Edward L.C. Marcowitz

Edward Marcowitz grew up on Staten Island in a blue-collar family with a work ethic that still guides his life today.

His father, Steve, owned a dry cleaning operation where Edward began working at the age of 8. From then until the time he got his law degree 16 years later, Edward continued to work long hours pressing shirts while pursuing his educational goals.

He received a B.S. degree from St. John’s University in 1988 and then, at his father’s urging, enrolled at Touro College’s Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center — while continuing to press shirts full-time. Many nights, his work and his studies limited him to three hours of sleep.

But in the end, Edward considers the hard work to have paid off. After he received his J.D. in 1991, he launched what has become a highly successful and enjoyable career as a plaintiff’s lawyer.

“I get up every morning and thank God that I’m in this profession because my option was the back of a dry cleaning store and, quite honestly, it would have been a waste of my talents,” he says. “Every day, I get to put on a suit and tie and I get to serve people and help people.”

Immediately after law school, Edward joined a busy personal injury firm in New York as an associate attorney. He rapidly gained trial experience there and later moved on to another large plaintiff’s firm where he got his introduction to litigation stemming from the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He spearheaded a pro bono project to assist the widows of those who were murdered in the tower, recovering $280 million for them without any lawyer fees being charged.

“That’s where I developed a real sense of service to the 9/11 community,” he says.

He stayed at that firm for 2 ½ years and began handling catastrophic injury cases in addition to the 9/11 cases and achieved multiple large recoveries — several topping seven figures — for his clients.

At that point, Edward felt he was ready to launch his own practice and did so in 2012. His focus now is on limiting his practice to significant catastrophic injury cases. By narrowing his work to the bigger cases, Edward is able to provide each of his clients the fullest attention their cases deserve.

“I’m dedicated to clients and I’m dedicated to my profession,” he says. “I never lose sight of how lucky I am to do what I do and, more importantly, I never lose sight of the responsibility I have to my clients.”

Edward considers his negotiating skills to be his greatest strength as a lawyer. But he also has the skills to try cases in court when needed.

“There’s no secret about what’s required to litigate a case,” he says. “It’s thorough preparation. It’s preparing a case as though it’s going to go to verdict. And when you prepare a case as though it’s going to verdict, a funny thing happens: the defendants know that you’re serious and they know that if they go to trial it’s going to hurt, and they’re willing to negotiate.”

Edward’s talent and dedication have won him numerous forms of professional recognition. He has been named as a SuperLawyer by SuperLawyer magazine for eight consecutive years. He has also been named to the Nation’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators and he is a member of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

In his limited spare time, Edward enjoys horse riding and caring for the horses that he and his wife board in Upstate New York.

The Marcowitz Law Firm in New York concentrates on representing those injured by toxic exposures in the aftermath of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks. Edward L.C. Marcowitz is extremely proud and honored to serve as the personal attorney to the family of NYPD Detective James Zadroga after whom the relevant piece of Federal Legislation was named.

Eddie’s experience in representing those affected by the WTC attacks is incredibly unique and virtually unparalleled. He spearheaded one of the largest Pro Bono efforts in history on behalf of New York City Firefighters and their families. While working at one of New York’s most respected personal injury firms, Ed worked extensively with Special Master Ken Feinberg in the original September 11 Victims Compensation Fund of 2001. Ed ultimately assisted in the recovery of just under $300,000, for the family members’ of Victims.

Special Master Ken Feinberg has stated that “he knew of few lawyers I worked with in my administration of the VCF that are more capable or qualified than Ed.” After the original Victim Compensation Fund had closed, Ed also represented a select few clients in the Federal World Trade Center litigation where, after appealing an award he believed was unsatisfactory, he was successful in obtaining just under $1,900,000 for the widow and family of a New York City Sanitation worker who passed away due to his September 11th related illnesses. It was one of the highest awards issued in that litigation.

During this time, Ed was also involved in a number of Pro Bono efforts on behalf of those involved in rescue efforts. Ed successfully advocated to overturn several FDNY Pension Board decisions that denied disability pensions to members of New York’s Bravest who had suffered debilitating lung injuries as a result of their heroic efforts at Ground Zero. These accomplishments were unprecedented and were consequently chronicled in the New York Daily News, The New York Law Journal and The Chief-Leader.

Whilst involved in all of the above, Ed was involved in lobbying The United States Congress to re-open the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. More and more people were being diagnosed with cancers and other respiratory conditions related to their exposure in the Ground Zero vicinity. Upon the passage and reauthorization of the James Zadroga Health & Compensation Act, Ed had the distinct privilege of giving the opening remarks as a featured speaker at a Feelgood Foundation symposium at Queens College which sought to educate the public about the newly opened fund.

Ed is also proud to have served as an “expert witness” with respect to the September 11th Victim’s Compensation Fund on behalf of a Chicago Family whose original WTC award was wholly inadequate. In the end, the case settled for an amount which would have equaled one of the highest awards issued by the original Fund. Ed donated his entire $10, expert fee to both the Uniformed Firefighter Association and Uniformed Fire Officers Association of Greater New York. ($5,000 to the UFA Widows and Children’s Fund and the UFOA Bravest Fund).

Ed has been working with first responders, firefighters, police officers and union workers since the inception of the Fund, months after the terrorist attacks. We now look forward to working with people who were residents of the area or spent a significant amount of time there between 9/11/2001 and 5/30/2002, whether it be through the course of employment, residency or simply for visits. Anyone who was in the area during this time frame could be entitled to, not only health coverage, but significant monetary compensation as well.