Attorney Profiles

At Finz & Finz, P.C., we remain committed to the same goals today as when we were founded by former New York State Supreme Court Justice Leonard L. Finz in 1984—helping the victims of negligence recover fair compensation for their suffering. Our entire team of trial attorneys, paralegals, nurses, and support personnel are highly trained and experienced in all areas of personal injury and wrongful death cases.

A dedicated team, at your service

Several members of our staff work specifically on denture cream zinc poisoning cases. These individuals assist and advise clients throughout the legal process, working together to achieve the best possible outcome for your case.

Stuart L. Finz
Senior Trial Attorney and CEO

Stuart L. Finz is the senior trial lawyer and CEO of the firm. He has earned his success with his unique skill in the courtroom scoring multi-million dollar verdicts and complicated multi-million dollar case settlements for the firm's clients. Mr. Finz oversees all of the litigation departments of the firm, including the Products Liability Department, the General Tort Department, the Medical Malpractice Department, the Appeals and Law Department, and is the Director of the firm's Tobacco Litigation Group.

Mr. Finz attended Long Island University and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He obtained a Juris Doctor Degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where he was elected President of the law school student body and listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities.

He was born in Queens New York and is admitted to practice law in New York Sate, the U.S. District Courts, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts. Mr. Finz is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the American Bar Association, and the Queens County and Nassau County Bar Associations. He is Vice-Chair of the Queens County Medical Malpractice Committee, and has lectured for the New York County Lawyers Association.

Mr. Finz has been named by New York Super Lawyers as one of the top attorneys in New York for 2007. He has been selected as member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, was listed in the New York Law Journal report of Largest Verdicts, and was selected by the leaders of the Democratic party to run for United States Congress in the 3rd Congressional district.

He was appointed to the New York State Plaintiff's DES Liaison Committee where he fought for women against the major manufactures of DES, a drug that caused cancer in the offspring of women who were exposed to the drug in-utero. He co-authored, Problems of a DES-Exposed Woman in Her Childbearing Years - Legal Implications and has been actively involved in numerous significant legal issues that affect the health and safety of the public, always seeking to advance the rights of individuals, including his ongoing battle against the tobacco industry on behalf of victims who have contracted smoking induced lung cancer.

Mr. Finz obtained the first jury verdict in New York State against Philip Morris USA Inc. on behalf of a smoker that contracted lung cancer. The landmark verdict held Philip Morris USA Inc. and American Tobacco accountable for designing cigarettes to addict smokers. The record $20,520,000 jury verdict was published by Verdict Search as one of the top verdicts in the nation in 2005.

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Todd M. Rubin
Associate Attorney

Todd M. Rubin was born in Suffolk County, New York on July 17, 1970. He graduated from Colgate University in 1992 and obtained his law degree from New York Law School in 1995.

He began his legal career in major Manhattan law firms handling sophisticated products liability cases and patent litigations. In 1998, Mr. Rubin returned to Long Island to concentrate on personal injury law where he has litigated hundreds of matters.

Mr. Rubin is dedicated to fighting for the rights of the firm's clients and is recognized by his peers as being an aggressive and skilled litigator. Mr. Rubin has worked to obtain millions of dollars of verdicts and settlements for the clients of the firm, and many of these verdicts and settlements have been published in the Jury Verdict Reporter.

Mr. Rubin also practices in the firm's tobacco litigation group and together with Stuart L. Finz tried the landmark trial of Rose v. American Tobacco et al., which resulted in a jury verdict against Philip Morris USA Inc. and American Tobacco in the amount of $20,520,000.

Mr. Rubin is admitted to the New York State Bar, the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the District of New Jersey.

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David E. Silverman
Paralegal - Law Student (Juris Doctorate candidate 2010)

David is an evening law student who is originally from Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University with Honors in Philosophy, writing his thesis on ethics. He is a member of the JLSA, Suffolk County Bar Assoc. (student-member), the Emerald Law Society, American Alternative Dispute Resolution Society; has been both a representative and general council solicitor to his law school's student bar association; and, has been designated "Best Oral Advocate" at the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, held every year at Pace University law school.

His passion for the advocacy of victims of personal injury can be seen in everything he does, and he intends to apply that passion for zealous advocacy to practice after sitting for the bar exam in 2010. He has worked for many years assisting in pursuing plaintiff's rights; and, is an asset to the firm assisting with medical malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death cases from inception through trial.

David currently lives in Suffolk County with his wife Shauna, and new son Noah-Elijah.

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Yvette Linares-Krivi
Senior Paralegal/Juris Doctorate

Yvette Linares-Krivi is married and currently lives on Long Island. She graduated from St. John's University School of Law in December 2008 receiving her Juris Doctorate and is awaiting results from the New York State Bar Examiners. She received her Bachelor's of Science in paralegal studies in the evening program from St. John's University where she graduated summa cum laude. She previously attended Nassau Community College receiving her Associates of Applied Science in legal studies where she graduated magna cum laude.

Prior to receiving her degrees, she owned a delicatessen with her husband. Thereafter, she was employed for over ten years as the senior paralegal in a law firm on Long Island in the area of personal injury where she was involved in all aspects of the client's files, including conducting legal research and preparing discovery documents.

Yvette fulfills an important role at the Finz firm. She is the firm's senior paralegal. She brings her extensive experience, knowledge and vast skills to the firm. Yvette handles personal injury and wrongful death cases from inception through trial preparation.

Yvette is fluent in Spanish and has frequent communication with the firm's Spanish speaking clientele.

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Kimberley Gittens
Paralegal

Kimberly was Born and raised in Baldwin, Long Island, she moved to Queens to attend college at St. John's University. Prior to graduating Magna Cum Laude, she was inducted into the Criminal Justice Honor Society, Sigma Gamma Rho. She received her Bachelors of Science with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Legal Studies. She was the first in her family to attend and graduate from college.

Kimberley prides herself on being a "Jane of all trades". She has completed a 600-hour program at the Culinary Academy of Long Island in Syosset, specializing in Professional Cooking and Professional Pastry & Baking. She spends her summers taking classes at Long Island Beauty School in Hauppauge and is two courses away from completion.

She is currently pursuing her Paralegal Certificate at York College. She aspires to be an attorney one day and ultimately retire as a judge.

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Lisa VanEssendelft
Legal Nurse Consultant

Lisa VanEssendelft has been a Registered Professional Nurse since 1989. She has over twenty years experience in various aspects of the Nursing Profession. She began her career at St. Charles Hospital as a nurse's aide. After passing her licensing exam, she worked on various units in the hospital setting including medical-surgical, labor and delivery, pediatrics, and newborn ICU. Her varied experience has been quite helpful in the medical malpractice field.

As a legal nurse consultant at Finz & Finz, Lisa plays a significant role in reviewing all medical malpractice cases presented to the firm. Her involvement in cases from inception through trial is an asset to the medical malpractice team.

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Contact us

If you suspect you may have zinc poisoning due to denture cream use, request a blood test from your doctor today. If you test positive for zinc poisoning and suspect it may be due to denture cream use, contact Finz & Finz, P.C. for assistance with your legal claim. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.