Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2006 
Steven E. Pegalis, Esq. is one of the nation's foremost plaintiffs' medical malpractice trial lawyers and the founder of the Pegalis Law Group. In his career as an advocate for seriously injured victims of negligence, Mr. Pegalis has obtained some of the highest jury verdicts in New York State. Continuing his success over so many years, in 2023 he obtained a $4.6 million settlement for the failure to properly diagnose and treat retinopathy of prematurity, an eye condition common to premature newborn children. Steve settled the case during trial and the infant has also qualified – as a result of the case – for complete medical coverage for life under New York’s Medical Indemnity Fund. In 2021, in a case tried in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Steve obtained $7.9 million in combined compensation for the family of a deceased husband and father of three in a case involving the tragic aftermath of heart surgery. In 2019 he obtained a mediated settlement in the amount of $8.5 million dollars for a young woman who lost her mother as a result of medical negligence. That same year, he obtained a verdict in the amount of $4.7 million dollars, following his client’s treatment for a brain aneurysm. In 2018, he obtained a $10 million dollar court settlement for a client involving the mismanagement of complex spinal surgery.
Mr. Pegalis is most proud of providing peace of mind, a sense of justice, and financial security to clients. Stacks of photos and thank-you notes from clients’ families are among his most prized possessions. He believes his team’s personal investments in each case are without peer and have resulted in consistent success for clients year after year. He and his firm have worked tirelessly with over 2,000 injured individuals and their families.
Steve has been honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards by the New York Law School and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA). He has served as the founder and co-director of the "Patient Safety Project" at New York Law School (NYLS), which focuses on making significant contributions to medical safety and promoting innovative health law policies for the public good.
Steve is proud to be the author of American Law of Medical Malpractice, Volumes 1-3, now in its 3rd edition. He serves on the New York Law School Board of Trustees, has taught the Medical Malpractice course there for years as an Adjunct Professor of Law, and was honored with school's "Groundbreaker Award" for a lifetime commitment to his clients, and successfully pursuing their rights with passion. He is an advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocacy, a Dean Emeritus of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, and a member of the American Association for Justice, and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is an Associate in Law of the American College of Legal Medicine, and has been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell for professional excellence since 1982. Steve has lectured extensively on medical/legal issues and contributed his experience and viewpoint to numerous articles and publications. He is admitted to practice in New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. He holds both a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Law degree from New York Law School, and a bachelor's degree from Queens College of the City of New York.
