Darger Errante Yavitz & Blau Named Best Boutique Litigation Firm - USA by Wealth & Finance International
Best Boutique Litigation Firm – USA
Wealth & Finance International | July 2016
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Darger Errante Yavitz & Blau LLP (“DEYB”) is a litigation firm based in New York City offering creative, practical and cost-effective solutions for the variety of issues confronting businesses today. DEYB was founded by Jennifer Darger, Vincent Errante, Judith Yavitz and Craig Blau in 2011. As a boutique litigation firm we pride ourselves on being attentive, responsive and dedicated to our clients’ individual needs.
Being named “Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016” is an honor and we are very pleased to see that the hard work of our attorneys, legal assistants and staff has been recognized. In some ways this is just the start for us as we continue to look for new ways to further enhance our reputation and identify additional opportunities to grow and develop our practice.
DEYB has more than doubled in size since its formation in 2011. We now have almost 50 employees, including 21 lawyers and almost 20 legal assistants. The four founding partners, all of whom worked for many years at large International law firms before starting the firm, have collectively over 100 years of experience in mass tort litigation. We have a very high retention rate, as it is very rare that lawyers or paralegals leave DEYB. We believe this offers our clients a unique advantage, as they are getting attorneys and legal assistants who have vast knowledge, some with 15-20 years of experience, and therefore get the best bang for their buck.
The firm has a national reputation for expertise and success in managing and defending complex product liability cases, mass tort claims, and other business disputes for Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and individuals. We have spent years developing and honing our legal skills at top law firms, and we bring this “big firm” experience to every facet of our practice.
We have particular expertise in asbestos defense litigation at national, regional and local levels. In New York, for example, the firm serves as New York City Defense Liaison Counsel, where we coordinate asbestos litigation in New York City for dozens of law firms and hundreds of companies. The firm has been involved in several high profile victories over the years including being instrumental in the creation of a deferred docket for non-malignant asbestos cases, obtaining a key court ruling that bankrupt companies should be considered in apportionment of fault in New York, and collaborating at trials to obtain defense verdicts in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions. The firm has also had success, where others have failed, in getting several high profile cases severed from consolidated trial groups.
As a company, we offer excellent client service. Each of our partners is very hands on in managing the day to day activities for our clients. At all times, keeping the client informed is of the upmost importance to us, and ultimately we try to find a creative and cost effective solution to their issues. For its efforts, DEYB has been recognized twice by Forbes Magazine and every year since its formation by Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms and Super Lawyers. Recently, two of DEYB’s young attorneys were recognized as “rising stars” by Super Lawyers, showing how this firm is well positioned to continue excelling for years to come.
According to founding partner, Craig Blau, the firm is very proud of the work it does, the clients it represents, and the recognition it has received. We are most grateful, however, for our clients who every day put their trust in us, and for that we continue to strive to keep doing the best we can for them.
The future
Looking ahead to the future, DEYB is considering opportunities to expand the firm both inside and outside of New York. We have been approached by other law firms, both small and large, looking for opportunities to merge with our firm. While we might one day consider the right opportunity, we are very happy with the way things are going right now, says Blau.
We have assembled a top notch team at DEYB with a collegial working environment. We also have great diversity at the firm, which is something we are very proud of. More than half of the attorneys at DEYB are women, including four of the seven partners, and the firm has several African American and Asian American attorneys. We believe our diversity is one of our strongest features and has contributed to our great success.
One future challenge for us will be to remain at the cutting edge of new developments. However, with a highly skilled team at the forefront of this field of the law, we are confident we will remain well equipped to deal with whatever the future may hold.