Richard J. Femia
Partner
Experience
Richard J. Femia is an accomplished litigator with a focus on defending leading medical institutions and staff in complex malpractice cases, as well as defending local governments and their agencies against a variety of actions.
After gaining valuable experience as a legal intern in the Homicide Trial and Narcotics Trial Bureaus of the Queens District Attorney’s Office and as a judicial intern for the Hon. Arthur M. Diamond in the New York State Supreme Court, Rich began his legal career in positions with the Nassau County Office of Labor Relations and the Nassau County Park Department before finally serving in the Nassau County Attorney’s Office as a Deputy County Attorney in the Litigation Bureau. Before law school, Rich gained investigative and legal experience as a private investigator, managing, among other responsibilities, a nationwide court-mandated compliance program brought against one of the world’s largest financial institutions.
Related Areas
Experience Highlights
Rich has extensive experience defending prominent New York State medical institutions and medical professionals in high-value, high-profile matters involving sophisticated medical concepts and fact patterns. He has managed all aspects of medical malpractice litigation involving a wide spectrum of injuries, illnesses, and other allegations, from the inception of a matter up to trial, including handling expert witness deposition and preparation and the highly technical process of medical malpractice discovery.
Rich dedicates a significant portion of his practice to defending governments and government entities in alleged civil rights violations, torts, and employment law matters. He has successfully defended numerous government and municipal clients through trial, with a focus on federal practice. In this area, Rich draws on a deep background in public service.
As former Deputy County Attorney in the Litigation Bureau of the Nassau County Attorney’s Office, Rich handled a demanding caseload, defending the county, its agencies, and its employees, and repeatedly won successful defense verdicts in multimillion-dollar federal lawsuits. Before this, Rich simultaneously served as Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Office of Labor Relations in Nassau County and Legal Counsel to the Nassau County Parks Commissioner. In these roles, he assisted in union arbitrations and mediations and reviewed collective bargaining agreements; prepared exhibits and lines of questioning for witnesses as well as memoranda of law; and drafted, edited, and negotiated contracts between the Parks Department and various entities.
Honors & Awards
Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch
- Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, 2025
New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2017–23
Background
Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Education
- St. John’s University School of Law, J.D., 2012
- Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development: Senior Staff Member
- St. John’s University, B.S., magna cum laude, 2007
- National Criminal Justice Society
- National Leadership and Honors Society
- College of Professional Studies Honor Society
News & Knowledge
RECENT INSIGHTS
January 2, 2024
September 22, 2023
September 29, 2022
September 30, 2021