A Syracuse native with a broad range of legal experience, Bruce has practiced law in both New York and Florida. He is a litigation attorney with 28 years of civil and criminal litigation experience. Prior to his private practice, Bruce was the Senior Litigation Attorney at the Tom Anelli-Xavier Law Firm (The DWI Guy). Bruce has practiced many years in the County Attorney's Office and the Public Defender's Office in Florida. Bruce graduated from the University of Buffalo with an unblemished 4.0 cum GPA, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Robe honors and President's Award, having won the two highest honors offered by his major (Mary C. Whitman Award; The Steinberg Prize). Only one other student had ever graduated with an unblemished 4.0 cum GPA in the history of the university (since 1846). And no one had ever done that while averaging a rigorous 19 credit-hours per semester. In his senior year Bruce received the ISAR International Writing Award. In law school, Bruce turned-down an offer to become the law school newspaper Editor-in-Chief in order to accept a law clerk position for the first woman ever to sit on the bench of the second highest New York court - the Appellate Division, Third Department. (Justice Ann T. Mikols).
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Interests: Bruce has been extremely active in educating legislators, government officials and the general public about the serious dangers entailed if proposed "Tort Reform" legislation is enacted to put ceilings and other restrictions on malpractice actions. Bruce has appeared in public debates, discussion forums and on radio and television in an effort to educate the public about the true dangers lurking inside "Tort Reform" legislation proposals (see "Tort Reform" tab above). Additionally, for 30 + years Bruce has been committed to a bevy of organizations devoted to helping abused, neglected and homeless animals, as well as organizations devoted to helping provide competent legal representation for the poor and for those of modest means, including many middle-income people who are stretched to the max as middle-class wage-earners continue to be squeezed out of the economic recovery process.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Our office is committed to providing competent, diligent and timely legal services. This is accomplished via state-of-the-art technology, rigorous legal and forensic research and attention to the details of the case. Our representation of our clients is zealous and steadfast, yet diplomatic and effective.
The duty of a competent law office is to accurately solicit and assess the client's needs, desires and expectations in the case, while providing the client with a realistic, honest, accurate and competent evaluation of the case facts relative to the law and relative to that client's expectations. The role of a competent law office is NOT to merely blather what s\he thinks the client may want to hear, but rather, to accurately and competently apprise the client of the 'true' actual legal circumstances presented in their case. This is clearly what the client most desperately needs, namely, an accurate and competent case assessment.
When a patient visits a doctor, the patient does NOT expect the doctor to provide a dishonest, inaccurate glossed-over 'make-em happy' Pollyanna spin-doctor appraisal of their health condition. Although they are hoping not to hear any bad news, they realize they MUST receive the most accurate assessment possible. This also is the key to effective, competent legal representation. And it is the key to maintaining a satisfied client. Clients greatly respect this level of candor and integrity.
Our office provides FREE initial consultation for the purpose of providing a realistic, honest, accurate and competent evaluation of the client's civil case. Typically, if the attorney presents an assessment that is disappointing to the client, the attorney will likely lose that client's business. It takes a high degree of integrity for an attorney to render an honest, accurate negative civil case assessment that will cut against the attorney's financial interests. But that is what an attorney ethically MUST do if the civil case appears to be very weak. And our office is stalwartly committed to maintaining that level of integrity in all of our dealings with every client. Clients deserve no less.
It is NOT in a client's best interest for an attorney to "blow sunshine" in the client's face -- misleading the client into believing a civil case is legally strong and winnable, when it is NOT - just so the attorney can collect steep fees for a futile litigation exercise.
However, Bruce is considered a legal research 'Guru' among his peers and with his legal acumen and extensive experience, when a case has legal merit, Bruce is going to discover that and he is going to find each and every aspect of the civil case that makes it a realistically compelling candidate for civil litigation and a successful, favorable outcome.
Additionally - Bruce has an uncanny ability to negotiate exceptional settlements, even for weaker cases, before civil litigation has even been commenced. To achieve a very generous, favorable settlement WITHOUT the client having to endure the lengthy litigation process is ALWAYS in the client's best interest. It's called "Litigation by Mail" and Bruce is extremely adept at achieving swift resolution by this negotiated method as well. Bruce holds the view that an attorney's claim of integrity rests upon the attorney's ability (and willingness) to put their clients' interests above their own financial interests when the two interests collide -- which is often.