Credentials you can check
Every claim on this page is verifiable. Where something is a membership, we say so; where
it is experience, we say that instead.
| Detail | Record |
|---|---|
| New York bar registration | 2646065 |
| Admitted | 18 January 1995 |
| Admitting court | Appellate Division, Second Department |
| Years in practice | 31 |
| Law school | St. John’s University School of Law |
| Undergraduate | Boston College, A.B. 1991, departmental honours in History |
| Firm | Rheingold Giuffra Ruffo Plotkin & Hellman LLP |
Trial memberships, and why they matter to you
Three of his credentials are memberships with a countable entry requirement, which is what
makes them worth stating:
- Advocate, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA): the highest ABOTA
rank, requiring service as lead counsel in more than 50 jury trials to verdict.
28 lawyers in New York City hold it. - Barrister, Order of Centurions: membership requires more than 100 jury
trials to verdict. - Fellow, International Society of Barristers: fewer than 700 members
worldwide.
The practical point is not the letters. Most abuse cases settle, and what a survivor is
offered in a settlement depends heavily on whether the institution across the table believes
the case will actually be tried if it isn’t resolved. A record of trying cases to verdict is
leverage, and in these cases the leverage belongs to the survivor.
What that has recovered
Mr. Giuffra has recovered over $250 million on behalf of survivors of sexual
abuse and sex trafficking, including a $14 million trafficking settlement.
A figure like that is worth reading carefully. It is a total across many cases over three
decades, not a typical case and not a prediction. What it does tell you is that the institutions
on the other side have settled at that scale rather than take these claims to a jury.
Cases you will have heard of
Mr. Giuffra has represented survivors in claims arising from some of the most widely
reported abuse cases in the country, including matters involving Harvey Weinstein,
Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jeffrey Epstein,
Dr. Robert Hadden and Dr. Darius Paduch. He also has documented
clergy litigation experience against the Diocese of Syracuse.
These cases are defended by very well-resourced institutions and their insurers, and they
are where an opponent’s willingness to go the distance is tested hardest. That is familiar
ground rather than unfamiliar ground.
Described as professional experience only. Every case is decided on its own facts, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
How he actually runs a case
Mr. Giuffra works alongside a psychotherapist, so clients are supported
through the process rather than only represented in it. Most firms describe themselves as
compassionate; this is a structural version of it, and it exists because the process itself (statements, records, medical history, sometimes a deposition) is difficult in ways that have
nothing to do with the law.
In practice that means you are not expected to manage the emotional weight of the case on
your own in order to have a lawyer who will try it.
Other admissions
Beyond New York: New Jersey (1994), Utah (2020), the United States Supreme Court (2009),
the Second and Third Circuits, the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York, the
District of New Jersey, the District of Connecticut, the Court of International Trade and the
United States Tax Court.
He has also served as an Associate Justice of the Village of Scarsdale since 2024.
Will I work with Mr. Giuffra directly, or with someone else?
You will speak with a lawyer, not an intake operator, and he leads the department that handles these cases. Whoever ends up doing the day to day work, you will know who is handling your case and be able to reach them.
How do I verify his bar registration myself?
New York’s attorney registration records are public. Registration number 2646065, admitted 18 January 1995 in the Second Department. You can look that up through the New York State Unified Court System’s attorney directory without contacting us at all, and we would rather you did than took our word for it.
What does it cost to speak with him?
Nothing. The first conversation is free and confidential, and these cases are handled on a contingency fee, the fee is a percentage of any recovery and there is no fee if there is no recovery.