MEMBERS OF FIRM
Paul D. Rheingold (Member) born Boston, Massachusetts, November 1, 1933; admitted to bar, 1958, District of Columbia; 1960, Massachusetts; 1965, New York. Education: Oberlin College (A.B., 1955); Harvard Law School (LL.B., cum laude, 1958) Phi Beta Kappa. Author: "Toxic Torts," Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1978; "Drug Liability: A Lawyer's Handbook," 2nd Ed., Practicing Law Institute, 1980; "Drug Litigation," 3d Ed., 1981; New York Law Product Liability, Published by New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, 1990; "Litigating Mass Tort Cases," published by Thomson/West and ATLA Press, 2006. Assistant Editor-in-Chief, American Trial Lawyers Association Law Journal, 1961-1963. Lecturer: Rutgers Law School, 1966-1972; Harvard Law School, 1988-1989; Stanford Law School, 2002. Adjunct Associate Professor, Fordham Law School, 1972-1976. Chair: Albuterol Litigation Group & Vice Chair of Plaintiff's Steering Committee MDL #1013. Co-Lead Counsel, NuvaRing MDL #1964. Member: Steering Committee, Multi-District Litigation, Ephedra Cases, MDL 1598; L-Tryptophan Cases, MDL #865; Dalkon Shield; Swine Flu; Overseer, 1986-1992; 2005; Visiting Fellow, 1998, Institute for Civil Justice, Rand Institute. Founder, Trial Lawyers For Public Justice. Member, 1978, and Chairman, 1990-1992; Planning Commission, City of Rye, New York. Adviser American Law Institute, Restatement of Torts, 3rd, Products Liability, 1989-1993; Member: Board of Overseers Institute for Civil Justice, Rand Institute, 2006; Committee of Science, Technology, and Law, The National Academy of Science, 2006; Task Force on Judicial & Regulatory Decision Making, Carnegie Commission on Science Technology and Government, 1989-1993. Member: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Member: Committee on Law and Medicine, 1973-1976; Ad Hoc Committee on Medical Malpractice, 1986-1994); New York State (Chairman: Committee on Tort Reparations, 1986-1989; Special Committee on Medical Malpractice, 1990-1994), New York State (Member, Task Force on Lawyer Advertising, 2006) and American (Chairman, Manufacturers' Liability Committee, 1975-1980 and Special Committee on Punitive Damages, 1983-1987; Litigation Section; Member of Council, 1980-1983; Member, Commission on Mass Torts, 1987-1990) Bar Associations: New York State Trial Lawyers Association (Annual Lecturer on Product Liability); New York State Steering Committee, Bextra cases; The American Association of Justice (National Secretary, 1971-1972); The New York State Trial Lawyers Association. Reported Cases: Hymowitz v. Eli Lilly & Co., 73 N.Y. 2d 487, 541 N.Y.S.2d 941 (1989). Practice Areas: Professional Negligence; Mass Torts; Medical Malpractice; Complex and Multi-District Litigation; Toxic Torts.Email: Paul D. Rheingold
Thomas P. Valet (Member) born New York, N.Y., April 5, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, New York and U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York. Education: New York University (B.A., 1982); Hofstra Law School (J.D., 1985). Member: New York State Bar Association (Vice-Chair 2009; Secretary 2008; Treasurer 2007; Chair, Medical Malpractice Committee, 1996 Member 1996-Present; Executive Committee, Trial Lawyer's Section); Bar Association of the City of New York (Chair 2006 - Present); New York County Bar Association; New York State Trial's Lawyer's Association; American Association for Justice. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice; Obstetrical Malpractice; Hospital Liability; Drug Products Liability.Email: Thomas P. Valet
David B. Rheingold (Member) born Boston, Massachusetts; admitted to bar, 1988, Virginia, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; 1994, New York and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. Education: Oberlin College (B.A., 1984); University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law (J.D., 1988). Member: New York State, Virginia State and American Bar Associations; The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Product Liability Committee, Tort Reform Subcommittee, 1996); New York State Trial Lawyers Association; New York County Lawyers Association; American Association for Justice 1994-Present. Reported Cases: Goins vs. Wendy's International 242 Va 333 (1991). Practice Areas: Medical Law; Pharmaceutical; Litigation; Mass Tort Litigation; Professional Litigation.Email: David B. Rheingold
Hunter J. Shkolnik (Member) admitted to bar, 1985, New Jersey and U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey; 1986, New York and U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Education: University of Massachusetts (B.A., cum laude, 1982); Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 1985). Instructor, Intensive Trial Advocacy Program, Hofstra Law School and Cardozo Law School. Member: Plaintiffs Steering Committee, NY Diet Drug Litigation, 1998; Plaintiff's Steering Committee, New York Hip Implant Litigation, 2001; Steering Committee. MDL 5-1708 In re Guidant ICD Litigation; Steering Committee. MDL 005-MD-01726 In re Medtronics ICD Litigation; Steering Committee In re Medtronic Sprint Fidelis Lead Product Liability Litigation MDL 08-1905; Steering Committee In re Pepsico, Inc Bottled Water Sales and Practices Litigation MDL 08-1903. Member: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Member, Tort Committee 1998 - ) Nassau County (Member: Conciliation Committee 1987; Defendant's Round Table, 1987; Assistant Chair, Medical Legal Committee, 1996-1997) Nassau and New York State Bar Association; New York State Trial Lawyers Association (Member, Past Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, Board of Directors, Past President, Long Island Affiliate, 1996; Courts and Jury Committee 1996); American Association for Justice (Chair, Heart Device Litigation Group; Chair Medical Device Litigation Group; Assistant Chair, Orthopedic Implant Litigation Group; Chair Breast Cancer Litigation Group; Trial Lawyers Care 9-11 Victims Compensation Volunteer). Practice Areas: Medical Liability; Automotive Products Liability; Drug and Medical Device; Product Liability; Hospital Liability; ERISA; Insurance Bad Faith; Lead Poisoning.Email: Hunter J. Shkolnik
Terrence E. McCartney (Member) born Wahiawa, Hawaii, May 8, 1963; admitted to bar, 1995, New York and U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Education: Virginia Military Institute (B.A., 1986); St. Thomas University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1994). Member: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York; New York State and American Bar Associations; New York State Trial Lawyers Association; The American Association for Justice; Attorneys Information Exchange Group (AIEG) (Board of Directors, 2006-Present). [U.S. Marine Corps, 1986-1990, Captain; U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 1990-1997, Major]. Reported Cases: McDaniel v. Freightliner, 2000 U.S. Dist. Lexis 3497 (SDNY March 22, 2000). Mustafa v. Halkin Tool, Ltd. 2007 WL 959704 (E.D.N.Y.). In re World Trade Center Bombing Lit. 776 N.Y.S2d 713 (N.Y. Cty 2004). Lee v. Hino Motors, Ltd. 801 N.Y.S. 2d 778 (N.Y. Cty. 2005). Tillman v. Freightliner, 247 Fed. Appx. 867, 2007 WL 2298037 (C.A. 9 (Cal.)). Campbell v. DiGuglielmo, 148 F. Supp.2d 269 (S.D.N.Y. 2001). Capati v. Crunch Fitness, 295 A.D. 2d 181, 743 N.Y.S. 2d 474 (N.Y. Cty 2002). Practice Areas: Products Liability; Automobile Liability Litigation.Email: Terrence E. McCartney
ASSOCIATE
Laura Pitter (Associate) born New York, N.Y., 1966; admitted to bar, 2002, California; 2005, New York. Education: University of California at Santa Barbara (B.A., 1990); Columbia University (M.A., 1996); University of San Francisco (J.D., 2001). Author: "The Fall of Srebrenica and the Failure of U.N. Peacekeeping," Humans Rights Watch, Vol. 7, No. 13, October 1995. Member: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York; New York State Trial Lawyers Institute (NYSTLI); American Association for Justice (AAJ). Practice Areas: Products Liability.Email: Laura Pitter