Matthew Sakkas Esq.

Matthew Sakkas is an accomplished trial lawyer and appellate lawyer in the field of personal injury and wrongful death. He draws on nearly 30 years of experience - on both the plaintiff and defense sides of the equation - to advocate effectively for people who have been injured through the negligence or willful actions of others.

His long and distinguished record includes published appellate decisions, notable recoveries in big cases, and representing the family of a victim of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Matthew Sakkas graduated from Clark University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) in 1988, including undergraduate studies at the prestigious London School of Economics. He graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1991 and passed the New York State Bar exam the same year. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1992. He is also admitted to practice law in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Sakkas began his law career as an associate at a well-known insurance defense law firm, defending clients primarily in premises liability and construction accident cases. After several years working for the defense, Mr. Sakkas put those skills and insights to work on behalf of the injured. He joined a plaintiff's law firm where he was responsible for prosecuting a wide variety of personal injury cases from intake through trial, as well as preparing and arguing appeals.

In 2000, Mr. Sakkas opened his own law firm concentrating on plaintiff's personal injury practice and worked in an "of counsel" capacity to other law firms, where he conducted depositions, tried cases and handled appeals. In 2005, Mr. Sakkas and Mr. Cahn joined their practices. In 2008, they merged their practice with Mr. Weiss, forming the partnership of Sakkas, Cahn & Weiss.

Mr. Sakkas is a long-standing member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, New York County Lawyers' Association and the American Association for Justice, where he has served as a judge for the Student Trial Advocacy Competition. Mr. Sakkas has also served as an arbitrator for the New York City Civil Court.

Following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center towers, Mr. Sakkas participated in the Trial Lawyers Care (http://triallawyerscare.org/) initiative in which attorneys volunteered their services to advocate for the families of 9/11 victims. He successfully represented the family of a woman who died in the attack on the North Tower.

Matthew Sakkas is best known in some circles for his skill and accomplishments in civil appeals. His noteworthy appellate cases include:

• Washington v. Montefiore Medical Center et. al., 9 A.D.3d 271, 780 N.Y.S.2d 322 (1st Dept. 2004) which held that the plaintiff produced sufficient evidence to raise a question of fact as to the defendants' negligence in the fatal stabbing of the plaintiff's decedent at her workplace.

• Barnett v. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 40 A.D.3d 325, 835 N.Y.S.2d 183 (1st Dept. 2007) which held that the plaintiff established a sufficient connection between an engineer's job-site duties and the conditions that created an unreasonable risk of serious injury to the plaintiff in a New Jersey construction accident case.

• Felton v. Tourtoulis, 87 A.D.3d 983, 929 N.Y.S.2d 493 (2nd Dept. 2011) which reinstated the plaintiff's claim for punitive damages in a drunk driving accident after it was dismissed by the trial court.