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Richard H. Apat

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Testimonials

  • “After going through two lawyers and expensive legal fees we were referred to Richard Apat. This was a long, drawn-out, and painful case after almost five years of frustration, until we hired Richard ...”

    - Ann & Joel C
  • “Dear Richard, I spoke with my mom tonight, and the first words out of her mouth were, "Wow. He is such a mensch. He is so ethical." She was just blown away by the level of honesty and integrity that ...”

    - Caroline C.
  • “Dear Richard, On behalf of my husband and I, we just wanted to thank you so much again for all that you have done and specially for being so supportive and understanding with me. This was the second ...”

    - Grace & Albert S.
  • “Thank you for all of the hard work you and your team put in for my real estate litigation case. You were referred to me by another attorney who spoke so highly of you that I had to try calling, ...”

    - SQ
  • “Dear Mr. Apat, I want to thank you and the entire law firm and staff for the diligent work that you all did on my behalf on my workers' compensation, personal injury and Social Security cases. Your ...”

    - Bonnie M.
  • “Dear Richard,
    You are honest, dedicated, hardworking, smart and a thousand more qualities that I could fill the page with. No wonder you are practically bald; God couldn't make you all perfect. Your firm and I have the best lawyer ever.”

    - Katherin R.
  • “I would first like to thank you for your hard work for the legal services that you furnished concerning litigation that lasted over three years. I want to commend you for the highest level of ...”

    - Constantine Frangopoulos, Attorney at Law
  • “Dear Richard, It's all done, you are the best lawyer I ever met. Pure mentioning of your name had people around the table stop arguing and become very respectful. Many thanks for representing us in ...”

    - Inga and Yuri
  • “Dear Richard, As you know, you were referred to me by the most wonderful longtime neighbor I could have ever asked for, Mark. An attorney himself, without hesitation, said "If I were in an accident ...”

    - Adriel Y.
  • “Dear Richard, I would like to thank you for your services regarding my property line dispute. I had initially doubted the matter would get resolved out of court, but you proved me wrong. I appreciated ...”

    - Ramesh M.
  • “Let me start by pointing out that I have been an attorney practicing law for over 50 years. When I found myself with a complex real estate issue in Brooklyn, we initially went to a firm in Manhattan ...”

    - Harold Gordon, Esq.
  • “Richard Apat and his team of professionals took my case when many other firms would not. I am very satisfied with the outcome. Because my back injuries are permanent, Mr. Apat was not satisfied until ...”

    - Steve R.
  • “I could not begin to thank you for the hard work and great effort you gave to me and my case. If I say thank you a million times, it still would not be enough. Even in the most trying circumstance we ...”

    - Millette H.
  • “We would like to thank you and your firm for representing our family in our dispute against our neighbors. This whole process was difficult for us and sometimes painful. Your representation was above ...”

    - Bracey and Yolander G.
  • “I just want to take a few minutes to thank you for your help in defending my home from a constructive trust and partition action. A disgruntled relative wanted to force me out of my home; instead he ...”

    - Maria Sotolongo, Attorney at law
  • “Last summer, when my family was threatened with litigation over our fence and property line, I was lucky to find Mr. Richard H. Apat. He was friendly and attentive, and eased my tensions. Mr. Apat ...”

    - The Wick Family
  • “A quick word of thanks for the job that Richard Apat did for me. Richard demonstrated the finest qualities one might find in an advocate: commitment, insight, passion, communication and teamwork. ...”

    - Geoffrey H.
  • “We want to express our sincere appreciation for your professionalism and expertise in handling our case. Your interpersonal skills and your knowledge of the law exceeded our expectations. We will ...”

    - Shira, Shazam & Ishaw A.
  • “Your patience and hard work has resulted in the congregation having a successful case. We thank you for that.”

    - Ronald, Congregation Treasurer
  • “Dear Mr. Apat, My wife and I both appreciate what you did for us. Thank you very much. You are a very nice man, it would have been difficult for me to drive to you. I will always do my best to help ...”

    - Morris V.
  • “Thank you so much for helping to bring resolution to a case that seemed never-ending. We appreciate all your time and support during this process. Again, a million thanks from our entire family.”

    - The Kats-Drozsdik family
  • “I would like to once again thank Mr. Apat for his guidance and his persistence in pursuing my case. Mr. Apat is an attorney with stellar integrity. It was my pleasure meeting with him. It was a ...”

    - Catherine K.
  • “My life was changed when I fell on a sidewalk that was lifted by the tree roots in Whitestone, Queens, while I was walking home from work. After sustaining five breaks in my arm and surgery to put me ...”

    - Roberta B.
  • “Now that our business has come to an end, I would like to thank you for the great job you did. You went over and above what I felt required to see that I was compensated for my injuries. Richard, ...”

    - Mary T.
  • “On behalf of our congregation, we wish to express to you our deepest thanks and appreciation for your efforts in resolving the lawsuit in favor of the congregation. Your gifted intelligence and highly ...”

    - Rabbi M.G. and Vice President Josef R.
  • “I am writing this letter to let you know how good a job Richard Apat did on my personal injury case. From the first moment that he sat down with me, he spoke to me as a professional. He explained that ...”

    - Kerry K.
  • “Dear Rich: Just a short note to thank you for all you did. You are a true professional and I am sure you make many people very proud of you. I know Bob and I were very impressed with every way you ...”

    - Diane & Bob
  • “To: Richard Apat and staff: I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for your efforts over the last two years regarding my case. Sometimes a quick thank you works, but considering where I was and ...”

    - Richard B.
  • “To the Queens County Bar Association, I wish to thank you for your referral this past September to the firm, specifically Mr. Richard H. Apat. I requested the referral because I had just been sued by ...”

    - Margareta G.
  • “MANY thanks and congratulations to Atty. Richard Apat. Sir, YOU are a WINNER! I acknowledge your hard work, sacrifices, your service, and the honor that you and your law firm stands for in order to ...”

    - C.P.

Partner Richard Apat is the head of VMM’s Personal Injury and Real Estate Litigation Practices.

Mr. Apat is a seasoned attorney with over 30 years of experience in plaintiff personal injury litigation, real estate litigation, and commercial litigation.

His personal injury work encompasses all aspects of representing clients injured due to the negligence or wrongdoing of another, including motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents, workplace accidents, all types of premises accidents, slip & falls, product liability, and wrongful death cases.

Many of his cases involve severe injuries, perennially affecting the lives of his clients and their families. Mr. Apat and the VMM team work aggressively and tirelessly to make sure our clients receive the compensation they deserve.

Mr. Apat’s real estate litigation practice includes boundary disputes, adverse possession, easements, actions to remove encroachments, partition actions, breach of real estate contracts, specific performance, down payment forfeiture, fraudulent deeds or transactions, building collapse cases, litigation and drafting of real estate access agreements, construction litigation, and other commercial real estate litigation.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • New York, 1989
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1990
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1991

EDUCATION

  • J.D., Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, 1988
  • B.A., Communications, State University of New York at Albany, 1985

MEMBERSHIPS & ASSOCIATIONS

  • New York State Trial Lawyers Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • American Association for Justice
  • Queens County Bar Association
  • Nassau County Bar Association

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

  • New York Metro Super Lawyers, Personal Injury, 2019 – Present
  • Avvo, 5-star reviewed member
  • Nominee, LI Herald “2021 Top Lawyer of Long Island,” Personal Injury

PRO BONO & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Volunteer, attorney adviser of the Locust Valley High School team, New York State High School Mock Trial Tournament
  • Volunteer, Big Brother Big Sister Program of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services in New York City

Awards
  • PJI Oct 14, 2020
    PJI
  • ACS Oct 14, 2020
    ACS
  • AHA Dec 1, 2020
    AHA
  • ARC Dec 1, 2020
    ARC
  • AF Dec 1, 2020
    AF
  • Lgbt Network Dec 1, 2020
    Lgbt Network
  • Camp Aranu'tiq
    Camp Aranu'tiq

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