Justin C. Frankel - Long Term Disability Lawyer

Partner

Location:	Garden City, New York
Phone:	877-583-2524
Fax:	516-222-0513
Email:	Email Me

Justin Corey Frankel

Justin C. Frankel is committed to fighting for the rights of clients when their long term disability insurance claims have been denied, delayed or terminated. His entire legal career is focused on representing long term disability insurance policy owners. His clients are treated with the utmost of concern and care during very difficult times.

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Sorry, we do not handle SSDI/Social Security claims.

Mr. Frankel represents clients in ERISA appeals and administrative proceedings every day. His in-depth understanding of this focused area of the law allows him to provide his clients with knowledgeable and experienced representation. Mr. Frankel brings an understanding of the ERISA appeals process, the highly complex laws and rules that govern the ERISA process, and the tight time frames that are so critical to this area of the law to each matter that he handles.

Long term disability insurance claims are a complex and challenging area of the law. Mr. Frankel’s years of experience and his knowledge of the law and the LTD insurance business offer clients a comprehensive understanding of the LTD claims process and the inner-workings of the insurance companies that seek to deny their claims. For some clients, working with Mr. Frankel is a one-time event, where their claims are resolved and their disability benefits continue to come in. For others, Mr. Frankel works with clients on an on-going basis to ensure that their disability benefits continue to be paid. Each situation may be different, but Mr. Frankel works diligently and aggressively to solve the problem.

Clients Choose Us Because We:

Have recovered $200M+ for our clients.
Have seen your situation before.
Are aggressive in our approach.
Know the tactics used by the insurance companies.
Hold high AV Ratings & received the Super Lawyers designation each year.

Clients represented by Mr. Frankel include a Registered Nurse who posted a review on AVVO that said that he understands chronic pain and the impact that it has on her life “better than any doctor” she has ever talked to. An attorney who was referred to Mr. Frankel by another attorney gave him a five-star review on AVVO and said that “In my view, when your claim comes in on Justin’s letterhead, the insurance company pays attention.”

One of the key differences for clients working with the Frankel & Newfield law firm is that clients work with partners. The firm has deliberately maintained its focus on the disability insurance practice and on a one-on-one relationship with clients. The firm believes that this offers clients a better experience in terms of the care and compassion they receive with their legal representation. It is understood by all members of the firm that a delayed, denied or terminated disability claim at a time when the person is too disabled to work is one of the hardest times for them and their families. The partners at Frankel & Newfield made a deliberate decision to maintain the two-partner format to provide clients with the most effective representation.

Awards

martindale hubbell preeminent lawyers badge

A Dentist Reviews Justin Frankel: “Compassionate And Truly Cared”

Mr. Frankel is also a highly skilled and trained litigator and represents clients in court at all levels of litigation: county, state and federal. He represents owners of privately owned or individual long term disability insurance policies whose benefits have been terminated, delayed, denied, or who are being investigated by the insurance companies.

Martindale-Hubbell® has rated Mr. Frankel an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated, the highest possible designation from Martindale-Hubbell. Super Lawyers has named Mr. Frankel to its select list of attorneys for the 2011 and 2013 – 2019 New York Metro listings. Only five percent of the lawyers in the New York Metro area are named by Super Lawyers to this prestigious group.

Prior to forming Frankel & Newfield, Mr. Frankel worked tirelessly representing policyholders in all types of insurance matters, primarily long term disability insurance litigation and complex civil litigation. Previously, he spent many years at a major law firm representing individuals whose rights had been violated through class action litigation throughout the country.

Mr. Frankel is a regular speaker before bar associations and medical organizations regarding disability claims, and has published numerous articles on Disability Insurance. He received his B.A. from Stony Brook University and his J.D. from CUNY School of Law.

He is an active member and long-standing supporter of the AHRC-Garden City auxiliary, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.

Get To Know Justin

Why did you become an attorney?

There’s a lot of satisfaction from righting a wrong and that’s a lot of what we do in the firm. Being a lawyer gives you the ability to make a difference in people’s lives. That was my goal.

Why did you decide to go into disability insurance law?

Disability insurance law was emerging as a David vs. Goliath kind of law not long after I graduated. I had worked on class action lawsuits suing large insurance companies based upon their deceptive sales practices, but working with an individual versus a large group of people was more satisfying.

What do you like most about Frankel & Newfield?

We have clients who we have represented and protected from insurance companies for many years, and they trust us to watch out for them. That feeling of trust is a good one. They know they can rely on us, and we do our utmost to earn that trust.

What do you do outside of the office?

I have many passions beyond my work helping people secure financial relief from their disability policies. My family is most important to me. My wife and I are blessed to have twins – a boy and a girl. Watching and helping them grow into young adults is the true highlight of my life. Besides my family, I enjoy playing golf and watching historical movies.

What organizations or community events are you involved with?

I was honored to serve for many years on the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee, a federal committee which advises the US Department of Health and Human Services regarding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I spent many years volunteering as a coach of youth sports, including men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s basketball.

What would you tell people who are deciding which law firm to work with?

Disability law is a very specific area and requires knowledge and experience of this exact area of law. You can’t just become a disability lawyer, like you can’t just decide to become a brain surgeon. Your lawyer needs to have the experience and tenacity to represent you aggressively.

What’s the biggest challenge in disability law?

Sometimes it is hard not to become infuriated with the abusive behavior of the insurance companies on behalf of our clients. We remain professional and focused, but sometimes the things we see are just outrageous.

Practice Areas

Areas of Practice

Long Term Disability Insurance Claims
ERISA Long Term Disability Insurance Claims (The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974)

Bar Admissions

New York, 1997
Pennsylvania, 2006
Connecticut, 1996
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York
U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
Supreme Court of the United States of America

Education

J.D. – City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, Long Island City, New York
B.A. – Stony Brook University

Representative Cases

Barber v. Sun Life & Health Ins. Co., 894 f.Supp.2d 174 (D. Conn., 2012)
Cacoperdo v. Hartford Life Ins. Co., 2011 US Dist LEXIS 115003 (S.D.N.Y. 2011)
Garban v. Cigna Life Ins. Co., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 89323 (S.D.N.Y. 2011)
Puri v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., U.S. District Court For The District Of Connecticut, 2011 784 F. Supp. 2d 103
Burgio v. Prudential Life Ins. Co. Of Am., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90115 (E.D.N.Y. 2009) and 253 F.R.D. 219 (E.D.N.Y. 2008)
Testa v. Hartford Life Ins. Co., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20741 (E.D.N.Y. 2011) and 485 Fed. Appx. 595 (2d Cir. 2012)
Martucci v. Hartford Life Ins. Co., 863 F.Supp.2d 269 (S.D.N.Y. 2012)
Mergel v. Prudential Life Ins. Co. of Am., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85594 (S.D.N.Y. 2009)
Hogan-Cross v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 568 F.Supp.2d 410 (S.D.N.Y. 2008)
Trussel v. Cigna Life Ins. Co., 552 F. Supp. 2d 387 (S.D.N.Y. 2008)
Dream Spa, Inc. v. Fireman’s Fund Ins., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8933 (S.D.N.Y. 2008)
Asuncion v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 493 F. Supp. 2d 716 (S.D.N.Y. 2007)
Lee v. Aetna Life & Cas. Ins. Co., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38205 (S.D.N.Y. 2007) and 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5809 (S.D.N.Y. 2006)
Samedy v. First Unum Life Ins. Co. of Am., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13375 (E.D.N.Y. 2006)
In re Acceptance Ins. Cos., Sec. Litig., 352 F. Supp. 2d 928 (D. Neb. 2001)
In re IKON Office Solutions, Inc., 277 F.3d 658, (3 Cir. 2002)

Honors and Awards

AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®
Selected to the list of attorneys for the 2013 – 2019 New York Metro listings, Super Lawyers

Pro Bono Activities

AHRC-Garden City auxiliary, Member and Long-Standing Supporter

Written By:

Justin C. Frankel - Disability Insurance Attorney

Justin Frankel is a founding partner of the disability insurance law firm Frankel & Newfield and is a highly skilled litigator and advocate. He has published numerous articles on the challenges facing clients with private or individual disability insurance policies and those who own group or ERISA disability insurance policies.

Learn more about Justin | See Justin’s Publications