Attorney Profiles

Mr. Cava received his Juris Doctor degree in 1980 from the University of Dayton. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in February 1981, the Southern and Eastern Districts of the Federal Courts in 1982, and to the United States Supreme Court in 1986.

Mr. Cava is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He serves on the Judiciary, Insurance and Small Firm Committees of the Suffolk County Bar Association. He has lectured and taught the course "How to Try an Automobile Accident Case from the Defense Point of View." He has been published in the University of Dayton Law Review and served on its Board as Business Manager.

Staff Attorneys

Edward J. Arevalo, Esq.
L.A. Beesecker, Esq.
John J. Breen, Esq.
Bernard X. Carlin, Esq.
JoAnn Devine, Esq.
Frederick S. Distephan, Esq.
Jeffrey Stuart Greenfield, Esq.
Henry Lung, Esq.
Stephen R. Mason, Esq.
David Pomerantz, Esq

Edward J. Arevalo, Esq. received his Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School where he graduated cum laude in 1985. While there he was honored by being published in the Law Journal, and was a member of the National Moot Court Team where he participated in the J. Braxton Craven Competition and John M. Harlan Competition and was the Winner of the Certificate of Merit for Oral Argument. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1985 and since that time, he has concentrated his practice on the defense of medical malpractice and personal injury cases where he has tried to verdict over forty cases involving claims of brain damages, wrongful death and severe personal injuries. Prior to his association with the firm he was employed as the lead trial attorney in several prominent medical malpractice firms including, Shaub Ahmuty Citrin & Spratt: Kopff Nardelli & Dopf: and Martin Clearwater & Bell.

L.A. Beesecker, Esq. has twenty-six years experience of insurance defense litigation having obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Hofstra Law School in 1976. He was admitted to the New York State Bar and the Southern and Eastern District Courts of the United States in 1977. He is a Member of the New York State Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the Defense Association of New York, (Board Member and Member of Internet Committee, former editor, "The Defendant"); and American Bar Association. He is the former Attorney of Record for Continental Insurance Company from 1977-1999 and supervised a staff from 4-40+. In that capacity he has conducted numerous educational seminars in various branch and regional claims offices. He has tried and supervised the trial of thousands of cases with exposures from nominal to the millions. Currently his practice is devoted to counsel work in the field of Insurance Defense Litigation primarily in the Courts of the five boroughs of New York City.

John J. Breen, Esq. has seventeen years experience in insurance defense litigation having obtained his Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University in 1986 where his academic rank was 13/93. He was admitted to the New York State Bar and the Federal Courts in 1986. While in law school he was awarded the "Best Advocate" in the Civil and Criminal Trial Practice Competition. Prior to practicing law Mr. Breen was a High School Teacher. Mr. Breen is a Director of the Suffolk County Bar Association, and Evaluator of the Suffolk Academy of Law Trial Advocacy Program, the Co-Chairman of the Supreme Court Committee, a Lecturer at the Suffolk County Bar Association of the course: "The Auto Accident Case". His practice is confined to civil trial work in the Suffolk County Courts. Prior thereto he clerked for the Honorable Justice Joseph M. McLaughlin of the Eastern District Court.

Frederick S. Distephan, Esqthe most senior attorney at the firm has thirty-nine years experience in insurance defense litigation having obtained his Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law in 1962 where he graduated in the top third of his class. He has worked in several firms over the years in all phases of insurance defense litigation. Currently his practice is limited to Nassau and Suffolk counties covering Court appearances, depositions, framed issue hearings and arbitrations.

Bernard X. Carlin, Esq. has twenty-two years experience in insurance defense litigation having obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1980 from the University of Dayton School of Law in Ohio in 1980. He was a classmate of the founder of the firm, Robert J. Cava, Esq., He was admitted to the Bar of the State of New York in 1981 and since that time was employed in the defense of negligence claims for the Hartford Insurance Company. He retired from that position in 2001 and since then has limited his practice to Court appearances in Nassau County.

Jeffrey Stuart Greenfield, Esq. has twenty-seven years experience in insurance defense litigation having obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1975 from Brooklyn Law School. He was admitted to the Bar in New York State in 1976. He has worked with several firms over his career all specializing in Insurance Defense Litigation. Currently he has limited his practice to depositions in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Henry Lung, Esq. is the junior attorney at the firm having obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1999 from St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York. While there he won a Law School Scholarship and was President of the Student Bar Association. At present his work is devoted to representation of clients in Small Claims Court.

David Pomerantz, Esq. has thirty-one years experience in insurance defense litigation having obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1972 from Boston University School of Law. He was admitted to the Bar of the State of New York in 1973 and since then he has specialized in Insurance Defense Litigation. He has the distinction of having tried the first case under the then new no-fault law in 1976. In addition to his trial work over the years he has written over 400 appellate briefs. Currently he limits his practice to trial work in four boroughs of New York City and Nassau County on Long Island.