Proud Legal Partners of the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association
Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP is honored to serve as legal counsel to members of the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association — one of the largest correction officer unions in the United States, representing more than 9,000 New York City correction officers and their families.
Our partnership with COBA reflects a long-standing commitment to the men and women who work inside New York City's jails and detention facilities every day under some of the most demanding and dangerous conditions in public service.
Our attorneys have recovered over $1 billion on behalf of personal injury and medical malpractice clients throughout New York, including hundreds of correction officers and their families.
Every attorney at this firm carries at least 20 years of litigation experience, and all are members of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. Senior partners Barry Washor and Jonny Kool have each been recognized as Super Lawyers continuously since 2009.
Our attorneys are all members of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Why Choose Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP
When a serious injury changes your life, the attorney you choose changes what happens next. Our attorneys have recovered life-changing settlements and verdicts for our clients, not because we take every case, but because we prepare every case we take as though it is going to trial.
Other lawyers refer their most complex cases to our attorneys. That happens because our attorneys have the track record, the medical knowledge, and the courtroom experience that high-stakes personal injury litigation demands.
When insurance companies know who is on the other side of a claim, it affects how seriously they treat it.
What sets our attorneys apart:
- Trial-ready preparation is built from day one as though a jury will decide it, because sometimes one does.
- Direct attorney involvement, the attorneys whose names are on the door are the attorneys who work your case.
- Numerous multi-million dollar settlements recovered on behalf of our clients.
- Available 24/7 so correction officers, injury victims, and their families can reach our attorneys any hour of the day.
We serve Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and New Jersey.
Why Correction Officers Need Attorneys Who Know the System
Most personal injury attorneys have never handled a correction officer injury case. The legal landscape that applies to a New York City correction officer who is hurt on the job, or whose injury has long-term implications for their pension and disability status, is fundamentally different from a standard personal injury matter.
Our attorneys bring direct experience with:
- Line-of-duty injury claims
- Three-quarter (3/4) disability pension rights
- General Municipal Law § 207-c benefits
- Third-party personal injury claims
- Medical documentation strategies
- Claims against municipalities and city agencies
Correction officers who are injured at Rikers Island, the Vernon C. Bain Center, or any other New York City Department of Correction facility face an environment where the city is simultaneously their employer, the party responsible for the unsafe condition, and the entity that controls key evidence.
Our attorneys know how to build these cases from the ground up and preserve what matters before it disappears.
Legal Services Available to All COBA Members — At No Cost
Correction officers face unique legal challenges that most personal injury attorneys are not equipped to handle.
On-duty injuries trigger overlapping systems, line-of-duty benefits, disability pension protections, General Municipal Law claims, and, in some cases, third-party personal injury lawsuits, all operating under different rules and deadlines.
Off-duty injuries carry their own complications. And when a correction officer or their family member is harmed by medical negligence, the stakes are just as high as they are for anyone else.
Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP offers its services to all COBA members , Correction Officers' Benevolent Association members, their families, and their friends, completely free of charge for consultations and at no cost unless there is a recovery.
Services available to all COBA members and the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association community include:
- Free consultations for any personal injury or medical malpractice matter involving a correction officer or their family member
- No legal fee of any kind unless there is a successful monetary recovery
- A dedicated hotline available at any hour for any inquiry regarding on-duty or off-duty injuries
- Coordination of all Workers' Compensation matters
- Access to a network of physicians and medical services
- Complete protection and guidance regarding three-quarter (3/4) and other disability pension rights associated with any on-duty or off-duty injury
Medical Access for COBA Members and Their Families
An injury that goes untreated — or is treated by the wrong provider — can undermine both a correction officer's physical recovery and their legal claim.
Our attorneys have cultivated relationships with some of the most respected medical specialists in the Tri-State region specifically because we understand that the quality of a correction officer's medical care directly affects the value of their case.
Through our firm's referral network, COBA members and Correction Officers' Benevolent Association families have access to:
- Orthopedic surgeons
- Neurologists and neurosurgeons
- Physical therapists
- Occupational medicine physicians
- Subspecialty physicians
Cancer screening programs are also available through our firm's coordination for COBA members and their families. Correction officers face well-documented occupational exposure risks that make early screening a meaningful step in protecting long-term health.
On-Duty and Off-Duty Injuries — Both Are Covered
Membership in the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association means access to our firm's services regardless of where or how the injury occurred. A correction officer does not need to be in uniform to be protected.
Injuries may include:
| On-Duty Injuries | Off-Duty Injuries |
| Assaults by incarcerated individuals | Car accidents anywhere in New York or New Jersey |
| Falls or physical injuries inside jail facilities | Slip and fall accidents on unsafe property |
| Exposure to hazardous substances or infectious disease | Medical malpractice affecting the correction officer or any family member |
| Motor vehicle accidents during the course of employment | Catastrophic injuries from any cause |
| Injuries caused by defective equipment or inadequate safety conditions at city facilities | Wrongful death cases involving a COBA member or their family |
Our attorneys are available at all hours to speak with any COBA member or their family about an injury — whatever the circumstances, whatever the time.
Attorney Pablo A. Sosa — Primary Contact for COBA Members
Pablo A. Sosa is the primary contact for the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association community at Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP. Mr.
Sosa brings extensive experience representing members of the law enforcement community in personal injury and medical malpractice matters, and is fluent in both English and Spanish.
He and his colleagues also offer legal services in Portuguese and Chinese to ensure every COBA member and their family can communicate with their attorney in the language they are most comfortable with.
Free Consultation for COBA Members and Correction Officers' Benevolent Association Families
If you are a correction officer or a member of a correction officer's family who has been injured, you may have legal rights that extend well beyond what the city has told you. A consultation with our attorneys costs nothing, and our representation costs nothing unless we recover on your behalf.
Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also contact us online at any time.
Our office is located at the Woolworth Building, 233 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10279. We proudly serve all five boroughs, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, Orange, and New Jersey.
Frequently Asked Questions — COBA Legal Services
What does it cost a correction officer to use your firm?
Nothing, unless we recover on your behalf. Consultations are free. Our representation is on a contingency fee basis — legal fees are a percentage of whatever is recovered, and nothing is owed if there is no recovery.
This applies to every COBA member, Correction Officers' Benevolent Association family member, and friend who contacts our firm.
Can I file a personal injury lawsuit even if I am already receiving workers' compensation or line-of-duty benefits?
In many cases, yes. New York allows correction officers who are injured due to a third party's negligence — a defective product, a dangerous property condition, another driver's carelessness — to pursue a personal injury claim separate from any workers' compensation or disability benefit. These are different legal systems that operate independently of one another. Our attorneys will evaluate all available claims and make sure nothing is overlooked.
What is the 90-day Notice of Claim deadline?
If your injury involves any claim against New York City or a city agency — including the Department of Correction or the New York City Housing Authority — a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days of the injury.
Missing this deadline almost always eliminates the right to sue permanently. Contact our office immediately after any on-duty injury so this deadline is protected.
What are three-quarter pension rights, and how does an injury affect them?
A correction officer who is injured on duty and is determined to be permanently incapacitated may be entitled to a disability pension equal to three-quarters of their final salary, tax-free.
Protecting that right requires careful documentation of the injury, its cause, and its connection to on-duty activity. Our attorneys have handled this process for hundreds of correction officers and know what the New York City Employees' Retirement System requires.
Do you represent family members of COBA members?
Yes. Coverage for the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association community extends to the correction officer's family and friends. A spouse, child, or parent of a COBA member who is injured in a car accident, a slip and fall, or a medical malpractice situation has full access to our firm's services under the same terms.
What languages does your firm offer services in?
Our attorneys provide legal services in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese. Every member of the COBA community deserves to fully understand what is happening in their case and to communicate directly with their attorney. We make that possible.
Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP is headquartered at the Woolworth Building, 233 Broadway, 18th Floor, in lower Manhattan — one of New York City's most recognizable landmarks and a fitting address for a firm that has built its reputation on fighting for New Yorkers who deserve serious legal representation.
Your Next Call Could Be the Most Important One You Make
A serious injury leaves little room for delay. Evidence disappears. Deadlines pass. And the longer an insurance company goes without hearing from an attorney, the harder it becomes to recover what you are owed.
Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP attorneys have recovered high-value verdicts for injury victims across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk.
We take cases on a contingency fee basis - no upfront cost, no legal fee unless we recover for you.