New York Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Lawyer
Matthew Maiorana represents people and families in New York medical malpractice, serious personal injury, and wrongful death cases, and he is a partner at Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP. Before representing plaintiffs, he spent years defending the City of New York in its Special Litigation Unit, which handles the city’s most serious and complex matters.
He learned how the other side builds a defense before he ever built a case against one, and that is the perspective you get on the first call.
Call us at (212) 406-1700 to speak with Mr. Maiorana about what happened.
From Defending New York City to Representing Injured People
Matthew began his legal career at the New York City Law Department and describes that work with pride. He handled substantial matters and trained other city attorneys.
Representing injured people brought something different. Plaintiff-side work let him know clients as people, and it carried a direct responsibility to try to make a client’s future better.
A claim against the city, the MTA, or another public agency requires a notice of claim, a formal written notice telling the agency what happened and what you are claiming, served within 90 days after the claim arises, under General Municipal Law Section 50-e. That is a deadline he spent years working on the other side of.
Why Does Matthew Focus on Medical Malpractice?
Because these cases turn on details most litigation never reaches. They demand close attention to records, chronology, causation, meaning the link between an error and the harm that followed, and the decisions made by health care providers.
Matthew devotes a substantial part of his practice to malpractice litigation, including failures to diagnose or treat, surgical mistakes, medication errors, birth injuries, hospital negligence, and wrongful death. A record may run thousands of pages, but volume alone does not explain what happened.
New York also gives these claims a shorter window than most injury cases, two years and six months in most instances under CPLR 214-a.
Every Case Has Strengths and Weaknesses
Matthew does not approach litigation as though every fact will favor the client. He puts it plainly: every case has strengths and weaknesses, and a lawyer needs to learn the difficult ones early rather than at the same moment a jury does.
A prior injury, a gap in a history, or a shifting witness account does not necessarily end a case, but it has to be understood. Matthew identifies those issues, assesses how they affect the claim, and prepares to address them directly, which is what gives a client a realistic view of the case.
How Long Can a Serious Case Take?
Longer than most people expect, and one of Matthew’s cases ran about 10 years. It involved repeated trips to the Appellate Division, the court that reviews trial court rulings, and roughly 15 depositions. It also ran through extensive motion practice, the written applications of each side's files asking a judge to decide an issue before trial.
A deposition is a session where a witness answers questions under oath before trial, while a stenographer records every word, and it is one of the main steps in pretrial discovery. Several outside professionals were involved, and the pandemic pushed the trial date back further.
The client had become disabled from working. At the start of the case, his child was a newborn, and by the time it concluded, that child was entering high school.
His point is not that litigation can last years. It is the attorney’s responsibility that does not disappear because a case becomes difficult or prolonged. The attorney who begins with a client stays personally invested throughout the life of the case.
To talk through your own situation, call us at (212) 406-1700 and ask for Mr. Maiorana.
What Does Advocacy Mean to Matthew Maiorana?
Knowing the client and feeling responsible for the outcome, rather than announcing that you will fight. Matthew calls the standard “we fight for you” line a cliché when it is separated from actual responsibility.
In his words, you cannot fight for somebody unless you feel the responsibility for that person and that person’s case, and the only way to do that is by investing yourself in knowing them. A client facing a disabling injury or a death in the family needs a lawyer who understands the evidence and stays present as the case develops.
Matthew Maiorana’s Legal Background
Matthew earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1997 and his B.A. from Queens College in 1994. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1998, to the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York in 1999, and to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2003.
His practice areas include:
Matthew is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and he has lectured on trial advocacy through the latter.
FAQs: Matthew Maiorana, New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer
These are the questions people ask most often before calling Mr. Maiorana.
Does His Defense Background Help My Case?
It means he has seen how the other side evaluates a claim before deciding how to respond, which shapes what he documents early and what he expects a defense to raise later.
How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Claim in New York?
Most claims carry two years and six months, and a claim against a public hospital or agency requires a notice of claim within 90 days. Ask early rather than assume.
What Kinds of Malpractice Cases Does He Handle?
Failures to diagnose or treat, surgical mistakes, medication errors, birth injuries, hospital negligence, and wrongful death, along with serious personal injury matters.
Will Mr. Maiorana Handle the Case Himself?
Yes. The attorney who begins with a client stays personally invested through the investigation, the litigation, and the resolution.
What Does It Cost to Hire Him?
Nothing up front. We handle these cases on a contingency fee, so our fee comes out of a recovery rather than out of your pocket.
Meet Matthew Maiorana and Tell Him What Happened
A serious injury or malpractice case begins with understanding what happened to the person, so the first conversation is where you explain your circumstances, ask questions, and decide whether we are the right firm.
Call Washor Kool Sosa Maiorana & Schwartz, LLP at (212) 406-1700 or reach out online to speak directly with Mr. Maiorana. Our office is at 233 Broadway, 18th Floor, in Manhattan, and consultations are free.
Credentials and Admissions Summary
J.D., Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn, New York
1997
B.A., Queens College
Queens, New York
1994
New York State Bar Association
Member
New York State Trial Lawyers’ Association
Member
- New York, 1998
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1999
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1999
- U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 2003
- Lecturer, Trial Advocacy, New York State Trial Lawyers Association
Recipient, Municipal Affairs Award, Association of the Bar of the City of New York