Eight attorneys from Faraci Lange LLP have been selected for inclusion in the 2011 Upstate Edition of New York Super Lawyers.

The attorneys recognized are:

• Matthew F. Belanger, in the practice area of personal injury plaintiff: general. The Brighton resident is listed for the second time.
• David L. Cook, in the practice area of business litigation. Cook, of Pittsford, has been named to New York Super Lawyers in three previous years from 2007 – 2009.
• John A. Falk, in personal injury plaintiff: general. A Brighton resident, Falk is listed for the second time.
• Angelo G. Faraci, in personal injury plaintiff: medical malpractice. Faraci, who resides in Rochester, has been listed in New York Super Lawyers since 2007.
• Paul K. Lange, in personal injury plaintiff: general. First named to New York Super Lawyers in 2007, Lange resides in Rochester.
• Joseph A. Regan, of Rochester, in personal injury plaintiff: medical malpractice. Regan has been named to New York Super Lawyers since 2008.
• Stephen G. Schwarz, of Fairport, in personal injury plaintiff: medical malpractice. He was first named to New York Super Lawyers in 2007.
• Brian M. Zorn, in personal injury plaintiff:  medical malpractice. Zorn, of Victor, has been named to New York Super Lawyers since 2007.

Only five percent of the attorneys in Upstate New York are named to the Super Lawyers list. Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a multi-phase process combining peer nominations and evaluations with third-party research. Candidates are evaluated based on peer recognition and professional achievement. The publication aims to provide a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel.

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Another common spinal injury is traumatic damage to an intravertebral disc. Disc injuries are often grouped into four categories: degeneration, protrusion, herniation and fragmentation.

Disc degeneration causes a bulge or a loss of disc height where the annular fibers remain intact. A protrusion—sometimes known as a prolapsed—is a bulge where some annular fibers are lost but others remain intact. A herniation—sometimes known as an extrusion—results from a loss of annular fibers in a manner that allows the jelly-like disc nucleus to extrude through the annular tear. Finally, fragmentation—sometimes known as sequestration—occurs when either or both of the annulus or the nucleus separates from disc. More…

Whether they happen as a result of an automobile accident, a work place injury or because of a defective product, spinal injuries invoke fear because at their worst, they give rise to images of wheelchairs and permanent, life-changing paralysis. While the most severe spinal injuries can be life altering, there are many ways that the spine can be injured that are serious, but not paralyzing. Because spinal injuries are actually more common than most people think, it is worthwhile to understand the anatomy of the spine and how the spine can be injured.

ANATOMY OF THE SPINE

The basic structures that make up the spine include the spinal cord, the nerve roots that exit the cord and travel to all parts of the body, the vertebra that protect the cord, the ligaments that support the spine and the intervertebral discs between most of the vertebra. More…

Seven lawyers from Faraci Lange LLP have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2011 edition of Best Lawyers in America^®.

The attorneys named are:

• Matthew F. Belanger, in the practice areas of personal injury litigation and product liability litigation. Belanger, a resident of Brighton, has been named to Best Lawyers since 2008.
• John A. Falk, in medical malpractice law, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation. The Brighton resident also was named to Best Lawyers in 2009.
• Angelo G. Faraci, in legal malpractice law, medical malpractice law, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation. Faraci, who resides in Rochester, has been listed in Best Lawyers since its inception in 1983.
• Paul K. Lange, in medical malpractice law, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation. First named to Best Lawyers in 2001, Lange resides in Rochester.
• Joseph A. Regan, in medical malpractice law, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation. The Rochester resident has been named to Best Lawyers since 2005.
• Stephen G. Schwarz, in medical malpractice law, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation. The Fairport resident was first named to Best Lawyers in 1999.
• Brian M. Zorn, in medical malpractice law, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation. Zorn, who resides in Victor, has been named to Best Lawyers since 1995.

Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, is based on an exhaustive annual survey in which more than 39,000 leading attorneys cast almost 3.1 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Because Best Lawyers is based on a peer-review survey, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Steven Naifeh, president of Best Lawyers, said, “We continue to believe – as we have believed for 28 years – that recognition by one’s peers is the most meaningful form of recognition in the legal profession.”

I. Introduction

In an effort to combat rising automobile insurance rates, in 1974 the New York Legislature passed sweeping changes to the Insurance Law designed to provide a basic level of economic coverage for New York drivers hurt in motor vehicle accidents while at the same time significantly curtailing the number of motor vehicle cases litigated in the State courts.

Known as the No-Fault law, the statutes create a dual system for compensating persons involved in motor vehicle accidents. Regardless of fault, every automobile insurance policy in New York provides for the payment of first-party benefits of up to $50,000 for “basic economic loss” for covered persons injured in car accidents, but bars the filing of lawsuits against the at-fault party to recover non-economic loss (i.e. pain and suffering) except for those who have suffered “serious injury” as defined by the statute. More…