Interview with Lou Grandelli of Grandelli Law Firm

My parents were both from Brooklyn, and we lived in Gravesend, Brooklyn, when I was born. We moved to Mill Basin in Brooklyn, and I went to elementary school at Mary Queen of Heaven, which was a conservative Catholic school in Brooklyn, until 5th Grade, and always believe that's where I obtained good Christian morals. Around the time I was 8-years old, I started my first “job”, which involved me waiting outside of Hills Supermarket on Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn, and asking shoppers if I could carry bags of groceries to their cars for .25 cents, .50 cents, and sometimes I would get lucky and get $1. 

We moved to Staten Island when I was 11, and I sold comic books, delivered newspapers and did whatever else I could to make money. I went to Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, where I graduated in 1981. I then went to St. John’s University, where I graduated in 1986, with a degree in Political Science. It was during college that I started a landscaping business in Staten Island called Stay Green Landscaping, which was founded in 1982. I sold the business to a friend in 1990, just before I took the bar exam, and the company still exists to this day. 

My father was a brilliant man, but never had the chance to go to college. Instead, he went into business at a young age, and had various family-owned businesses over the years. He owned a beauty salon, a fast-food restaurant in Kings Plaza Mall called Eddie Arcaro’s, and several discount stores throughout Brooklyn named Morris Discount, which were named after an uncle on the “mother’s side” of my family. 

I was bored working in my family’s stores, and knew that I didn't want to work in the retail business. My father said that there was no reason to go to college unless I became a doctor or a lawyer. He always told me, “You’ll never regret your education”, and that’s something that is true to this day.  Since I never had much interest in medicine or science, I decided to go to law school, and started Brooklyn Law School in 1987. While many of the students there had planned on being lawyers for most of their adult lives, it was different for me, and none of the guys I hung around with became lawyers. To me, it felt like I just woke up one day and I was in law school, and had never really taken school seriously until that time. However, for the first time, I was surrounded by only very smart students, most of whom came from a very different background than me. I felt that I had to work extra hard to keep up with them, so I read everything I could, and ended up graduating at the top of my class. 

There were a few hundred other incoming students at my law school orientation, and the main speaker was a professor, Jerome Leitner, who was really one of a kind. He was a tall, good-looking guy, always wore a sport coat and signature turtleneck, and one thing I’ll always remember from my orientation is him telling us to mark his words, that some of our closest friends in life weren't necessarily going to be just those people we grew up with or went to elementary school, high school, or college with. He told us that they were some of the people in that room, who we hadn't even met yet, and his words became true. Among my closest friends today were students from Brooklyn Law School, and some of them have also become top lawyers in our profession. 

Professor Leitner is actually the person who got me my first job at a small law firm on Court Street in downtown Brooklyn, where he had worked before he became a professor. We used to talk about the profession all the time, and he always wanted to make sure I was on the right path. I remember him once telling me that anytime you're talking with someone who's asking you to do something unethical, and they say to you, "Who's going to know?", that I should remember that person is going to know, and to always make sure that I practice law and maintain the highest moral standards. One of the things I pride myself on is that my firm is well-known as practicing law by the rules, and we've always avoided getting involved in any case or dealing with any matters that would tarnish our reputation. 

After working in a small firm for about a year, I started out my own solo practice in 1992. As my mother once told me, “Only a grave digger starts at the top,” and for the first couple of years I maintained a “general practice”, and did “everything” necessary to run an office, including signing up clients, typing letters, pleadings, doing the mail, and court appearances on my own. The first personal injury case I settled was for a woman who was hurt trying on a shirt in the Staten Island Mall, when she was cut by a sharp tag. I settled the case for $7,500, and my fee was $2,500! From that point, I knew that personal injury was the field I wanted to be involved in. It wasn’t until around 1993 that I hired my first secretary, Michelle, who was first introduced to me as “Pebbles”, and is still with my firm to this day. 

Over the years, the firm has grown, and I have a staff of 14, including lawyers, paralegals and other support staff. We only handle personal injury cases, such as motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, and construction accidents and we are very selective with the cases we handle. Most of our cases deal with people that were wrongfully killed and those that have been seriously injured. I'm very proud that we have amongst the highest recoveries in New York State in these areas. For any cases we handle, we do our best to make sure that the client is satisfied, and I tell every client that although I can never guarantee the outcome of the case, I always want them to feel that we've done our best for them, and hope that they would recommend us to their friends and family. 

My philosophy in practicing law is to outwork my competition and learn as much about the strengths and weaknesses of every case we handle because I've always felt that if you outwork your opponents, you can outthink them. A lot of lawyers refer to me as "street smart," but for me it's always just been about common sense. Many of the lessons that I learned in law school such as "offer" and "acceptance" in contracts, were things I learned just hanging around on the streets of Staten Island. One of the things that I learned in law school is that the judicial system simply establishes laws that attempt to make sure every one of us has the right to be treated fairly by the courts. 

Thank you! One day back in 2009, I received a letter in the mail, which stated that I had been selected for Super Lawyers for plaintiff's personal injury in New York. While I did have a grown reputation at the time, and had just settled a case for $9 million, which was the highest recovery in New York at the time for a manhole explosion against a major utility company, that letter came as a complete surprise. Since that time, I have continued to be selected to Super Lawyers every year, and three lawyers employed by my firm last year were selected for Super Lawyers. 

One of the things I'm most proud of is that my law firm has been selected as a Tier One Best Law Firm for plaintiff's personal injury for the last seven years, which is the highest rating a firm can obtain. This selection is based upon reviews by clients and fellow lawyers in our profession, and while there are approximately 30 firms in New York that are selected for this category every year, I feel that "customer satisfaction" sets us apart from the rest. In this regard, I don't leave the office until I have returned all my phone calls, or go to bed until I’ve responded to all my emails, and I encourage my staff to do the same. I've always felt that people have the right to be kept up-to-date on the status of their case, and that they are more likely to recommend you to a friend or family member if you show them respect and courtesy during the process. 

Many clients have come to us with devastating accidents where they have lost a loved one or have been in an incident involving catastrophic injuries. I assure these victims and their families that I will be with them every step of the way and do everything in my power to make sure that they get the maximum compensation possible for their case.

I always tell young law students to make sure that they get a good education, and that the most important thing when they become a lawyer, is to become an asset to the firm and the firm's clients. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to make sure that you're good at what you do, so you can help people in need, and even though there’s always going to be setbacks, always remember that "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." 

I always make it a point to stay accessible, whether it’s for a client, a young attorney looking for advice, or someone who just wants to learn more about what we do. You can find me on Facebook or Instagram, where I occasionally share updates, insights, and a bit of life outside the courtroom. And if you’re looking for more information about our work or need help with a legal matter, feel free to visit Grandelli.com. My team and I are always here to help—and we take pride in getting back to every message.