Q. What separates Denlea & Carton from other law firms?
A. A winning culture isn’t just a mindset; it’s a chemistry forged over decades, in the crucible of courtrooms across the country. At Denlea & Carton, we epitomize creative intellect and aggressive advocacy. We have a passionate and unrelenting will to win. We’re experienced trial lawyers, not paper litigators. Our clients require fearless strategists, who fight to ensure a meaningful return on their investment. It’s the reason we enjoy contingency (and alternative) fee engagements, where we share the risk (and reward) of prosecuting a case with our clients. We’re particularly sought after by clients who have a high stakes dispute they can’t afford to lose.
Q. What aspects of your firm makes clients seek your representation?
A. Denlea & Carton’s Commercial Litigation practice represents business owners, entrepreneurs, professional service companies, partnerships, and corporations in a myriad of industries. We pride ourselves in learning the nuances of your business and then crafting an approach that resonates with a judge and jury. We believe effective advocacy starts with compelling storytelling. Every dispute has a protagonist and an antagonist, and requires a strong narrative and cogent story arc. Our ability to communicate (both in writing and orally) in a clear, crisp, and concise manner is one of the hallmarks of our success and has contributed to our recognition by US News & World Report as one of the Best Law Firms for Commercial Litigation.
Q. Does your firm have a primary focus?
A. Denlea & Carton has always prided itself on being the go-to law firm for those with a dispute that cannot be resolved through traditional means of negotiation. As Westchester’s premier litigation boutique, our focus remains singular: litigating disputes to their resolution, whether through mediation, arbitration or the judicial system. Our lawyers have served as federal law clerks, local prosecutors and trained at prestigious Manhattan firms and bring their collective experience to help win your dispute.
Q. How do you measure your firm’s success?
A. Denlea & Carton measures its success by the quality, not quantity, of the matters it handles. We measure success one satisfied client at a time. While we’re humbled to be recognized annually by our peers and various ratings agencies, perennially selected as New York Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates, it’s the simple thank you, smile, tears (of joy) or client embrace at the end of a hard-fought, successful outcome that is the best barometer of our success.
View original in Hudson Valley Magazine
Congrats to John, Craig and Stan for vacating a nearly seven-year-old default judgment which had been entered against our client in excess of $6 million. Despite the overwhelming odds against upsetting such an old, outstanding judgment, the team swiftly conducted an in-depth, factual investigation, and created a compelling factual narrative as to why the judgment should be overturned. Demonstrating grace under pressure, and aggressive advocacy, the team was able to secure critical testimony (that had not previously been preserved) and used it to persuade the trial judge to vacate the multi-million dollar judgment. Well done, and a terrific result!
Happy early Holidays! 2023 has been an incredible blur; both professionally and personally. As we approach the end of the calendar year, we look back warmly on the indelible impact our litigation practice has had on the lives of those who have entrusted their most important matters to us. It remains a privilege, year in and year out, to continue to work on such an interesting and diverse mix of cases. Enjoy the Holidays, and thanks, as always, for being part of our extended family.
Your Friends and Colleagues,
Denlea & Carton, LLP
2023 was a watershed year for our Class Action practice. We prosecuted cases against a variety of consumer goods, nutraceutical companies, and supplement manufacturers. These cases included, among others, claims against: the sleep aid supplement Relaxium, the SlimFast line of meal replacement products, LIV Group’s hydration product Liquid IV, oxygen supplement Total Boost, cognition and memory supplement Focus Factor, the deodorant company Lume, and the hair loss product Nutrafol. The common denominator to each of these prosecutions has been our unwavering commitment to protecting consumers’ rights and to ensuring a marketplace free of unfair and deceptive advertising.
Our Entertainment and Media litigation practice also had a banner year. We continued our representation of the national governing bodies for the sports of tennis and equestrian, the United States Tennis Association and the United States Equestrian Federation, respectively; represented multiple executives in their employment separations from MLB Network, CBS, CNN and NBC, prosecuted the claims of a record company executive’s widow to the music catalogue (and its associated rights) of her late husband, and represented an angel investor in a music management company whose artists include a Grammy award winning singer/songwriter.
2023 again recognized the collective efforts of the Firm, as well as the individual talents of our lawyers. The Firm was recognized by Best Lawyers in America, while the same peer ratings agency also honored Jeff as one of the Best Lawyers in America for his Commercial Litigation practice. Super Lawyers selected Jim, Jeff, Craig, Steve, John and Stan to its New York slate of outstanding lawyers, and Jeff was named to the Top 25 Super Lawyers list in Westchester County. Jim and Jeff were also named to Elite Lawyers of America, as well as to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
2023 has been full of TROs, preliminary injunctions, arbitration demands, and numerous court appearances. The year began with a TRO and preliminary injunction proceeding filed on behalf of a popular restaurant group against a franchisee who was unlawfully using the Group’s trademarks and know-how. That proceeding foreshadowed a subsequent TRO application we filed later in the year to restrain a lender from seeking to move a priceless Alexander Calder sculpture from the art gallery at which it is currently on consignment. In between, we represented countless limited partners, closely held shareholders, and other business owners in their commercial disputes. Among other matters, we filed a demand for arbitration seeking to enforce a non-solicitation obligation upon a former employee, and mediated a long-running feud between two business owners.
No project remains as important to us as our continued commitment to Injured 914. Taking our collective 150+ years of experience, and applying it to help the victims of others’ negligence recover for their economic losses, medical costs and pain and suffering remains one of the greatest privileges we enjoy. Our unique, aggressive style of advocacy has allowed us to recover tens of millions of dollars for those catastrophically injured. This past year we resolved, among other claims, those arising from: a surgical amputation of the leg due to home healthcare malpractice, a fractured hip arising from a slip and fall on defectively designed stairs in a municipal building, and multiple fractures sustained in a trip and fall caused by a dangerous condition in a public parking lot. Please visit our injury website below.
For all of the professional accolades we receive in any given calendar year, nothing compares to the family milestones we celebrate with one another. 2023 was an extraordinary year in that regard. Linda and Jeff both celebrated their daughters’ engagements (2024 weddings look out!), Stan welcomed the birth of his son, Craig celebrated his daughter’s bat mitzvah, and Debby learned she will soon be welcoming her second (and third) grandchildren. These are the “accomplishments” we most enjoy celebrating.
The Firm is pleased to have made several significant contributions to important charitable initiatives this year, including:
White Plains Police Benevolent Fund: Supporting the dedicated police officers who protect our White Plains community.
Westchester Corporate Cup 5K Race: All proceeds go to the HOPE Community Services, a New Rochelle-based organization, which has become the largest emergency food pantry and soup kitchen in the region.
Pan-Mass Challenge: Supporting the innovative work of doctors, nurses, and scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and their search for cures for cancers and related diseases.
Uniform Firefighters Association Local 107: Supporting our brave firefighters and first responders in White Plains.
Our loyal paralegal and mascot:
Ellie
