Joseph T. Pareres, a principal in the firm, graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics in 1982, and thereafter graduated from Fordham University School of Law with a Juris Doctor Degree in 1987. Mr. Pareres was a senior trial attorney from 1987 to 1992 at the law firm of Fisher, Fallon, Salerno, and Betlesky & Kelly where he specialized in trying cases in medical malpractice and general liability. In 1992, Mr. Pareres co-founded the law firm of Silverson & Pareres and assumed the role of general partner. In 1996, Mr. Pareres was requested by the firm's largest client, Group Council Mutual Insurance Company (a doctor owned medical malpractice insurance company), to assume an internal position as Senior Vice President of Claims. For a two-year period, Mr. Pareres was responsible for all aspects of more than 1,000 medical malpractice cases at Group Council, including establishing case reserves for indemnity and loss adjustment expenses, evaluating liability and the defensibility of all claims for settlement and trial purposes, evaluating law firms for future case assignments, participating in all company committees and serving in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors. Mr. Pareres developed an in-house law firm for the handling of medical malpractice cases within Group Council and implemented programs for in-house investigation and early medical review. Mr. Pareres is well known to both the plaintiff and defense bar in the City of New York and its surrounding counties having personally handled, negotiated or resolved over 800 medical malpractice cases. He is also well known to the Judiciary in New York City and its surrounding counties.
In 1998, Mr. Pareres returned full time to his position as general partner and trial attorney in the firm. Mr. Pareres has the unique experience of being both a trial attorney and senior insurance executive, which gives him a broad perspective in the management and handling of cases involving complex litigation issues.
Mr. Pareres is currently General Counsel to the Queens Long Island Medical Group, P.C., and was instrumental in the formation of its Risk Retention Group. He was actively involved in the placement of the reinsurance, the filing and registering of the company with the States of New York and South Carolina. In March 2007, Mr. Pareres was a guest speaker at the Professional Liability Underwriters Society on the topic "The Formation of a Risk Retention Group."
More recently, Mr. Pareres has been retained by the Underwriters of Lloyds to serve as monitoring counsel on complex insurance defense cases. He has served in an advisory capacity to the Underwriters with regard to primary and reinsurance matters and the interpretation of policy and contract language between various carriers.
Mr. Pareres was admitted to the Connecticut State Bar in 1987, the New York State Bar in 1988, and both the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York in 1990. He is presently a member of the Bronx County Bar Association and Defense Association of New York.