Following the fatal incident in which a patron at Six Flags Over Georgia was thrown from a roller coaster, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke to GA Managing Partner Evan Echenthal about the potential liabilities that may stem from this incident and what needs to happen as investigations unfold.
“It’s a horrific, rare event. Everybody takes their kids to the amusement park. The last thing you want to think of is somebody getting thrown off.”
—Coffey Modica GA Managing Partner Evan Echenthal
A casual email thread or quick text exchange — could these end up in court as binding contracts?
In a Long Island Business News article, Counsel John Diffley shares key insights on how courts evaluate scattered digital communications to piece together enforceable agreements and why a typed email sign-off can function just like a signature.
Diffley details where courts draw the line between casual talk and enforceable commitments, as well as what businesses must state in everyday correspondence to keep negotiations from turning into unintended contracts.
Read the full analysis:
In a City Limits bylined editorial, Partner and General Counsel Michael P. Mezzacappa examines why NYC’s recurring Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks cannot be solved through enforcement alone.
With clusters hitting everywhere from residential neighborhoods to cooling towers at Yankee Stadium, Mezzacappa explains how outdated infrastructure continues to spark these public health emergencies and trigger multi-million-dollar toxic tort liabilities for property owners, contractors, and the city at large.
Mezzacappa breaks down why traditional enforcement models miss the root cause and points to proven solutions to stop the cycle here before the next outbreak hits.
Read his full analysis:
Opinion: Legionnaires’ Disease Keeps Coming Back. What Can NYC Do Differently?
citybiz recently featured Coffey Modica’s continued growth trajectory following our placement on the 2026 Inc. Magazine 5000.
The story details our evolution over the past five years, expanding from a single office to eight locations across five states while remaining sharply focused on complex defense litigation. Today, that footprint supports 12 of the world’s 20 largest carriers and commercial clients facing exposures exceeding $250 million.
From our early commitment to a tech-forward operating model to developing key trial leadership internally — including Firm Managing Partner Maxwell Bottini, who first joined the firm as an associate in 2021 — our success has always been defined by our exceptional attorneys.
Read the full citybiz feature:
Coffey Modica is so very honored to be named among the 2026 Best Places to Work in the New York Metropolitan Region by Crain’s New York Business.
Ranked #25 overall — and #4 among ALL law firms — the recognition is especially meaningful, as it is the result of thousands of confidential employee surveys done asking about workplace culture, leadership, and engagement that collectively determines which companies and corporate cultures make the list.
Thank you to our exceptional attorneys and professional staff whose dedication and talent make Coffey Modica a truly rewarding place to work and produce amazing results for our clients. Thank you to the publishers of Crain’s New York, who produce this annual ranking in partnership with the independent research firm Best Companies Group.
View the full rankings:
Buffalo Business First recently visited Coffey Modica’s Western New York office to speak with Counsel Mostafa Soliman. The feature spotlights our move to 525 Delaware Avenue and plans to recruit five additional attorneys within the year — doubling the size of our Buffalo team.
“[Coffey Modica] wanted to have a permanent location in Western New York, because they see the work that we get and they see growth opportunities here,” Soliman said. “They’re investing in the people here as well, not just the building.”
Recognized by the Inc. Magazine Inc. 5000 as one of the 10 fastest-growing law firms in New York, we are committed to investing in top-tier legal talent and expanding our complex defense litigation capabilities across the state.
Read the full feature in Buffalo Business First:
In the editorial section of Insurance Journal, Founding Partner Michael Coffey breaks down the underwriting and litigation lessons from the near-collapse of the former Pfizer headquarters conversion in Midtown Manhattan.
As cities ramp up office-to-residential projects to address housing shortages, these complex adaptive reuse conversions introduce risks far beyond standard commercial builds.
Drawing on decades of high-stakes structural disaster experience, Coffey outlines why insurers and developers must reconsider how these conversions are vetted and managed — before catastrophe strikes.
Read his full analysis in Insurance Journal:
TARRYTOWN, NY – Coffey Modica LLP, a leading defense litigation firm representing businesses and insurance companies in liability claims, excess property and casualty, medical malpractice, and other professional industries, is pleased to announce two new partners have been added to their New York team. John Risi and Yesy Sanchez will both practice out of the firm’s Tarrytown office.
“Coffey Modica is continuously building out our talented legal roster by finding forward thinking attorneys who share our commitment to delivering the best results for our clients,” said New York Managing Partner Patricia Mooney. “John Risi and Yesy Sanchez are both well respected litigators whose years of experience will help strengthen our Tarrytown team and continue to uphold the highest standard of law.”
John Risi is a seasoned trial attorney with three decades of experience focusing on personal injury/product liability cases, complex commercial litigation, and insurance coverage disputes. Having held several leadership positions at prominent New York City and Westchester law firms, Risi has represented clients in both state and federal court in a wide range of general civil litigation, trials, and appeals, including automobile, contract, complex litigation, corporate, land use, negligence, premises liability, product liability matter, and toxic tort litigation. He has acted as both national and local consulate to a wide range of product manufacturers and distributors. He has also led a national monitoring program overseeing general liability and automobile litigation on behalf of the world’s largest office solutions/supplies companies.
“In just five years, Coffey Modica has built a strong reputation in the industry with their high level of work and talented team of attorneys. I am pleased to be joining their team and look forward to utilizing my decades of litigation experience to help advance their practice,” said Partner John Risi.
Risi is admitted to practice in both New York and Connecticut, Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and in the Southern, Eastern, and Northern District Court of New York. Risi graduated from Iona University before earning his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
Yesy Sanchez focuses his practice on general liability, including premises liability, New York Labor Law claims, motor vehicle accidents, and construction defects. Fluent in both Spanish and English, Sanchez has represented clients in general liability, employer liability, commercial litigation, and mass tort litigation. He has litigated claims in a broad range of areas, including professional malpractice, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, wrongful death, and commercial disputes between officers, principals, and partners. Committed to mentoring the next generation in the legal industry, Sanchez has also served as a career panelist at Dr. Richard Izquiero Health & Science Charter School.
“Coffey Modica not only focuses on client relationships and results, but they have also created an environment where engagement and collaboration are encouraged across all levels,” said Partner Yesy Sanchez. “I am proud to be a part of a team that shares in those values.”
Sanchez attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice before receiving his J.D. from Vermont Law School, where he continues to act as a career counselor for graduates. He is admitted to practice in New York State, the Southern and Eastern District of New York, and New Jersey.
Founded in 2021, Coffey Modica has been identified by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing law firms in the nation. With offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia, and Florida, Coffey Modica LLP represents defendants in high-profile, high exposure matters across many disciplines and industries around the country. Known for being aggressive trial attorneys and litigators, Coffey Modica resolves matters on behalf of its clients with the most cost-effective resolutions aligned with their short- and long-term business goals and culture.
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As the historic multistate Meta trial captured global headlines, Coffey Modica Founding Partner Michael Coffey emerged as a primary voice for legal analysis over the airwaves and online.
Throughout the landmark proceedings and subsequent $18 billion settlement, some of the most prominent news outlets across the country called on Michael for expert commentary detailing the high-stakes financial, regulatory, and liability implications for the tech giant and sector at large:
Michael’s perspective was also featured across major drive-time radio broadcasts, including KCBS News Radio serving the San Francisco Bay Area and WWJ Newsradio 950 in Detroit.
We are proud to see our leadership recognized by top-tier national media outlets for authoritative insight on the country’s most complex, high-profile legal battles.
While the frequency of medical liability lawsuits has declined, soaring jury awards are pushing malpractice insurance premiums to rates not seen in two decades.
In the Hartford Business Journal, Coffey Modica Connecticut Managing Partner Megan E. Bryson analyzes how runaway verdicts are impacting the state’s healthcare landscape, increasing the cost of insuring independent practices and leaving vulnerable communities with ever-shrinking access to essential care.
Read her full insights at the Hartford Business Journal: