SCOTT C. GOTTLIEB
New York personal injury lawyer Scott C. Gottlieb says he enjoys the challenge
of hard-fought personal injury cases that pit
him against multi-billion dollar insurance companies.
"We know insurance companies can be very difficult to work with and are often
unfair," Scott says. "My firm enjoys taking on that challenge. You have been
injured and we’re here to help. "
"When people are involved in an accident, they have enough personal challenges,"
he says. "They shouldn’t have to worry about any of the legal aspects of their
claim or what insurance money they’ll receive. That’s our job."
A New York native, Scott began his legal career more than 30 years ago. The son
of a CPA, Scott initially started down his father’s career path, studying business
and finance. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in finance from the University of
Rhode Island in 1974, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor
Society and the Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society for Business Administration.
As an undergraduate, Scott took several legal courses and became fascinated with
the law. That interest led him to Syracuse University College of Law, where he
earned his Juris Doctor degree, graduating with honors in 1977.
Scott began his legal career handling criminal cases, first as an assistant public
defender in Broome County and later in private
practice. He also practiced family law.
"Those criminal and family cases gave me a lot of litigation experience because I was
constantly in the courtroom," he says. "I developed a real courtroom foundation, with
thousands of court appearances."
As Scott matured as a lawyer, he was drawn to the unique needs of clients who had
suffered personal injuries.
"I realized the personal injury practice was more challenging in that the opponents
or adversaries were huge insurance corporations with nearly unlimited resources," he
says. "The people who needed and deserved money from those companies were not going
to get it without our help and without us putting up a fight. I became interested in
helping those people."
Scott says practicing personal injury law has been much more demanding – and more
satisfying – than handling family law or criminal cases.
"The opponent is so much bigger and more powerful, and the people who you are trying
to help in every instance deserve your help," he says. "You feel good about who you
represent in injury cases."
Words of Wisdom for Accident Victims
Scott cautions NY accident victims about settling their own personal injury or
car accident claims.
"The insurance company could injure you for a second time," he says. "It is their job as
a corporation looking to make a profit to pay out as little as possible. Insurance
companies will take advantage of people who are inexperienced in dealing with them. The
real problem is that people don’t know what their case is worth. They don’t know how much
they are entitled to for wage reimbursement or their pain and suffering. The adjusters will
take advantage of your lack of knowledge and try and get you to accept a settlement that is
likely unfavorable to you."
He continues: "The insurance company does their job day in and day out, 365 days a year.
In your lifetime, you will perhaps have one accident or injury experience. There is no way
you can expect to stand toe-to-toe and represent yourself against a multi-billion dollar
corporation that is in the business of doing nothing but accidents and whose incentive is
to pay you as little as possible."
Leveling the Playing Field
Using a personal injury lawyer can help level the playing field when dealing with insurance
companies, Scott says.
"There was a study done by Allstate Insurance that shows on average persons represented by
a lawyer resolve their claims for three times as much as a person without a lawyer," he says.
"We understand that by hiring a lawyer, he or she is going to have to be paid out of a portion
of the money you recover. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome, but as a general
rule, you’ll do better with a lawyer."
Scott notes his interests as a personal injury lawyer are aligned with those of his clients.
"Our incentive is to get the insurance company to pay as much as possible," Scott says. "Your
best interest is our best interest. The more we recover for you, the larger our fee. Let’s be
frank – the better you do, the better we do. So it’s a win-win situation."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Born: Brooklyn, New York, 1952
Undergraduate degree: University of Rhode Island, Finance, 1974 (member of
Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and Beta Gamma Sigma National Honor Society for business
administration)
Law school degree: Syracuse University College of Law, 1977 (graduated cum
laude, member of Justinian Honorary Law Society)
Bar admissions: New York State Supreme Court, New York State Court of Appeals,
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. District Court for the Northern and Western
Districts of New York, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals.
Memberships: New York State Bar association, Broome County Bar Association
Professional background: Assistant Public Defender, Broome County Public Defender’s
Office (1977-1978); Private practice (1978-current)
Personal: Scott lives in Binghamton with his
wife and two daughters. An animal lover, Scott’s family has two dogs, two cats and two frogs.
He also enjoys going to his children’s sporting events. Scott tries to exercise every day. An
avid supporter of the Special Olympics, Scott has volunteered as a coach and is now a financial
supporter of that organization and other charities.
