Workplace accidents do happen, no matter how careful we are. Following an injury, choosing the right law firm should be your second step after seeking medical assistance. With the New York attorney, Paweł P. Wierzbicki on your side, you can be sure your rights are protected. He will provide you with unwavering support and clarity at every stage of your case and ensure you are duly compensated. To date, he has won over 200 cases for his clients.

“I keep in regular contact with my clients. Regardless of how busy I might be, you can always get in touch with me. My clients do not wait for weeks for a call back. They always know where their case is at, declares Wierzbicki, one of the trial lawyers at the prestigious Block, O'Toole & Murphy law firm, where he commenced practising law nearly three years ago. The Polish diaspora is fortunate to have a Polish-speaking lawyer who works for such a reputable firm.

Born in Chicago, raised in Poland

Who is Paweł P. Wierzbicki and why should you trust him? The secret to his success is his talent, ambition, hard work and love of the law. Interestingly, Paweł was born in Chicago but went back to Poland as a baby with his mother. He grew up in Białystok and moved to Warsaw after finishing high school. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw with a master's degree in law. All along, he wanted to do more than practise law in Poland. That’s why he sat the International Legal English Certificate Exam at the British University of Cambridge. He was one of the youngest people there.

“I saw many experienced lawyers taking the exam and, frankly speaking, I was worried about my chances, being straight out of school”, recalls the lawyer.

Of course, he passed the exams with flying colours. It helped him get his first job at the largest French law firm in Europe. Although working for such a prestigious firm was great, the newly minted attorney remained open to new opportunities. He did not think too long when a chance to commence postgraduate law studies in the States came about, thanks to the longstanding relationship between the University of Warsaw and the University of Florida.

“I just knew I must seize this opportunity”, says Paweł P. Wierzbicki. “In 2014, I put everything on the line and flew to Miami.”

Student of the year

For a student, life in Florida had many attractions but Paweł knew that having fun had to wait as he put his education above everything else.

“I was placed in the "international lawyers" stream. Typically, it takes three years to complete it but this was an accelerated program where I had to cover the entire curriculum in two semesters”, he says. “You can take the bar exam in New York or California straight after.”

In just three months, he had to learn the subjects covered in the exam.

“Studying in Poland and America is very different”, says Paweł. “In Poland, you acquire most of your knowledge during lectures. In America, you go to lectures and by the next day you need to have read and mastered 150-200 pages of material. The beginnings were tough. I had to learn quickly with the added challenge of a second language. I spent a lot more time studying than American students.

As soon as he started the university, complications arose with the financing of tuition fees. Despite the dilemmas and enormous stress, he took a chance and borrowed the money needed.

“When I converted the amount of the loan into the Polish currency, I promised myself to become successful, otherwise I would not be able to ever pay it back”, he recalls.

However, hard work, determination, innate abilities, ambition, dedication, and many sleepless nights brought about solid results and success.

After the first semester, that is in six months, Paweł took the exams with American students and ... achieved the best results in the American tort law involving compensation claims in the United States that year. He was awarded the Dean's Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement and his Compensation Law professor even offered him a job in Florida. That, however, would have required two more years of study. Paweł was too eager to work.

“I couldn't allow the language or cultural barriers to stop me from achieving, I had to be at the forefront”, he sums up.

The only law firm

He passed his Bar Exam in New York in the top percentile. In February 2017, he finally held a New York attorney's license in his hand. After gaining some experience, Paweł at last got what he dreamed of, the position at the Block O'Toole & Murphy in Manhattan. The young attorney would check out the rankings in reputable law magazines and knew that this law firm had been achieving the best results for years.

But it didn’t take a miracle to get him there.

“I managed to arrange an interview”, says Paweł. In fact, in one day, he had seven interviews with the partners. In June 2019, he was hired as a trial attorney, and the Polish community in New York gained a wonderful, bilingual lawyer.

Choosing a good law firm

Nobody walks around expecting an accident to happen. It can come about unexpectedly to any of us. If you are a worker, especially on a construction site, it might be worth doing a bit of research into a firm that could best represent you in the event of an accident. In a stressful situation it’s easy to make mistakes and fall into the wrong hands.

“Selecting a good law firm is not that easy so it’s worth finding one that’ll work for you”,  advises Wierzbicki, attorney-at-law. “The Internet can be helpful, you can simply search for websites of New York law firms. Spend some time reading what they offer but most importantly, go to the "results" tab and find out about court verdicts or settlement results. New York City labor laws are friendly to construction workers. A person who has been seriously injured in a workplace accident is entitled to compensation. But lawyers make money from this and many close cases by agreeing to a lower compensation than could be obtained. They just want their money as soon as possible and don't care about their customer's welfare. It is better to avoid such lawyers.Any lawyer can make a fancy brochure and list great results and winnings. But watch out for the small print. It might say that these results were achieved in conjunction with someone else. It may even contain incorrect information. Sometimes, the aggrieved parties don’t know who represents them. If the attorney referred the case to another office, the client has never even been there.

The outcome of the case depends on the choice of the attorney

Mr Wierzbicki also recommends seeking a second or third opinion.

“Before signing anything, consider meeting with several law firms. Compare how you’re being treated, the law firm’s approach and the feeling at the office”, he says. “After three interviews, you will be able to compare and sense which lawyer is telling you porkies and which one is being honest. Remember that an honest lawyer will never tell you how much can be won during the first conversation and never promises you money. If someone tells you this, they are lying. Even the best attorney cannot give you a reliable estimate of the value of the case and predict how the case will end. And if that's what you’re told, it means that the lawyer wants to close the case with the least amount of effort and collect their fee as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, many lawyers practise this way and convince clients to sign the paperwork. But there is a way out. The client has the right to change the lawyer at any stage of the case without any financial consequences. “Client's signature is enough to change legal representation, the law offices take care of the rest”, says Paweł P. Wierzbicki. “If the client feels that the relationship with the lawyer is not working, they should look for a new one. Do not be embarrassed or uncomfortable speaking with another law firm. Think about yourself first and foremost and remember that in a serious accident, the outcome of the case can depend on the choice of a lawyer, which in turn affects your life and your future.

No room for error

For injured persons who do not speak English well, information is available in various forms and can be easily accessed. Polish-speaking lawyers advertise in the media.

“Our law office is great for victims who find it easier to communicate in Polish”, says the lawyer. “I work in one of the best compensation law firms in New York and I speak both languages. In legal matters, it is very important that the client communicates with the lawyer clearly. Every detail matters. There is no room for error or ambiguity, especially in court. Poles injured in accidents represented by other law firms call me all the time. They can’t understand what is happening in their case. A lawyer who does not speak Polish will struggle to explain it to the client. Mr Wierzbicki says that each case is different. Whether a case can be resolved through a trial, or a settlement depends on many factors. Often, first-time settlement bids are low, and it is better to go to trial to get a fairer outcome. The highest wins are paid to clients of reputable law firms and insurance companies know this.

Individual approach

The prestigious law firm Block, O'Toole & Murphy has been operating in New York for over thirty years. Jeffrey Block, Daniel O'Toole and Stephen Murphy are excellent trial attorneys.

“Working with them is a great honor for me”, says Paweł. “I learn something new every day. These people have good hearts and care about others.”

At our office, there is a team of hardworking people, led by an attorney. That’s how we are able to oppose large law firms representing insurance companies and win. We are the leading law firm in New York in terms of winning verdicts and settlements.

“The way we prepare for the case means that we are highly respected by the judges and lawyers of the other party”, says the Polish attorney. “It often has a bearing on the results. We are different. We don’t take too many cases on. Sometimes, attorneys at the hearing don’t know their client’s name. We are quite selective and treat each case individually. We tell the court our client’s story, including how the accident changed their life. We show the court, the other side and the jury that our client is also our friend. We treat clients like human beings, not numbers.

The greatest love and pride

Mr Wierzbicki loves his work and fights for his client's best interest with determination and dedication. But the greatest love of his life is his wife Kasia and their 11-month-old son. Paweł and Kasia have been together for more than a decade. They said "yes" to each other after moving to the States, during a wedding ceremony on the beach, amongst their loved ones. Paweł’s wife is his pride and joy. Like him, she is an attorney but works in the patent department of one of the best law firms in the United States, the elite Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP.

“My wife is probably the only patent attorney of Polish origin in the East Coast who actually speaks Polish”, says Paweł proudly. But that's not all. Kasia is also a biomedical engineer. This wonderful couple is bound to be successful.

Contribution to the Polish community

Even though the couple lives in America, the Polish traditions with which they were brought up are very important. They have very strong ties with their homeland and are actively involved in the life of the Polish community in New York. Since 2018, Wierzbicki has been a member of the Pulaski Association of Business and Professional Men - one of the oldest Polish organizations. He has been a member of the board of management for the last two years and is its financial secretary.

“It is an organization with great traditions and great potential, bringing together outstanding individualists who care about the good of the Polish diaspora”, says the lawyer. “By achieving success, I wanted to pass some of it to my community, and the Pulaski Association is an excellent platform through which we engage in various social, cultural and educational initiatives. I also wanted to participate in the development of the organization and act as a link between the generations of older and younger members. This is crucial because unless we can effectively transfer our values between the older and younger generation of professionals and entrepreneurs of Polish heritage, there will be no thriving Polish community on the East Coast.

Interview by Iwona Hejmej