Deeply committed to helping others, Larry Waters was initially drawn to becoming an attorney to be of service to the community, become a driver of change, and to advocate for others wherever they may be on their path to help them reach their goals.

“Attorneys are involved in everything, especially when someone needs help. It could be a doctor, another lawyer, athletes, the president – they all turn to an attorney at some point,” Larry explained. “I realized that lawyers have a platform throughout all aspects of society, and I felt that platform could help me give back and make a change in my community.”

Today, he’s motivated by the challenges his career provides – helping his clients navigate challenges and seize opportunities, and achieve their goals. “That day when you find the answer, that’s good—and when you reach the resolution at the end of the case, that’s great.”

Larry joined Goldberg Segalla’s Retail and Hospitality group in March 2022. “Being in the Retail group, I practice many areas of law,” he said. “On one hand, it’s providing advice and counsel to major national corporations. On the other hand, we represent local businesses to mitigate risk and, when necessary, defend them directly in court.”

Larry says he chose Goldberg Segalla for two reasons. “The firm has a reputation for really caring about work-life balance, and they’ve made a commitment to diversity not only on paper, but in practice.”

Larry’s personal life includes a great deal of community work, where he is determined to make a difference. He is the immediate past president of the Minority Bar Association of WNY, and now a director of the Minority Bar Foundation. He is also on the Board of WNY Integrated Collaborative Care, an organization focused on providing access to health care, and on the Board of Neighborhood Legal Services, which helps people who can’t afford civil legal services.

Besides helping people who may be in challenging situations, Larry also wants to inspire future generations to reach their goals and to aim high. “Being out in the community, being in touch with people in middle school, high school, even in college – sometimes it takes seeing someone who looks like you in a particular position for you to envision that you can go there, too. That’s why representation matters so much,” Larry said. “Maybe I can be an inspiration to someone thinking about being a lawyer.”

MORE ABOUT GOLDBERG SEGALLA’S LARRY E. WATERS JR.:

Larry E. Waters Jr. concentrates his practice on counseling and defending clients in a variety of civil litigation matters, with special emphasis on the retail and hospitality industry. He manages all aspects of claims handling and litigation, including preparing cases for filing; drafting motions, pleadings and briefs; conducting legal research in preparation for motion hearings; and participating in depositions, hearings, and mediations. Larry draws on experience in insurance coverage and health law, preparing coverage analysis on first-party and third-party claims.