Law360 | Connecticut Pulse

By Matt Perez | July 3, 2024

New York litigation boutique Coffey Modica LLP announced the promotion of two attorneys to partner, including the firm’s first hire in 2021, as well as the elevation of another lawyer to counsel.

Maxwell Bottini, who joined the firm around its founding, and Joseph Hopkins have both been elevated to partner, according to a Monday statement from Coffey Modica, while Jonathan Heller steps into the counsel role. The attorneys practice within labor and professional liability law.

“Each of these talented attorneys has played a key role in the incredible growth Coffey Modica has experienced in just under three years since its founding,” said partner Robert Modica in a statement Monday. “The knowledge, dedication and integrity they bring to every client interaction is admirable.”

Bottini, who practices out of New York and Connecticut, handles labor law cases, defending both general contractors and subcontractors. He has tried over 20 cases to verdict and several more to settlement.

Before joining Coffey Modica, Bottini worked as an associate at Tyson & Mendes LLP. He began his career as an assistant district attorney with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. Bottini earned his bachelor’s from Villanova University and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

“I was the first attorney hired at Coffey Modica, and it has been a privilege every day since to work alongside this top-notch team,” Bottini said in the statement. “I am grateful to all of my colleagues and mentors, especially Michael Coffey and Robert Modica, for their support and guidance, and I look forward to continuing to grow along with the firm well into the future.”

Also stepping into the partner role, Hopkins works on litigation matters related to labor law, construction defects, professional liability and casualty defense, representing developers, general contractors and real estate investment and management companies.

Hopkins runs his practice out of New York City, having joined the firm in early 2023 after previously serving as an associate at O’Toole Scrivo LLC and Wood Smith Henning & Bergman LLP. He received his bachelor’s and law degrees from Seton Hall University.

“It has been a privilege to work alongside Michael Coffey, Robert Modica and all of my esteemed colleagues, whose mentorship has helped guide my professional growth,” Hopkins said in the statement. “I am excited for the firm’s continued expansion, and I look to what the future has in store.”

Heller becomes a counsel at Coffey Modica after two years in an associate attorney role with the firm. Working out of Coffey Modica’s White Plains, New York, office, Heller also handles labor law, general liability and casualty matters. During his career, he’s represented owners, contracts and corporations across New York. He earned his bachelor’s from Queens College and his law degree from Hofstra University.

“I am thankful to the entire Coffey Modica team for their faith and trust in me to be a part of the firm’s extremely bright future,” Heller said in the statement. “I feel that every day is an opportunity to learn a better tactic or a better argument that would further assist us in getting the best results for our clients, and I look forward to further cultivating our firm’s relationships.”

Founded in 2021, Coffey Modica has several locations across New York, as well as offices in New Jersey and Connecticut. The firm represents businesses and insurance companies in litigation defense and appellate strategy, along with consulting across professional industries.

July 1, 2024

Coffey Modica LLP, a defense litigation firm representing prominent business and insurance companies in liability claims, excess property/casualty, medical malpractice, nursing, and other professional industries, announced that two of the firm’s attorneys have been promoted to Partner, with a third being given the role of Counsel.

“Each of these talented attorneys has played a key role in the incredible growth Coffey Modica has experienced in just under three years since its founding. The knowledge, dedication and integrity they bring to every client interaction is admirable and it is exactly that talent that our firm hopes to continue fostering with these much-deserved promotions,” said Founding Partner Robert Modica.

Partner Maxwell Bottini has been working with Coffey Modica since its founding in 2021. Practicing out of the firm’s New York and Connecticut offices, Bottini focuses on high-exposure labor law cases, defending general contractors and subcontractors alike. He has successfully tried more than 20 cases to verdict and settled even more, achieving the most favorable results possible for his clients. Bottini began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, where he investigated and prosecuted hundreds of misdemeanor and felony cases. He is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and currently lives in Fairfield, CT.

“I was the first attorney hired at Coffey Modica and it has been a privilege every day since to work alongside this top-notch team. I am grateful to all of my colleagues and mentors, especially Michael Coffey and Robert Modica, for their support and guidance, and I look forward to continuing to grow along with the firm well into the future,” said Bottini.

Partner Joseph Hopkins focuses primarily on New York Labor Law, construction defects, professional liability and casualty. A former judicial law clerk for the Honorable John I. Gizzo, Hopkins has represented prominent general contractors and developers in Manhattan on high-value matters, and he successfully achieved a defense verdict in New Jersey on behalf of a national real estate investment and management company. He practices out of the firm’s New York City office and is admitted to the Bar in both New York and New Jersey. A graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law, Hopkins currently lives in Cranford, NJ.

“I am truly honored to be elevated to Partner at Coffey Modica. It has been a privilege to work alongside Michael Coffey, Robert Modica and all of my esteemed colleagues, whose mentorship has helped guide my professional growth,” said Hopkins. “I am excited for the firm’s continued expansion, and I look to what the future has in store.”

Counsel Jonathan Heller joined Coffey Modica in 2022 and practices out of the firm’s White Plains office, where he specializes in labor law and general liability and casualty matters. As a third-generation attorney, over the course of his eight-year career, Heller has both defended and prosecuted cases on behalf of dozens of leading owners, contractors and major New York corporations, as well as one of the largest hospital conglomerates on Long Island and a host of well-known physicians and surgeons. The Long Island native is a graduate of Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law and currently lives in Teaneck, NJ.

“I am thankful to the entire Coffey Modica team for their faith and trust in me to be a part of the firm’s extremely bright future,” said Heller. “I feel that every day is an opportunity to learn a better tactic or a better argument that would further assist us in getting the best results for our clients, and I look forward to further cultivating our firm’s relationships. In this new role, I hope to contribute to the passion for excellent work product that makes our firm one of the top rising law firms in the United States, and one of the best places to work in the New York Metropolitan Area.”

Coffey Modica LLP is a New York-based defense litigation firm with offices in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and is among the fastest-growing firms in the nation. The firm 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.