Attorney William (Bill) J. Dubanevich
Mr. Dubanevich has devoted his career to protecting and advancing the rights of workers, consumers and the environment.
Mr. Dubanevich represents individuals who were exposed to World Trade Center (WTC) toxins and dust, injured on the job, exposed to environmental pollution and cheated by corporate fraud. He has a long history of advocating for and advancing the rights of workers and consumers and protecting the environment. Before attending law school, he was the Director of Safety and Health for the New York State Building and Construction Trades’ Council for the AFL-CIO, where he developed occupational safety and health programs for affiliated unions. He later became the Director of the Hudson Valley regional Office for the New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), where he provided safety and health training to workers and performed workplace environmental and safety audits. As President of Hudson Environmental Services he performed environmental and workplace hazard assessments and developed compliance programs for general and construction industries.r
Mr. Dubanevich attended Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Law Program, and was selected to participate in Pace’s prestigious Environmental Litigation Clinic. He obtained his Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Environmental Law and received The Henry M. Feldschuh Environmental Law Award, The White Plains Bar Association Outstanding Clinical Award and Pace University School of Law Excellence in Clinical Education Award.
Following law school, Mr. Dubanevich joined a law firm and represented first responders, construction workers and recovery workers who were suffering from pulmonary disease and other illnesses as a result of exposure to WTC dust and toxins. He successfully helped represent thousands of WTC heroes to the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) obtained significant compensation for his clients. After the first VCF closed in December 2003, he continued to fight for WTC Heroes in the WTC Litigation filed in federal court and currently represents WTC Heroes in the 9-11/Zadroga Act Compensation Fund.
Mr. Dubanevich was head of the environmental litigation departments for two large law firms in New York. He is currently co-counsel to the law Firm of Parker Waichman, LLC where he handles the firm’s environmental contamination and toxic exposure cases. Mr. Dubanevich has represented municipal water districts and private individuals throughout New York, New England, and Florida in litigation over ground water contaminated with Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (“MTBE”), creosote, arsenic and other hazardous chemicals. He facilitated the recovery of tens of millions of dollars on behalf of plaintiffs damaged by environmental contamination. Mr. Dubanevich also represented individuals who suffered from catastrophic personal injury due to the negligence of others and represents construction workers, firefighters, police officers and others who suffer from work related injuries and illnesses from toxic substance exposure.
Publications
- Boston, Madden, and Dubanevich, Law of Environmental and Toxic Torts: Cases Materials, and Problems, Teacher’s Manual, (2d Ed. West 2002),
- Researched and edited LAW OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND TOXIC TORTS: CASES, MATERIALS, AND PROBLEMS, (2d ed. 2001) and THE ENDURING PARADOX OF PRODUCTS LIABILITY LAW RELATING TO PRESCRIPTION PHARMACEUTICALS, 21 PACEELR 313 (2001).
Presentations
- The Explosive Issue of Natural Gas Drilling, Center for Environmental Legal Studies and Center for Continuing Legal Education, Pace University School of Law, April 14, 2011.
- How to Approach the Gas Drilling/Fracking Case, American Association For Justice, Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA, July 20, 2013.
Awards and Honors
- The Henry M. Feldschuh Environmental Law Award
- The White Plains Bar Association Outstanding Clinical Award
- Pace University School of Law Excellence in Clinical Education Award
- Toxic Victims Access to Justice Coalition Service Award
- Super Lawyer – Environmental Law 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Affiliations
- New York State Trial Lawyers Association
- New York City Bar Association
- New York County Lawyer’s Association, Chair Environmental Law Committee
- Westchester County Bar Association, Environmental Law Committee
Committees
- New York County Lawyers Association, Chair, Environmental Law Committee
- New York State Judicial Training Institute, Environmental Crimes Program Steering Committee Member
- New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health
- Friends of Read Wildlife Sanctuary
Of Counsel
Attorney Steven Fink
Steven Fink is Of Counsel to the firm. Steven’s practice ares include medical malpractice, motor vehicle, construction, lead, asbestos, premises, product liability, pharmaceutical, toxic tort, nursing home, sexual harassment, municipal and Fair Labor Standard Act/Employment matters. He is a well-regarded legal professional who has experienced significant success in these areas of law.
Steven Fink was born April 22, 1960 in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1982. He went on to graduate school and received a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law in 1985. In February of 1986 he was admitted to practice law in the state of New York and in January of 1989 to the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York.
In 1991 he accepted a position as an associate attorney at Schneider, Kleinick & Weitz, a prestigious plaintiff’s person injury law firm. He remained there until 1995 when he decided to open his own law firm.
He added to his accomplishments by being admitted to the United States District Court of the Eastern District of New York in 1996 and the United States District Court of the Northern District of New York in 2002.
Mr. Fink’s hardwork and total dedication to his clients, together with his ability to repeatedly accomplish superior results in complex cases, has been certified by the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. These forums are limited to trial lawyers who have accomplished and demonstrated exceptional skill, experience and excellence in advocacy by achieving numerous outstanding results for their clients in the amount of one million dollars or more. Mr. Fink has also been selected as a Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the State of New York by the National Trial Lawyers, a ‘Super Lawyer’, a Top Attorney in New York by the New York Times and a Top Attorney in the New York Metro area by the American Registry. Mr. Fink also serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.
Mr. Fink has lectured on medical malpractice and personal injury matters and has handled cases, as lead or co-counsel in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, California, Illinois, Michigan and Texas. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice, The New York State Bar Association and The Jewish Lawyers Guild and serves as a Board of Director of Migdal Ohr, an organization serving disadvantaged children in Israel, and as a Board of Director of Lev Leytzan, an organization helping individuals who are in need of significant medical care.
Although he has a busy practice and is involved in many professional and personal activities, his first priority is spending time with his wife Mindy and their five boys. He also enjoys playing racquet sports and was a nationally ranked tennis and table tennis player. Mr. Fink speaks Spanish.