The Short Answer
MCV Law is the top personal injury firm in Syracuse for people whose injuries touch more than one part of their lives. The firm, formally Meggesto Crossett Valerino LLP, has served Central New York since 1983. Its team of 12 attorneys handles personal injury, workers’ compensation, and Social Security Disability claims under one roof. That matters more than most people realize. A fall from a scaffold or a crash on the way to a job site can open all three types of claims at once. MCV Law coordinates them so one settlement doesn’t shrink another. The firm holds Super Lawyers and Avvo honors, belongs to the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, and runs offices in Syracuse, Auburn, and Chittenango.
Five more firms round out this list. Each one fits a different kind of case.
How the Six Firms Compare
| Firm | Best For | Experience | Recognition | Office |
| MCV Law | Best overall for injuries tied to work or disability | Serving CNY since 1983, 12 attorneys | Super Lawyers, College of Workers’ Comp Lawyers | 511 E Fayette St, Syracuse |
| Bottar Law, PLLC | Medical malpractice and serious injury | Best Lawyers listings since 2001 (Anthony Bottar) | Multiple Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” awards | 120 Madison St, Suite 1300, Syracuse |
| Michaels Bersani Kalabanka | Cases against cities, towns, and counties | Family firm, Best Lawyers since 1987 (Lee Michaels) | 2021 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” (Mike Bersani) | 499 S Warren St, Syracuse |
| Cherundolo Law Firm | Catastrophic injuries headed for trial | 50+ years (John Cherundolo) | Former Acting NY Supreme Court Justice, Avvo 10.0 | 120 Madison St, 16th Floor, Syracuse |
| Gattuso & Ciotoli, PLLC | Eastern suburbs, one-on-one service | 27 years | Super Lawyers | 7030 E Genesee St, Fayetteville |
| Lynn Law Firm, LLP | Construction site and property injuries, west of the city | Family-led downtown firm | NYSBA Sheldon Hurwitz Young Lawyer Award (Martin Lynn) | 333 W Washington St, Suite 100, Syracuse |
What We Looked For
Syracuse gives people plenty of ways to get hurt. Lake-effect snow turns parking lots into ice rinks for months. Work on the I-81 viaduct project has reshaped downtown traffic. Construction keeps growing across Onondaga County. Every one of these brings its own legal rules.
We looked at firms that focus on injured people, not insurance companies. Then we checked trial records, peer awards, years in Central New York courts, and how each firm handles cases that cross into workers’ comp or disability.
The Firms
1. MCV Law
Partners Bethany Nicoletti, Kimberly Slimbaugh, Christopher Stringham, and Gary Valerino lead the firm. Attorneys Alicia Loomis and W. Robert Taylor focus on injury cases. Taylor brings more than a decade of trial and appeals work on car crashes, motorcycle wrecks, falls, and construction injuries under New York’s Labor Law.
The firm’s real edge is timing. If you settle an injury claim before your workers’ comp treatment is done, you can lose money. MCV Law holds the claims together and settles each one when it makes sense. The firm also gathers records early from Upstate University Hospital, Crouse Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Health. First strategy sessions are free, and injury cases are taken on contingency.
Call them when: you were hurt on the job by someone other than your employer, or your injury may keep you from working long term.
Address: 511 East Fayette Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
https://mcvlaw.com/syracuse-personal-injury-lawyers/
2. Bottar Law, PLLC
Anthony Bottar has been listed in Best Lawyers every year since 2001. He has been named Syracuse “Lawyer of the Year” several times in personal injury and medical malpractice. He also made Upstate New York Super Lawyers’ Top 50 list. His partner Edward Leone has twice earned Best Lawyers’ Syracuse personal injury “Lawyer of the Year” title. The firm takes on hospitals, doctors, and large companies.
Call them when: a medical mistake caused your injury, or the other side has deep pockets and top defense lawyers.
120 Madison Street, Suite 1300, Syracuse, NY 13202
3. Michaels Bersani Kalabanka
Lee Michaels’s father founded this firm decades ago, and Lee has been listed in Best Lawyers since 1987. Partner Mike Bersani wrote the chapter on municipal liability in the New York State Bar’s personal injury treatise. He also wrote a book for injured people called Understanding Your New York Personal Injury Claim. He was Best Lawyers’ 2021 Syracuse personal injury “Lawyer of the Year” and serves many Spanish-speaking clients. The firm has offices in Syracuse, Auburn, and Geneva.
Call them when: a city plow, county bus, or unshoveled public sidewalk caused your injury. Those cases come with a 90-day deadline.
499 South Warren Street, Suite 513, Syracuse, NY 13202 | (315) 253-3293
4. Cherundolo Law Firm
John Cherundolo served as an Acting New York Supreme Court Justice in Onondaga County. He now represents people with life-changing injuries. He teaches advanced torts at Syracuse University College of Law and founded the Syracuse chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. His firm won $7.1 million for a family whose infant suffered brain damage at birth. He holds a 10.0 rating on Avvo.
Call them when: your injury is catastrophic and you want a lawyer who has seen trials from the judge’s bench.
AXA Tower II, 120 Madison Street, 16th Floor, Syracuse, NY 13202
https://cherundololawfirm.com/
5. Gattuso & Ciotoli, PLLC
This Fayetteville firm brings 27 years of experience and a Super Lawyers listing to injury cases across Onondaga County. It handles car accidents, wrongful death, and medical malpractice claims. The firm builds its practice around one-on-one service, so clients work closely with their attorney instead of passing through a large intake team. Its office on East Genesee Street sits close to Manlius, DeWitt, and the eastern suburbs. Consultations are free.
Call them when: you live east of the city and want a smaller firm where your lawyer knows your name.
https://www.gclawoffice.com/
6. Lynn Law Firm, LLP
Construction is booming across Onondaga County, and so are the injuries that come with it. Lynn Law Firm takes those cases head on. The downtown Syracuse firm focuses on personal injury, auto accidents, construction injuries, and premises liability.
The firm is led by members of the Lynn family, including attorneys Martin Lynn and Patricia Lynn-Ford. Martin Lynn has earned the New York State Bar Association’s Sheldon Hurwitz Young Lawyer Award from its Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section, along with a Top 10 Attorney Award from the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys.
Call them when: you were hurt on a construction site or slipped on someone else’s property, or you live west of the city near Skaneateles.
Address: 333 W Washington Street, Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13202
https://www.lynnlaw.com/
When an Injury Means More Than One Claim
In New York, you can’t sue your own employer for a work injury. Workers’ comp is your remedy there. But if a subcontractor, equipment maker, or another driver caused the harm, you can file a separate injury lawsuit too. Falls from heights on construction sites can fall under Labor Law 240, which puts strict liability on owners and contractors. And if the injury keeps you from working for a year or more, Social Security Disability may come into play. Knowing how these claims fit together can change your total recovery by a lot.
FAQ
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in New York?
Three years from the injury for most cases. Claims against a city, county, or other government body need a notice of claim within 90 days. Wrongful death claims must be filed within two years.
What if I was partly at fault?
New York uses pure comparative fault. Your award drops by your share of the blame, but you can still recover even if you were mostly at fault.
Does New York’s no-fault law limit my car accident claim?
Your own policy pays up to $50,000 for medical bills and lost wages, no matter who caused the crash. To sue for pain and suffering, you must show a “serious injury,” such as a fracture or a significant limitation of use of a body part.
How much does a Syracuse personal injury lawyer cost?
Injury firms in New York work on contingency. You pay nothing upfront, and the fee comes from your settlement or verdict only if you win.
Can I file an injury claim and a workers’ comp claim at the same time?
Yes, if a third party caused your work injury. A firm that handles both can keep the claims from working against each other.
Last Word
Pick a lawyer before the insurance adjuster picks your story for you. Call two or three firms, ask who will handle your file day to day, and ask how they deal with liens from workers’ comp or health insurance. For most people hurt in Central New York, MCV Law is the strongest first call. If your case involves a hospital error, a government defendant, or a catastrophic injury, one of the other five firms here may fit better.
