Law Firm: Block O’Toole & Murphy
Specialty: Workers’ Compensation
Address: 1 Penn Plaza Suite 5315, New York, NY 10119
Email: info@blockotoole.com
Phone: 212-736-5300
Email: Email me
Website: blockotoole.com
Facebook: BlockOToole
David L. Scher is a graduate of Tufts University and Fordham University School of Law. He joined Block O’Toole & Murphy in 2003 and became partner in 2012. Before joining the business, Mr. Scher worked for the New York State Attorney General’s Office, volunteered at a Civil Rights legal aid clinic, and clerked for Justice Shirley Kornreich.
In his time at the business, Mr. Scher’s personal injury settlements and verdicts have above $100 million. VerdictSearch noted that Mr. Scher and Partner Stephen J. Murphy had the top 3 construction accident results in the Northeast in 2021. In 2020, Mr. Scher was the only lawyer in the country to manage 3 of Top Verdict’s Top 50 Settlements. In 2019, Mr. Scher helped settle a wrongful death case for $15 Million after successfully appealing an earlier order dismissing the case. Mr. Scher’s accomplishments include a $12 Million payment for a local 147 union tunnel worker who fell into an open shaft on a Manhattan construction site and a $13.5 Million settlement for a pedestrian who was hit by a car. In 2016, Mr. Scher worked on 3 of NY’s top 5 personal injury settlements. Those 3 cases alone netted $23 million. In 2015, Mr. Scher won a $9,950,000 settlement for a Buffalo social worker who lost her left leg in a car accident. Mr. Scher helped negotiate a $8.8 Million payment for a Queens pedestrian who sustained a brain injury after being hit by a van in 2014. It was the 10th largest payout in the United States that year, according to the ‘National Law Journal.’ These are a handful of Mr. Scher’s multimillion-dollar results for harmed customers.
Mr. Scher is an aggressive and respected trial lawyer who recently won a $2 Million jury verdict for a 51-year-old pedestrian hurt by a New York City bus. Mr. Scher conducted a disability discrimination jury trial against a New York restaurant chain that resulted in a $1 Million settlement and helped collect nearly $5 Million for a class of unpaid overtime workers at a large clothing retailer.
Mr. Scher’s work has won him honors. He is a member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums. Mr. Scher is a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” in New York. Mr. Scher has been quoted in The New York Times, New York Post, New York Law Journal, and on Z100 about his personal injury cases.
In the industry, Mr. Scher is a legal authority. He directs Block O’Toole & Murphy’s appellate practice and has argued before the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court. Mr. Scher has handled some of New York’s most important construction safety and worker rights challenges. Mr. Scher writes articles for the New York Law Journal and Bill of Particulars on the rights of construction accident victims.
Mr. Scher is a professor who has advised lawyers across the state on optimal litigation techniques and case law updates. Mr. Scher wrote an amicus curiae brief to the Court of Appeals on behalf of 5,000 trial lawyers. In Ortiz v. Varsity Holdings, the court adopted Mr. Scher’s viewpoint and enhanced fall protections for construction workers. Attorneys from across the state seek Mr. Scher’s counsel on complex cases.
In June 2022, Mr. Scher becomes President-Elect of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (“NYSTLA”), a legal association with 3,500 members whose goal is to advance civil justice. Mr. Scher is on NYSTLA’s board and various committees.
Mr. Scher is interested in several charity causes outside of his law career. His wife Julie and he are committee members for a firm-sponsored charity event in Manhattan that benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This event raised millions for pediatric cancer research and treatment.
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Honors and Awards
