Steven Schwartzapfel knew from early childhood that he wanted a career that allowed him to help others. Having grown up with a father that suffered from multiple sclerosis Steven Schwartzapfel has an intimate understanding, having witnessed firsthand, of the impact a disability has on an individual and their family.
The simple everyday routine tasks that people take for granted, such as, getting up and out of bed, bathing, brushing one’s teeth or getting dressed become monumental tasks that are exhausting, time-consuming and often requires the help of others.
The challenge of getting to work and trying to maintain a full-time job to support a family may become not just burdensome, but impossible. Steven Schwartzapfel’s lifelong experience gave him a sense of empathy and a strong desire to help other people that can’t help themselves. When a person becomes injured, maimed, or disabled as a result of someone else’s wrongdoing, Steven is there to help them, to fight for them, and get them all that they are entitled to.
Education
Steven Schwartzapfel earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1977. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, he graduated with honors. Steven Schwartzapfel then enrolled in Pace University School of Law. He earned his law degree just three years later and was a member of Pace’s second graduating class.
To show his appreciation for his legal education from Pace Law School, Steven Schwartzapfel recently created the Schwartzapfel Lawyers, P.C. Scholarship Fund. Although it has been nearly four decades since he graduated from Pace, he remembers the financial burden of training for a legal career and wants to assist other students. Steven Schwartzapfel specifically wants to help students who are union members in good standing or have a union member parent in good standing.
Experience
It took just three years after graduating from law school in 1980 for Steven Schwartzapfel to open the law firm that bears his name, Schwartzapfel Lawyers, P.C. He has remained in the position of founding partner for over 35 years. Steven Schwartzapfel is a lawyer who works for the injured person and no one else. His firm takes only personal injury cases, which makes him, his partner Christopher Holbrook, and the rest of his legal team uniquely qualified to fight for injured New Yorkers to receive the financial compensation they need and deserve in the aftermath of a devastating injury.
Steven Schwartzapfel is proud of his standing as a Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum certified member. This distinction means that he joins an elite group of lawyers who consistently win multi-million dollar settlements or verdicts for their clients. As a passionate defender of the rights of injured people, Steven Schwartzapfel participates in several advocacy groups that help him fight even more aggressively for his clients.
Defense lawyers and insurance companies know that Steven Schwartzapfel is a name they can respect. His reputation as a personal injury attorney with experience, resources, and skills precedes him, and those on the opposing side know they can expect aggressive litigation. In fact, the insurance companies have so much respect for Steven Schwartzapfel’s skills that many prefer to settle a case rather than go to trial and a deal with a possible appeal.
Community Involvement
Steven Schwartzapfel feels a personal and professional responsibility to support the community where he lives and works. He supports numerous local charities, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). This came about due to his firsthand experience witnessing the devastation of drinking, driving, and texting. Steven Schwartzapfel serves on the executive board for MADD and co-chairs its legislative committee.
In addition to offering a scholarship at Pace Law School, his alma mater, Steven Schwartzapfel offers a scholarship at Tauro Law School for students who work or plan to work at legal service agencies with clients who can’t afford to pay for legal representation. His Schwartzapfel Lawyers, P.C. Humanitarian Scholarship is for high school students who intend to earn a degree in a field of public service. Besides the legal field, this could include doctors, nurses, social workers, and teachers.
Steven Schwartzapfel is a managing partner at offices in five New York cities. These include the Bronx, Deer Park, Garden City, New York, and White Plains. In recognition of his outstanding and selfless service to these and other communities, Steven Schwartzapfel received a Life Fellow Award from the American Bar Foundation.