Central New York Injury Lawyer Blog
Hello there blog readers! This is Dave Kalabanka, Mike Bersani’s partner. I’ve hijacked his blog for today to interview Mike about another important award he just got: Mike has been selected the 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for the Syracuse metropolitan area in the field of “professional malpractice” for his outstanding representation of victims of legal or other professional malpractice. A publication called “Best Lawyers in America” bestows this honor on the lawyer with the highest overall positive peer-feedback (judges and other lawyers rate him higher than any other lawyer) for a specific practice area and geographic region. Yes, Mike was the highest ranking attorney in the field of representing victims of legal and other professional malpractice for the entire Syracuse Metropolitan area.
This new honor comes on the heels of Mike’s being named the 2021 “lawyer of the year” for the Syracuse Metropolitan area in the field of representing personal injury plaintiffs.
Given his second-year-in-a-row “Best Lawyer” designation, I decided to take some time from Mike’s busy schedule to interview him:
DAVE: Mike, first, congratulations! It seems like you just can’t stop taking home these “Best Lawyer” awards. What’s your secret recipe?
MIKE: Thanks Dave. No secret recipe. Just hard work and caring about my clients.
DAVE: But the award is based on “peer review”, meaning other lawyers and judges rated you higher than all other lawyers in representing victims of professional malpractice in the Syracuse area. Who are these fans of yours?
MIKE: Good question. Since the “ballots” are secret, I really don’t know. But they have to be lawyers and judges who know my work. That would mean defense attorneys who have gone up against me, and judges whom I have appeared before.
DAVE: Well, I’ve obviously never gone up against you, but I have seen your work, and it is of course outstanding. You and Lee Michaels make a great legal malpractice team.
MIKE: Well, I agree with that. Lee has been handling legal malpractice cases for decades. Together we’ve won some major victories, especially at the appellate level. Some of our appellate victories now serve as blueprints for lawyers trying to prove legal malpractice. We’ve given them a roadmap.
DAVE: Mike, this is not your first “Best Lawyer” award. Last year it was for plaintiffs’ personal injury. This year it’s for professional malpractice. What’s in store for you next year?
MIKE: Geez, I really doubt I’ll win another “Best Lawyer” award. Two is already a great honor. And I don’t know what other categories I could win. We do almost nothing except personal injury and professional malpractice.
DAVE: Well, I’m counting on you doing a “hat trick” Mike. Three years in a row would be great. Let’s see what happens next year . . . .
MIKE: Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind! But as you know Dave, none of these awards are mine alone. Our small firm works as a team, or a well-oiled machine. None of my written work goes out the door without you and the others reviewing it and making it better. It’s awesome when people notice how great our product is. But even if they don’t, who cares? Doing our best in representing our clients is its own reward.
DAVE: Well, congratulations again Mike. It’s a privilege to be your partner and friend.
MIKE: You too Dave. We’ve had many good years together with our team. Looking forward to many more.
Dave Kalabanka