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AN INSTITUTION AMONG CONNECTICUT TRIAL FIRMS, KOSKOFF, KOSKOFF & BIEDER HAS BEEN SERVING the public for nearly 80 years and includes some of the top-rated lawyers in the nation on its roster.
NOT ONLY IS THE FIRM RANKED TIER 1 REGIONALLY for four different practice areas by U.S. News - Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms,” but a majority of its attorneys are included in The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers and have been AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, the organization’s highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards.
ABOVE ALL, THE FIRM IS KNOWN FOR HANDLING some of the most complex cases in the country, having secured six of the 10 largest personal injury verdicts in Connecticut history, including the largest medical malpractice verdict in the state. In addition, Koskoff is widely recognized for its experience in such areas as products liability, civil rights, financial scams, and commercial fraud.
“WE HAVE GROWN TO BECOME ONE OF THE
country’s leading plaintiffs’ firms by continuing to honor the legacy of our founder, Theodore I. ‘Ted’ Koskoff,” explains managing partner Jim Horwitz. “Ted recognized early on that there was a need among plaintiffs for skilled trial lawyers, and because of that, the firm has remained at the forefront of trial law, with many of our lawyers serving as teachers in the field.”
TED KOSKOFF WAS HIMSELF PASSIONATE ABOUT training other lawyers, serving as president of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and as chair and founder of the National Board of Trial Advocacy. His influence at the firm shows in the number of attorneys who serve as leaders in prominent organizations.
FOR EXAMPLE, AMONG THE MANY POSITIONS HELD by the firm’s members, Michael Koskoff is a past president and serves on the board of directors of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization that limits its membership to the top 100 plaintiffs’ trial lawyers in the country; Kathleen Nastri is the current treasurer of the AAJ; and Horwitz is the current vice president of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association.
“WE’RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE MANY ACCOMPLISHED lawyers at the firm,” Nastri says, “and it’s for that reason that attorneys from across the country refer cases to us.”
BEYOND SERVING AS LEADERS IN LOCAL AND national legal associations, Koskoff lawyers also have a long tradition of community involvement, with the firm’s members volunteering for and making substantial contributions to such organizations as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Brain Injury Association of Connecticut, among many others.
“IT’S ABSOLUTELY THE CULTURE OF OUR FIRM TO
try and figure out ways to do right by the community,” notes Christopher Bernard. To that end, the firm is particularly proud of Richard Bieder’s work following the September 11th attacks in setting up the organization Trial Lawyers Care, which organized a group of more than 1,100 attorneys to provide free legal help to the families of 9/11 victims.
“CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY IS PART OF OUR FIRM’S CREDO, and we recognize that there are many paths to accomplishing that goal,” Bernard adds.