Best's Insurance Professional Resources
Client-Recommended Attorneys, Adjusters and Experts
Best's Insurance Professional Resources
Client-Recommended Attorneys, Adjusters and Experts


Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys - General Defense

33 Whitehall Street, 16th Floor, New York, New York 10004

Established: 1996

Practice Areas

  • Insurance Defense
  • Automobile
  • Product Liability
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Premises Liability
  • Professional Liability
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Trial Practice
  • Appellate Practice
  • Bodily Injury
  • Property Damage
  • Toxic Torts
  • Health
  • Life Insurance
  • General Liability
  • Lead Paint
  • Subrogation
  • Errors and Omissions
  • Construction Litigation
  • Directors and Officers Liability
  • Dram Shop Liability
  • Group Benefits
  • Coverage Questions
  • Chemical Exposure
  • Environmental Complex Tort Litigation
  • First Party Benefits Defense

About Us

Founded in 1996 by experienced civil trial attorneys, Russo & Gould LLP provides trusted legal counsel and representation on a wide range of civil liability and insurance matters in New York, Buffalo, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

At Russo & Gould LLP, we handle your legal matters from inception through final resolution. Our established reputation within the judiciary, legal community and insurance industry as a highly successful and effective trial firm has earned us accolades from AM Best’s Recommended Insurance Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell and recognition in New York and New Jersey Super Lawyers. Our Attorneys have also been recognized among top Legal Leaders in the New York Metropolitan Area by the Wall Street Journal and New York Law Journal.

At Russo & Gould LLP we are dedicated to developing thoughtful and creative legal strategies that are tailored to meet each client's specific needs and achieve each client's ultimate goals. We confer regularly with our clients to ensure their decision making is informed and that their objectives are being met. Our attorneys are also trained to identify early on in the litigation process those claims suitable for resolution and those matters which should be vigorously defended through trial. To provide this level of representation we carefully recruit and train each of our attorneys and paralegals to ensure not only quality representation, but effective advocacy at a reasonable cost.

We invite you to browse our website to learn more about the firm, our attorneys and the legal services we provide

Additional Locations

  • Edison, New Jersey
  • 10 Franklin Avenue
  • Edison, New Jersey 08837
    • Telephone: 732-738-5600
  • Hartford, Connecticut
  • 100 Pearl Street, 14th Floor
  • Hartford, Connecticut 06103
    • Telephone: 860-986-7845
  • Stamford, Connecticut
  • One Stamford Plaza
  • 263 Tressor Boulevard
  • Stamford, Connecticut 06900
    • Telephone: 203-883-4217
  • Buffalo, New York
  • 12 Fountain Plaza, Suite 600
  • Buffalo, New York 14202
    • Telephone: 716-800-6389

Client Information

Insurance Clients

Non-Insurance Clients

  • Combe Incorporated
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  • One Lenox Realty
  • Pritchard Industries, Inc.

Personnel Information

Members of the Firm


Alan Russo

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 41

Admitted
  • Pennsylvania, 1980
  • New York, 1981
  • New Jersey, 1990
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, 1991
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, 2017
Memberships:
  • Defense Association of New York
Education:
  • American University, B.A. (with honors), 1977
  • Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1980

Born: 1955

David Gould

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 30

Admitted
  • New Jersey, 1986
  • Pennsylvania
  • New York, 1992
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, 1998
Memberships:
  • American Bar Association
  • New York State Trial Lawyers Association
  • Defense Association of New York
Education:
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A., 1986
  • Pace University School of Law, J.D., 1991
Language:
  • Spanish

Born: 1964

Partners


Kevin G. Horbatiuk

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 40

Admitted
  • New York, 1982
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, 1985
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1993
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, 1994
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, 2000
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Memberships:
  • American Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute (Life Health and Disability Committee)
  • New York State Trial Lawyers Association
  • New York County Lawyers Association
Education:
  • Fordham University, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1978
  • Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 1981

Born: 1957

John J. Komar

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 33

Admitted
  • New York, 1988
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1991
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1997
Memberships:
  • New York State Bar Association
Education:
  • State University of New York at Purchase, B.A., 1980
  • University of Massachusetts, M.A., 1982
  • Pace University School of Law, J.D., 1988

Born: 1954

Marie A. Castronuovo

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 35

Admitted
  • New York, 1987
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
Education:
  • St. John's University, B.S., 1982
  • Gonzaga University School of Law, J.D., 1986

Born: 1960

Charles B. Stokes

Edison, NJ and Philadelphia, PA

Years of Experience: 41

Admitted
  • Pennsylvania, 1980
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1981
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, 2001
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2008
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
Education:
  • Temple University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1977
  • Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1980

Born: 1955

Florina Altshiler

Buffalo, NY

Years of Experience: 16

Admitted
  • New Jersey, 2005
  • New York, 2006
  • Alaska, 2013
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of New York
Education:
  • Binghamton University, B.A., 2002
  • Binghamton University, Cert. International Studies, 2003
  • St. Johns University School of Law, J.D., 2005

Born: 1982

Cecil E. Floyd

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 34

Admitted
  • New York, 1984
  • Connecticut, 1990
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, 1984
Education:
  • Colby College, B.A., 1976
  • American University, Washington College of Law, J.D., 1981

Born: 1954

Of Counsel


Marc S. Russo

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 38

Admitted
  • New York, 1980
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of New York, 1982
  • U.S. District Court, Central and Southern Districts of New York, 1983
  • U.S. Supreme Court
Education:
  • University of Pittsburgh, B.A. (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), 1973
  • The George Washington University Law School, J.D., 1978

Born: 1951

Theresa Villani

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 41

Admitted
  • New York, 1981
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, 1982
Education:
  • State University of New York at Stony Brook, B.A., 1977
  • St. John's University School of Law, J.D., 1980

Born: 1955

Emily Mann

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 23

Admitted
  • New York, 2000
  • Connecticut
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
Education:
  • Bethany College, B.A., 1996
  • St. John's University School of Law, J.D., 1999

Associate Attorneys


Fallon J. Mulerman-Orer

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 3

Admitted
  • New York, 2015
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, 2016
Memberships:
  • New York State and New York Women's Bar Association
  • Defense Association of New York
Education:
  • State University of New York at New Paltz, B.A. (cum laude), 2010
  • Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, J.D., 2014
Honors:
Jacob D. Fuschberg Touro Law Center Public Interest Law Fellowship, 2013
Language:
  • Russian

Born: 1988

Nima Baratzadeh

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 7

Admitted
  • New York, 2019
  • New Jersey
Education:
  • Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 2015

Alejandra Lara

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 2

Admitted
  • New York, 2022
  • Supreme Court of New York
Education:
  • Emory University, B.A. (Dean's List), 2016
  • Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 2020

Senior Associates


Alexandra L. Alvarez

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 7

Admitted
  • New Jersey, 2011
  • New York, 2012
Education:
  • Fordham University, B.A. (Dean's List), 2006
  • Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 2011
Language:
  • French

Born: 1984

Marcin J. Kurzatkowski

New York, NY

Years of Experience: 8

Admitted
  • New York, 2010
Education:
  • New York University, B.A., 2006
  • St. John's University School of Law, J.D., 2009
Language:
  • Polish

Born: 1984

Audrey D. Medd

Hartford, CT and Stamford, CT

Years of Experience: 19

Admitted
  • New York, 2004
  • Connecticut
  • U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of New York
  • U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
Education:
  • University of Delaware, B.A., 2000
  • Quinnipiac University School of Law, J.D., 2003

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