseph Awad District of Nebraska Admission
New York State Trial Lawyers Association – Second Vice President Certificate – Joseph Awad
