Hammes, James W.

Mr. Hamelsky is a partner in the Litigation Department and is a member of the Life, Health, and Disability and Insurance Fraud Practice Groups.  His focus is in State and Federal trial practice, working on first-party insurance litigation, insurance coverage litigation, third-party tort, products liability and negligence litigation.  Mr. Hamelsky has numerous published decisions in these practice areas.

Mr. Hamelsky's first-party practice is concentrated in Life, Health and Disability insurance.  He represents Life, Health and Disability carriers statewide and regionally in a wide range of matters, such as contract interpretation, rescission and the prosecution of insurance fraud.  Mr. Hamelsky also represents insurers in ERISA litigation involving benefit denial, fiduciary liability and related issues.

In insurance coverage and third-party tort and negligence litigation, Mr. Hamelsky has substantial experience in both Federal and State Courts.  He has represented corporations and insurance companies in such areas including policy interpretation, premises liability, and defective products.

Mr. Hamelsky is currently representing victims of the September 11th disaster through his participation in Trial Lawyers Care.  He is a member of the Defense Research Institute's Life, Health & Disability committee.  His cases have been cited numerous times in the committee's newsletter.  He has also frequently contributed cases to Mealey's litigation report Disability Insurance newsletter.  He is a member of the Federal Bar Council as well as the American Bar Association (litigation section).  Mr. Hamelsky is a member of the New York Bar Association.  He was also a participant in the Robert L. Clifford American Inn of Court.

Mr. Hamelsky received his B.A. from Washington University in 1991.  He received his J.D. in 1994 from Western New England College School of Law.  Licensed to practice in New Jersey, New York and Georgia (inactive status), he is also admitted to appear before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits, the United States District Court of New Jersey, and the Southern, Northern and Eastern Districts of New York.  Mr. Hamelsky has been AV rated by the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating system. He was recently selected as a 2010 Super Lawyer in the New York Metro Region.