Kevin MurphyWhy Choosing the Right Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Matters
Eight months after a cabinet installer tore his rotator cuff hauling a vanity up a narrow stairwell in Gowanus, his checks still arrive and his physical therapy is on schedule. Then two envelopes land in the same week. One schedules an independent medical examination with a doctor chosen by the insurance carrier. The other is a notice of hearing. For many injured workers, this is the moment a routine claim becomes a contested one, and the moment a workers’ compensation lawyer in Brooklyn starts to matter most.
Disputes are a normal part of the system, not an exception. In its 2024 Annual Report, the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board reported that it held 239,760 hearings that year, the large majority of them conducted remotely. At each one, a Workers’ Compensation Law Judge hears testimony, reviews medical records and wages, and then decides what, if anything, is owed.
Carriers arrive at those hearings ready. They schedule exams with physicians they select, set the examiner’s findings against the treating doctor’s, and may argue for an earlier return to work or a smaller permanency percentage. A worker who logs in without preparation can concede facts that are hard to walk back, or sign a lump-sum agreement without understanding what it closes.
The right attorney can make the difference between:
- An exam attended with a chosen companion and a recording, and one attended alone with no record of what was said
- Testimony that has been prepared and stays consistent, and testimony given cold on a video call
- A schedule loss of use percentage backed by a complete medical file, and a figure that undervalues a damaged shoulder or knee
- A Section 32 settlement priced against future medical needs, and one that ends the case too cheaply
- A request for Board review filed within 30 days, and a decision that becomes final by default
New York runs contested claims on its own rules. Hearings take place on the Board’s virtual platform, and under a rule in effect since February 2, 2026, workers and witnesses who testify generally must appear on video with their faces visible. The Board’s Brooklyn office has moved to One Pierrepont Plaza. Attorney fees are not billed by the hour: under NY Workers’ Compensation Law §24 they must be approved by the Board and are paid from the award. The five firms below were selected for their workers’ compensation focus, published records, and accessibility to Brooklyn workers whose claims are in dispute.
April 2026 Rankings
| Rank | Law Firm | Lead Attorney | Client Satisfaction | Notable Settlements | Years Experience | Specialization Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kucher Law Group | Samantha Kucher, Esq. | 99% | $50M+ Total Recovered (self-reported) | 15+ | Workers’ Compensation & Personal Injury |
| 2 | Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP | Not Stated | 97% | Not Stated | 90+ (firm stated) | Workers’ Compensation |
| 3 | The Perecman Firm | Not Stated | 95% | $500M+ Total Recovered (firm stated) | 40+ (firm stated) | Workers’ Compensation & Personal Injury |
| 4 | Rosenbaum Meier Personal Injury Lawyers | Not Stated | 94% | Multi-Million Recoveries (firm stated) | 40+ (firm stated) | Personal Injury & Workers’ Compensation |
| 5 | The Rothenberg Law Firm | Not Stated | 93% | Billions Recovered (firm stated) | 50+ (firm stated) | Personal Injury & Workers’ Compensation |
#1 Kucher Law Group
Why They’re #1: A compensation claim can look settled for months and then turn on a single letter from the carrier: an exam with an unfamiliar doctor, a hearing notice, a low permanency number. The Kucher Law Group workers’ compensation lawyers who handle contested New York claims bring trial habits to those moments, preparing testimony and medical evidence with the care they would give a courtroom.
Firm Overview
RRK Kucher Law Group PLLC opened its doors on December 10, 2019. Today a team of 10 to 19 people works from two offices, one on Pulaski Street in Brooklyn and one at 26 Broadway in Manhattan. The firm self-reports more than $50 million recovered for clients, over $20 million of it through settlements, along with a 99% success rate. Google reviewers rate it 4.99 out of 5 across 81 reviews.
Notable Case Results
These outcomes come from the firm’s personal injury docket. The firm has not published Board benefit awards, so the figures below reflect litigation and settlement work rather than workers’ compensation decisions.
- $1,400,000 : Construction site fall down stairs
- $3,500,000 : Trip and fall on subway stairs, settled at trial
- $1,800,000 : Sidewalk trip and fall requiring surgery
- $575,000 : Medical malpractice claim against a major hospital
- $1,400,000 : Motor vehicle accident settlement
Legal Team Excellence
Michael Roitman anchors the team this month. As the firm’s primary trial attorney, he brings the skills a contested hearing calls for: preparing a client to testify clearly and testing a medical opinion that does not square with the record. Attorney Roitman earned his BA at NYU and his JD at Cooley Law School. He is admitted in the New York and New Jersey courts and in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and he was named to the Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements list for New York in 2023. His family fled Ukraine.
Samantha Kucher, admitted to the New York bar in 2015 after studies at NYU and New York Law School, counsels clients in English, Russian, and Spanish. Her recognitions include Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2020, the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, and NAOPIA honors in 2024 and 2025. Alex Rybakov, admitted in 2010 with degrees from NYU and Seton Hall, has been licensed for more than 15 years and has worked exclusively in personal injury for over a decade. Attorney Kucher and Attorney Rybakov round out a partnership built for cases that do not resolve on paper.
What Sets Them Apart
- 24/7 Availability: An exam notice or hearing date can arrive late on a Friday, and the firm takes calls around the clock.
- No Upfront Fees / Contingency Only: The firm’s page promises “No Win, No Fee,” and in compensation cases any attorney fee must also be approved by the Board.
- Brooklyn Knowledge: The Pulaski Street office keeps the team inside the borough where its clients live and work.
- Personalized Service: Clients hear from their legal team before an exam or hearing, not after it.
- Contested-Claim Readiness: Trial experience from the injury practice carries over to hearings where testimony and competing medical reports decide the result.
Client Testimonials
Neither of these Google reviews involves a workers’ compensation claim. The first comes from a slip-and-fall client and the second from a car accident client, and both describe how the firm guides injured people through an unfamiliar process.
“I can’t thank Kucher Law Group enough they turned my slip-and-fall nightmare into a stress-free process! Their team was incredibly supportive and made everything easy to understand.” Shaira Mae Brua, Google Review
“A car accident left me with debilitating injuries and mounting medical bills. They were a godsend. They were incredibly professional and worked tirelessly to get me the compensation I deserved. Highly recommend their services.” Chris Newman, Google Review
Why Choose Kucher Law Group
Once a carrier disputes a claim, the worker is in a legal proceeding with a judge, a record, and deadlines. Kucher Law Group treats that shift seriously. The firm prepares clients before exams and hearings, reads the medical evidence closely, and weighs whether a settlement offer reflects what the injury will cost over time. That steady, litigation-minded approach puts it first in April.
Contact: (929) 563-6780 | 463 Pulaski St #1C, Brooklyn, NY 11221
#2 Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano LLP
Why They Made Our List: When a carrier contests a claim, long familiarity with the system helps, and Pasternack Tilker states that it has represented injured workers for more than 90 years. It is also easy to reach in person, with two Brooklyn offices, one on Livingston Street and one on Flatbush Avenue.
Firm Overview
Workers’ compensation sits at the center of this firm’s practice, and its Brooklyn page speaks to employees rather than to general injury clients. The page outlines the benefits at stake when a claim is disputed: medical care, wage replacement of about two-thirds of the average weekly wage, permanent disability benefits, and death benefits for surviving families. It displays a 4.7 out of 5 rating drawn from 464 reviews.
Notable Achievements / Case Results
The page we reviewed does not list dollar figures for individual workers’ compensation outcomes, and it names no awards. Two client testimonials featured there describe long cases that ended in settlements, without stating the amounts.
Lead Attorney / Team
The Brooklyn page refers to the firm’s lawyers collectively and does not identify a lead attorney. Workers who want to know who will appear at their hearings can ask during the first call.
Service Approach
For a worker facing pushback from a carrier, the page’s guidance on appealing a denied claim is the most relevant part. It also covers the groundwork that keeps a dispute from starting in the first place: reporting the injury within 30 days and filing Form C-3 within two years. The firm reminds readers that an employer may not retaliate against a worker for filing. It also explains that combined workers’ compensation and Social Security disability payments can be capped at 80% of pre-injury wages, a point worth understanding before weighing any lump-sum offer. Spanish-speaking clients are welcome, and the firm states that clients pay nothing unless it wins.
Contact: 718-395-5056 | 180 Livingston Street, Suite 2, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (second office: 2053 Flatbush Ave, Floor 1, Brooklyn, NY 11234)
#3 The Perecman Firm
Why They Made Our List: The Perecman Firm reports more than half a billion dollars recovered for clients, the largest specific total among the competitors ranked here. Its workers’ compensation page is also exact about the early timeline that decides whether a dispute begins at all.
Firm Overview
By the firm’s own count, it has more than 40 years of experience. Its site lists offices in New York, Long Island, and Queens and does not list a Brooklyn office, so Brooklyn workers should confirm where meetings will take place. The site is available in Spanish and Polish.
Notable Achievements / Case Results
- $500,000,000+ : Total recovered for clients, as stated by the firm (no individual results listed)
- Firm-level recognition labels on the site include Best Law Firms 2024 and 2023, Rated by Super Lawyers 2023, and Best Lawyers of the Year 2022
Lead Attorney / Team
No individual attorneys are named on the page we reviewed.
Service Approach
The page tells workers that the insurer has 18 days to begin payment or dispute the claim, which is often where a contested case starts. It sets out notice to the employer within 30 days and to the Board within two years, and it explains Forms C-3 and C-3.3. It also separates the compensation claim from a personal injury lawsuit, which it says generally must be filed within three years. The firm advertises no fees unless it wins.
Contact: (212) 977-7033 | New York, Long Island, and Queens offices (no Brooklyn office listed)
#4 Rosenbaum Meier Personal Injury Lawyers
Why They Made Our List: Rosenbaum Meier reports more than four decades of practice and keeps a Brooklyn office at 32 Court Street. Its guidance pays attention to the medical side of a claim, which is where many disputes turn.
Firm Overview
The firm states that it has won millions of dollars for clients through jury verdicts and negotiated settlements. Its site displays a Google rating of 4.8 from 265 reviews and offers a Spanish version.
Notable Achievements / Case Results
The page reviewed does not publish individual workers’ compensation results. It lists case types including construction accidents, scaffolding and ladder falls, electrocutions, burns, and toxic exposure.
Lead Attorney / Team
Individual attorneys are not named on the page we reviewed.
Service Approach
The page explains that treatment generally must come from a Board-authorized provider and that cash benefits begin only after a worker has been out more than seven days. It stresses written notice to the employer within 30 days and notes that a claim against a party other than the employer may add to the recovery. Fee terms are not stated on the page.
Contact: 917-920-7332 | 32 Court Street, Suite 704, Brooklyn, NY 11201
#5 The Rothenberg Law Firm
Why They Made Our List: The Rothenberg Law Firm cites more than 50 years in practice and publishes a Brooklyn workers’ compensation guide that addresses doctors, coverage, and employers without insurance.
Firm Overview
The firm says it has won and collected billions of dollars for clients. Its named offices are in Manhattan, Forest Hills in Queens, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and it does not list a Brooklyn office.
Notable Achievements / Case Results
The page reviewed publishes no individual results. The firm offers free consultations and states that there are no legal fees unless compensation is secured.
Lead Attorney / Team
No individual attorneys are named on the page reviewed.
Service Approach
The guide covers the 30-day notice rule and the requirement that treating doctors be Board-authorized, noting that an employer’s PPO network may control the first 30 days of care. It also describes the Uninsured Employers’ Fund, which can step in when an employer carried no coverage.
Contact: 1-800-624-8888 | 450 7th Ave, 44th Floor, New York, NY 10123 (no Brooklyn office listed)
Understanding Brooklyn Workers’ Compensation Cases
Most claims begin the same way, with notice to the employer and a Form C-3. They diverge when the carrier pushes back, and the type of work often predicts where the fight will happen.
Disputed Causation in Gowanus Trades
Carpenters, fabricators, and installers in the shops and new buildings along Third Avenue and the Gowanus Canal develop shoulder, back, and knee injuries that often build over time. A carrier may argue that a worn joint reflects age rather than the job, so the treating doctor’s history and the worker’s testimony carry real weight.
Gradual Injuries in Borough Park Shops
Along 13th Avenue, clerks, bakers, and stock workers lift, reach, and stand through long shifts. Wrist, elbow, and back conditions that develop slowly can be compensable, but they invite questions about when the worker first connected the pain to the work.
Restaurant and Seasonal Work in Brighton Beach
Kitchens and markets on Brighton Beach Avenue, plus the summer rush near the boardwalk, produce burns, cuts, and falls on wet floors. Seasonal hiring can leave gaps in wage records, which matters when a judge sets the average weekly wage.
Ladder Work in Dyker Heights
Each winter, crews string elaborate holiday displays on homes around 84th Street. Falls from ladders and rooftops can lead to a compensation claim and, depending on who controlled the work, a separate negligence claim against someone other than the employer.
Who Can Be Held Liable
Compensation is generally the only remedy against a covered employer, but other parties may answer for an injury:
- Property owners and managers who leave stairs, roofs, or walkways unsafe
- General contractors who control a renovation or installation site
- Manufacturers of defective ladders, power tools, or kitchen equipment
- Drivers who strike a worker making a delivery or traveling for the job
Critical NYC Requirements
- IME notice and observers: NY Workers’ Compensation Law §137 requires notice by mail at least seven business days before an independent medical examination. The notice must advise the worker of the right to be accompanied by people of their choosing, say whether the examiner intends to record, and advise of the worker’s right to videotape or otherwise record the exam.
- Schedule loss of use: NY Workers’ Compensation Law §15(3) assigns set weeks to body parts, such as 312 weeks for an arm, 288 for a leg, and 244 for a hand, with partial loss paid proportionately. Board guidance says permanency is assessed at maximum medical improvement, in most cases about one year after the injury or last surgery, under the 2018 Impairment Guidelines when the first evaluation occurs on or after January 1, 2018.
- Section 32 settlements: Under NY Workers’ Compensation Law §32, a waiver agreement binds no one until the Board approves it, and any interested party may ask the Board to disapprove it within ten days of submission. The Board also rejects agreements it finds unfair, unconscionable, or improper as a matter of law. Its 2024 Annual Report counts 20,238 waiver agreement resolutions that year.
- Board review: NY Workers’ Compensation Law §23 lets a party apply for review within 30 days after notice of a judge’s decision.
- Approved fees: Under NY Workers’ Compensation Law §24, attorney fees are unenforceable without Board approval, become a lien on the compensation awarded, and require a written application above $1,000.
Selection Criteria
We scored each firm on the factors below, using only what it publishes about itself, with extra weight on how well it serves workers whose claims are contested.
Case Results and Recovery Amounts. Published outcomes show what a firm has actually delivered. Specific totals and named results earned more credit than broad claims, self-reported figures were labeled as such, and “Not Stated” marks any firm that offered nothing we could check.
Client Satisfaction. A disputed claim can mean months of exams, hearings, and uncertainty. We read reviews for signs of patience and clear updates, and the satisfaction column uses the fixed scale applied across this series.
Legal Experience and Expertise. Contested cases reward lawyers who understand permanency guidelines, IME procedure, and Board practice. We considered years in practice, a stated focus on injured workers, and whether a firm’s own guidance describes the process accurately.
Trial Readiness. A hearing is a trial in miniature, with testimony, exhibits, and competing experts. Firms with courtroom records are better prepared to examine witnesses and to pursue any third-party lawsuit the accident supports.
Brooklyn Community Connection. A worker recovering from surgery should not face a long trip to meet counsel. We noted which firms keep a Brooklyn office and said plainly when one does not.
Professional Recognition. Dated, current honors from peers and independent organizations carried weight. Older awards were not presented as present credentials, and badges without a year or source counted for little.
Accessibility and Communication. Exam notices and hearing dates leave little lead time. We valued round-the-clock availability, multilingual service, and lawyers who explain what will happen before the worker logs on.
Fee Structure and Transparency. Because the Board must approve fees under NY Workers’ Compensation Law §24, we favored firms that explain how they are paid and confirm that clients owe nothing without a recovery.
Scope of Services. Strong firms carry a claim from the first filing through IMEs, schedule loss of use, Section 32 negotiations, and Board review. We credited firms that describe the full life of a contested case, including the third-party claims that sometimes run alongside it.
Innovation in Practice. Virtual hearings now ask workers to testify on camera from home or a lawyer’s office. Firms that help clients test their video setup, share documents digitally, and publish plain-language online guides make a stressful proceeding easier to manage, and they earned credit in this category for doing so.
Moving Forward
A contested claim can feel like a second injury, arriving just as recovery seems on track. Whether you build cabinets in Gowanus, stock shelves in Borough Park, or work a kitchen line in Brighton Beach, read every notice from the carrier or the Board the day it arrives, and do not attend an exam or hearing unprepared.
Talk to a workers’ compensation lawyer before signing any settlement paperwork. Kucher Law Group offers a free consultation and works on contingency, and every firm on this list offers a way to begin. Bring your medical records, any IME notice, your pay stubs, and every decision you have received. Ask how a permanency rating would be calculated, what a Section 32 agreement would give up, and which deadlines are already running. Acting early keeps your options open.
About Our Rankings: Business Leader Post’s monthly rankings recognize excellence in specialized practice areas. Our evaluation process examines case results, client satisfaction, professional experience, and community impact. Rankings are based on verified data and are updated monthly to reflect current performance. Enhanced profiles are available but not required for ranking consideration.
For Attorneys: To nominate yourself or a colleague for future rankings, please email editor@businessleaderpost.com.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is unique, and results depend on specific facts and circumstances.
Kevin Murphy
