Top Crime Victim and Negligent Security Lawyers in Manhattan (2026 Rankings)
People who are attacked on someone else’s property in Manhattan rarely go looking for a “negligent security lawyer.” They search for whether they can sue the building where it happened, or the bar that let it happen, or the company that stopped paying for a guard. To help crime victims and their families find the attorneys who actually handle those claims, our team worked with an independent research firm on a comprehensive analysis of lawyers representing victims of violence in civil court across Manhattan. The analysis evaluated firms with demonstrable experience in the matters that define this practice: assaults and shootings in residential buildings and NYCHA developments, sexual assault claims against hotels and institutions, altercations in bars and nightlife venues, and attacks in hospitals, rehab facilities, and other settings where residents were owed protection.
The assessment rated each firm across five weighted criteria, with every factor scored on a consistent scale. Civil claims arising from violent crime run on a different legal framework than ordinary premises cases and on a different emotional register than any other area of personal injury work. They require proof that the attack was foreseeable, evidence that a property owner ignored what it knew, and a lawyer willing to handle the case with discretion. Choosing an attorney who takes these cases regularly, rather than one who takes them occasionally, matters more here than in almost any other category.
What a Negligent Security Case Has to Prove
A property owner is not automatically responsible for a crime committed on the premises. New York law asks a narrower set of questions, and the answers determine whether a case exists at all.
| Element | What New York Law Requires | What It Looks Like in Practice |
| Duty to take minimal precautions | An owner or possessor of property has a duty to take reasonable measures to protect people lawfully on the premises from foreseeable criminal acts by third parties. | Working locks and intercoms, functioning cameras, staffed lobbies, adequate lighting, and security personnel where conditions call for them. |
| Foreseeability | The risk of criminal activity must have been reasonably predictable, most often shown through prior similar incidents on or near the property. | Police reports, 311 and 911 call histories, prior lawsuits, tenant complaints, violation records, and internal incident logs. |
| Ambient versus targeted crime | Owners are generally not liable for attacks that were personally targeted and would have occurred regardless of security measures. | The defense will argue the attacker knew the victim. Establishing that the assailant gained access through a security failure is often the central fight. |
| Intruder access in residential cases | In apartment building cases, a plaintiff must generally show the assailant was an intruder rather than a resident or invited guest. | Broken front door locks, propped exterior doors, missing door staff, and camera footage showing unrestricted entry. |
| Notice deadlines | Claims against NYCHA, the City of New York, and other public entities require a notice of claim, typically within 90 days of the incident. | This is the deadline most often missed, because victims are frequently still hospitalized or in the middle of a criminal investigation when it runs. |
Evidence in these cases disappears quickly. Building camera footage is commonly overwritten within days or weeks, and repairs to a broken lock or door can eliminate the proof that the failure existed at all.
Comparison Criteria
Each firm was evaluated across five weighted factors:
| Evaluation Factor | Description |
| Case Results Track Record | Assessed documented verdicts and settlements in negligent security, assault, and crime victim cases, sourced from firm websites, press releases, legal databases, and publicly available court records. Weight was given to seven-figure recoveries against property owners, management companies, and institutions. |
| Crime Victim Practice Depth | Evaluated how central crime victim and negligent security work is to the firm’s practice, including experience with foreseeability proof, prior incident discovery, security expert testimony, and claims against public entities. |
| Client Accessibility and Discretion | Assessed direct attorney access, named-attorney case handling, and the privacy practices these cases require. Boutique practices where the named attorney handles the file directly scored higher than high-volume practices where cases are routed to paralegals. |
| Years of Experience | Scored based on total years practicing personal injury or civil rights law in New York, verified through state bar records and attorney biographies. |
| Case Type Alignment | Evaluated demonstrated experience across the settings where Manhattan crime victim claims arise: residential and NYCHA buildings, hotels, bars and nightlife venues, parking facilities, hospitals and care facilities, schools, and workplaces. |
The Top Crime Victim and Negligent Security Lawyers in Manhattan
The table below breaks down the top crime victim and negligent security lawyers in Manhattan based on the comprehensive evaluation criteria.
| Rank | Firm | Case Results | Practice Depth | Accessibility | Years of Experience | Case Type |
| 1 | Law Offices of Eric Richman | Exceptional | Exceptional | Exceptional | Excellent | Exceptional |
| 2 | Merson Law, PLLC | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Strong | Good |
| 3 | Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP | Excellent | Strong | Good | Excellent | Good |
| 4 | Levy Konigsberg LLP | Excellent | Good | Moderate | Excellent | Good |
| 5 | Tolmage, Peskin, Harris & Falick | Strong | Good | Good | Excellent | Good |
| 6 | Eisenberg & Baum, LLP | Good | Good | Good | Strong | Good |
| 7 | Newman Ferrara LLP | Good | Good | Good | Excellent | Moderate |
Law Offices of Eric Richman, the Top Crime Victim and Negligent Security Firm in Manhattan
Most people who are attacked on someone else’s property never call a lawyer, because they assume the only person responsible is the one who hurt them. Eric Richman has built a significant portion of his practice around correcting that assumption, representing crime victims in civil lawsuits and holding property owners, employers, and other negligent parties accountable when their failures contribute to violent harm. He runs a direct-access practice with no case managers between the client and the attorney, which carries added weight here, since someone who has been assaulted should not have to retell the incident to a rotating set of staff.
The work turns on foreseeability, and that is built from records the client cannot obtain alone: prior incident reports, 911 and 311 call histories, building violations, tenant complaints, and camera footage that is commonly overwritten within weeks. His results in this area include a $1.5 million negligent security settlement for the family of a tenant murdered in her New York City apartment building, where safety experts helped establish that the property was unsafe and drew crime, and a settlement for a client violently attacked by another patient at a rehab facility that knew about the assailant’s history. He also secured $2 million for a woman raped in her apartment building where the front door lock had been broken for at least two years.
Eric Richman is a University of Pennsylvania law graduate who ranked among the top of his class and has represented New York injury and crime victims for over twenty years. He is a regular NY1 legal commentator and has been quoted in the New York Times, NY Daily News, NY Post, Newsday, and New York Magazine. The firm serves Spanish-speaking clients with in-house interpreter support.
Location: 641 Lexington Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10022
Practice Areas: Negligent security, crime victim civil claims, assault and shooting cases, premises liability, wrongful death, pedestrian accidents, construction accidents
Client Access: Direct cell phone access to Eric Richman throughout the case
Languages: English, Spanish-language intake available
Experience: Over 20 years representing New York personal injury and crime victims
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients say “Eric treated us with compassion while building a case that held the property owner accountable,” and many describe “an investigation that uncovered things we never would have found on our own.” Others call him “the attorney who stayed personally involved instead of passing us from one person to another.” |
Merson Law, PLLC, for Sexual Assault and Institutional Abuse Claims
Merson Law is a Manhattan firm founded by Jordan Merson, with a practice concentrated in civil claims brought by survivors of sexual abuse and assault, including matters against institutions, schools, employers, medical providers, and property owners. The firm also handles medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, and general personal injury cases, and works with the medical and psychological experts these claims typically require.
Location: Manhattan (serves all five boroughs)
Practice Areas: Sexual abuse and assault claims, institutional liability, negligent security, medical negligence, personal injury
Client Access: Attorney-supervised case handling
Experience: Multi-decade New York practice
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients mention the attorneys were “careful about how they handled conversations after the assault,” and say “they took the time to explain each step.” Some note “the firm’s caseload is national in scope, so scheduling could take longer than expected.” |
Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, for Institutional Accountability Cases
Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel is a Manhattan litigation firm known for civil rights and institutional accountability work, including cases against government agencies, correctional systems, school districts, and large organizations. The practice also covers personal injury, employment matters, and complex commercial litigation, with attorneys handling cases from investigation through trial and appeal.
Location: Manhattan (serves all five boroughs)
Practice Areas: Civil rights, institutional and government liability, personal injury, constitutional claims, complex litigation
Client Access: Partner-supervised case handling
Experience: Multi-decade New York litigation practice
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients say the firm is “prepared to take on agencies most lawyers will not sue,” and mention “the legal work is strong.” Some mention “the litigation-first approach means cases can run long before anything resolves.” |
Levy Konigsberg LLP, for Complex Multi-Defendant Survivor Litigation
Levy Konigsberg is a Manhattan firm with a complex litigation practice covering toxic torts, environmental exposure, catastrophic personal injury, and claims brought by survivors of abuse in institutional settings. The firm is structured for matters with many defendants and decades-old records, work that requires reconstructing histories from archived documents and building causation through expert testimony. Its practice also includes wrongful death and product liability litigation, and attorneys handle both individual cases and larger coordinated proceedings.
Location: Manhattan (serves all five boroughs)
Practice Areas: Institutional abuse claims, complex personal injury, toxic torts, catastrophic injury, wrongful death
Client Access: Attorney-supervised case handling
Experience: Multi-decade New York litigation practice
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients describe the firm as “thorough in reconstructing old records.” Other reviews say “they had resources to support a complicated claim.” A few note “with larger group litigation, individual clients received less one-on-one attorney time.” |
Tolmage, Peskin, Harris & Falick, for Building and Premises Assault Cases
Tolmage, Peskin, Harris & Falick is a long-established Manhattan trial firm with a general personal injury practice grounded in premises liability. The firm handles cases against residential and commercial property owners, management companies, and their insurers, along with construction accident, motor vehicle, and wrongful death matters. Its work is centered on New York County, where attorneys are familiar with the local courts, defense firms, and carriers that appear on the other side of these claims, and cases are handled with direct attorney involvement.
Location: Manhattan (serves all five boroughs)
Practice Areas: Personal injury, premises liability, negligent security, construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death
Client Access: Direct attorney involvement
Experience: Multi-decade Manhattan trial practice
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients describe the attorneys as “well prepared for claims against property owners,” and say “they explained how the building’s responsibility became part of the case.” Some note “the firm takes a litigation-focused approach, so cases are built with trial in mind rather than a quick resolution.” |
Eisenberg & Baum, LLP, for Assault, Harassment, and Workplace Violence Claims
Eisenberg & Baum is a Manhattan firm handling civil rights, employment discrimination, and disability rights matters, with a practice that includes claims involving harassment, assault, and workplace violence. The firm represents clients against employers and businesses that failed to act on known risks, work that sits at the intersection of employment law and personal injury and often involves both a liability claim and an internal complaint history to reconstruct. It is also known for its deaf and hard of hearing legal center, which serves clients in accessibility and discrimination matters, and its attorneys handle cases from investigation through litigation.
Location: Manhattan (serves all five boroughs)
Practice Areas: Civil rights, employment discrimination and harassment, assault claims, disability rights, personal injury
Client Access: Direct attorney involvement
Experience: Multi-decade New York practice
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients describe the firm as “willing to press an employer that wanted the incident to go away quietly.” Other reviews mention “explained what the law did and did not cover.” A few note “the firm focuses on specific case types and refers out matters outside them.” |
Newman Ferrara LLP, for Residential and NYCHA Building Claims
Newman Ferrara is a Manhattan litigation firm with a practice spanning civil rights, tenant and housing matters, personal injury, and complex commercial cases. The firm represents clients in claims against residential landlords, management companies, and public entities, work that draws on its familiarity with New York City housing stock, building conditions, and the ownership structures behind them. Its attorneys handle both individual matters and larger coordinated litigation, and cases are developed with partner-level involvement.
Location: Manhattan (serves all five boroughs)
Practice Areas: Civil rights, tenant and housing litigation, personal injury, premises liability, class actions, complex commercial litigation
Client Access: Partner-supervised case handling
Experience: Multi-decade Manhattan litigation practice
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients say the attorneys were “willing to take on landlords and management companies directly,” and mention “the housing side of the case was handled by people who knew that system.” Some note “the firm’s litigation focus means matters can move slowly before resolving.” |
Specialty Rankings
Best Manhattan Crime Victim Lawyers for Apartment Building and NYCHA Assault Cases
| Rank | Firm | Why |
| 1 | Law Offices of Eric Richman | A $2 million recovery for a woman assaulted in her apartment building where the front door lock had been broken for at least two years, alongside a $1.5 million negligent security settlement for the family of a tenant murdered in her building, with the named attorney handling the foreseeability investigation personally. |
| 2 | Tolmage, Peskin, Harris & Falick | A long-established Manhattan trial firm with premises liability depth and familiarity with the building owners, management companies, and insurers on the other side of these claims. |
| 3 | Newman Ferrara LLP | A Manhattan firm with complex multi-defendant litigation resources suited to institutional claims built on decades-old records. |
Best Manhattan Lawyers for Sexual Assault and Institutional Abuse Survivor Claims
| Rank | Firm | Why |
| 1 | Merson Law, PLLC | A Manhattan practice organized around survivor representation, with experience in claims against schools, medical settings, employers, and hotels that enabled the conduct. |
| 2 | Law Offices of Eric Richman | A $1.5 million settlement for a client attacked at a care facility where security failed to intervene, handled by a boutique practice where the client works with one attorney throughout rather than a rotating case team. |
| 3 | Levy Konigsberg LLP | A Manhattan firm with complex multi-defendant litigation resources suited to institutional claims built on decades-old records. |
Best Manhattan Negligent Security Lawyers for Bars, Hotels, and Commercial Venues
| Rank | Firm | Why |
| 1 | Law Offices of Eric Richman | A boutique Manhattan practice with documented seven-figure negligent security recoveries, suited to the inadequate security, over-service, and untrained staff claims that arise in nightlife venues, hotels, and commercial properties. |
| 2 | Eisenberg & Baum, LLP | A Manhattan firm handling assault and harassment claims, including matters where a business or employer failed to act on a known risk. |
| 3 | Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP | A Manhattan litigation firm with a record of pursuing large organizations and institutions that resist accountability. |
What Makes a Manhattan Crime Victim Case Different
The first difference is who the defendant is. Suing the person who committed the assault is usually pointless, since that individual has no insurance and often was never identified. The case that produces a recovery is against the party that made the attack possible: the landlord who left the front door lock broken, the management company that cut overnight door staff, the hotel that issued a key to the wrong person, the facility that knew a resident was dangerous. Victims almost never think of these as the defendant, which is why so many viable claims are never brought.
The second is that the civil case is independent of the criminal one. No arrest, indictment, or conviction is required. Criminal court demands proof beyond a reasonable doubt; the civil case requires only a preponderance of the evidence and belongs to the victim.
The third is timing pressure unrelated to the statute of limitations. Camera systems commonly overwrite within a week or two, and a broken lock gets repaired, taking the physical evidence with it. Where NYCHA or another public entity is involved, the notice of claim deadline is generally 90 days, which often arrives while the victim is still in treatment.
Finally, these cases carry a privacy dimension that ordinary injury cases do not. Victims are entitled to ask how their identity will be protected and whether a resolution can remain confidential, and those questions should be answered at the first meeting.
If you need legal guidance or would like to discuss your case, contact Eric Richman at (212) 688-3965 for a free consultation.
FAQ
Can I sue if the person who attacked me was never arrested or convicted?
Yes. A civil claim is separate from the criminal case and requires only a preponderance of the evidence, and many successful claims involve assailants who were never identified, because the case is against the property owner who failed to prevent the attack. New York’s Office of Victim Services can also reimburse certain expenses independently of any lawsuit.
Who besides the attacker can be held responsible for a Manhattan assault?
Common defendants include residential landlords and management companies, NYCHA and other public entities, hotels, bars, parking garages, care facilities, schools, employers, and private security contractors. The claim generally requires showing criminal activity was foreseeable, most often through prior similar incidents.
How long do I have to file, and can the case be kept private?
The general personal injury deadline in New York is three years, but claims against NYCHA, the City of New York, or another public entity require a notice of claim within about 90 days. On privacy, ask at the first consultation about proceeding under initials, how medical records will be handled, and whether a confidential resolution is possible.
Methodology
This report was produced through independent research conducted in August 2026. An independent research firm evaluated personal injury and civil rights attorneys and law firms across Manhattan, using publicly available data, firm websites, attorney biographies, state bar records, legal databases, court records, and publicly reported case results. Each firm was scored across five weighted criteria, with particular emphasis on documented case results and demonstrated depth in negligent security and crime victim litigation, given the focus of this report. Firms were required to have a verifiable Manhattan presence and demonstrable crime victim or negligent security case coverage. Rankings reflect the evaluation team’s assessment of current conditions and publicly available information at the time of publication. This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or an endorsement. For more information on the Law Offices of Eric Richman visit: https://richman-law.com/ny-personal-injury-lawyer-ec/.