Attorneys Profiles

Lawton W. Squires

Mr. Squires handles complex litigation matters from inception through trial to verdict in the State and Federal Courts. His practice encompasses products liability, labor law, construction accidents, general liability, attorney and judicial disciplinary proceedings, professional malpractice and motor vehicle matters. In addition to representing clients in the New York State Courts, Mr. Squires represents clients before many of New York States’ regional professional disciplinary agencies including: the Departmental Disciplinary Committee; the Grievance Committee; the Committee on Character and Fitness; the Commission on Judicial Conduct; the Office of Professional Discipline; and the Office of Professional Medical Conduct.  Mr. Squires also serves as excess and monitoring counsel for numerous clients and several major insurance carriers.

A trial attorney for more than twenty-eight years, Mr. Squires has served as the Managing Trial Attorney for United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, The St. Paul Insurance Companies and The St. Paul Travelers Companies in New York. He also has represented the Zurich American Insurance group as its New York Supervising Trial Attorney.

In June 2007, Mr. Squires obtained a plaintiff’s verdict on the legal malpractice action of LaPorta v. Jurman that included judgments for neglect and malpractice, in addition to a treble damage award for fraud committed by the defendant attorney, pursuant to Judiciary Law Section 487.

An Adjunct Professor of Law at New York Law School, Mr. Squires has taught Trial Advocacy since 1990.  He has also taught practicing attorneys as a faculty member of The St. Paul Companies National Trial School and as a continuing legal education lecturer for the Defense Association of New York, the New York State Bar Association, the Bronx Black Bar Association and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association.  Mr. Squires roster of courses includes classes on: Civil Trial Practice; Jury Selection; Opening Statements; Cross Examination; Tort Litigation; Preparation for, Taking and Defending Depositions; Attorney Ethics; and Professional Discipline in New York State.

As a volunteer for Episcopal Charities, Mr. Squires has developed an elder law and estate practice, including the drafting of: wills, trusts, living wills, health care proxies and powers of attorneys.  He has also handled guardianships and estate matters in the local courts.

Mr. Squires has published articles including: “How to Avoid a Grievance Complaint”, “Intra-Family Immunity”, “Can You Rely on Plaintiff’s Co-Efficient of Friction Test?”, “No, No!!! Bad Dog!!!”, “A Federal Practice Primer for Claims Examiners”, and “Fred, The Breeding Bull and Its Affect on Dog Attack Cases.”  Mr. Squires has had numerous verdicts noted and published by the New York Law Journal and the New York Jury Verdict Reporter, including: Encarnacion v. Ballanca; Busa v. General Snow Service and Costco Wholesale Corp.; Herrera-Paz v. Mezzano Realty Corp.; Adzer v. Rudin Management; The Matter(s) of the Hon. Duane A. Hart (1 & 2 - before The NYS Court of Appeals and the NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct, respectively); Fuller-Mosley v. Litemakers; Perlmutter v. A. Colarusso & Son; Amaya v. Trinity Church; Giambanco v. Rankin Healy Memorial Association; Dawid v. Stamford Livery Service; Konshina v. Gorbunov, D.D.S.; Gurvas v. Burg; Novin v. Hilton Hotels Corp.; Heller v. Lehrer-McGovern, Inc., et al.; Kaczorowski v. Consolidated Edison, et al.; Bahlke v. Glen Oaks Village Owners, Inc.; and Sharon v. El San Juan Hotel & Casino.

Mr. Squires holds the highest legal ability rating of “AV,” a professional rating awarded to attorneys who demonstrate the highest professional and ethical standards. The New York Times has selected Lawton as one of its “Top Attorneys in New York”, as selected by Peer Review and Professional Achievement in October 2011.  The Black Law Students’ Association of New York Law School has awarded Mr. Squires its Distinguished Alumni Award. The Institute of Jewish Humanities also has recognized Mr. Squires with its Lawyer of Achievement Award.

Mr. Squires co-starred as the lead defense attorney, opposite Catherine Crier of Court TV fame, who played the lead prosecutor in The Media Center at The New York Law School's production of The Trial of Travis Bickle, from the facts of the Martin Scorsese classic film, Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro and Jodi Foster on January 28th, 2008. The Media Center annually produces mock trials to advertise and publicize New York School's Trial Advocacy and Clinical Legal programs, which he has taught in for over twenty years.

A graduate of The State University College at Oneonta, New York, and of The New York Law School, Mr. Squires served as a member of the National Mock Trial Team. He also was a member of the Executive Board of the Moot Court Association.

Mr. Squires currently serves as the President of the Defense Association of New York.  He is also a member of the Executive Board of the New York State Bar Association’s Tort, Insurance and Compensation Law Committee.

Mr. Squires is a Member of Herzfeld & Rubin, P.C. and is admitted to the New York State Bar and to the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.