Our Team
Gary A. Cusano, Esq.
Gary A. Cusano has over 36 years of litigation experience. He has litigated high exposure tort and commercial transaction cases involving automobiles, construction site accidents, product liability, multi-party large-scale property damage cases, breach of contract, toxic tort, construction litigation, corporate and employment litigation, and dental malpractice. He also litigates insurance coverage and contract matters. He represents victims with serious personal injuries as well as wrongful death. Prior to establishing the firm, he held the position of Managing Trial Attorney of CNA Insurance Company's staff counsel program in Tarrytown, New York.
Gary received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1985 and is admitted to practice in both New York State and Federal Courts in the Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. He is a former Chairman of the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section of the NYS Bar Association; a past member of the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates; a member of the Panel of Arbitrators on Insurance Coverage for A.A.A.; a Certified CLE lecturer for the New York State Bar Associations; a member of the New York State Bar Association; and a member of the Westchester County Bar Association.
Mr. Cusano is an accomplished trial attorney who has successfully litigated multi-million dollar matters at both the Federal and State court levels. He has extensive experience in handling complex and high exposure cases.
He currently resides in Westchester County with his wife Adrienne and has two children Alexandra and Gregory.
Samiera Akhtar, Esq.
Samiera Akhtar is an attorney who prior to moving to New York, practiced law in London, England. She has extensive experience in litigation and real estate. She has undertaken personal injury, breach of contract, employment, and medical malpractice cases. Samiera attended Guildford Law School in England and was admitted to the New York Bar in 2010. She currently resides in Fairfield County with her husband and has two sons.
Jullian Muller
Jullian Muller is a committed paralegal with over four years dedicated to Cusano Smith. She has honed her skills in litigation support, subpoenas, e-discovery, docketing, case management, and more.
Stephen M. Smith, Esq.
Stephen M. Smith has been practicing law for over 15 years. Prior to forming the practice of Cusano Smith PLLC, Steve operated his own law practice, Law Offices of Stephen M. Smith, Esq., in Yorktown Heights, New York. Steve practices predominantly in Public Employment Law, Personal Injury, Social Security and Retirement Disability as well as Commercial and Business Transactions. Steve is a graduate of Pace University School of Law located in White Plains, New York and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York.
Prior to practicing law, Steve gained over 25 years of Law Enforcement experience starting with the New York City Police Department beginning in 1996 and was most recently employed by the Westchester County Department of Public Safety with headquarters in Westchester County, New York. For over six (6) years, Steve was legal counsel to the Westchester County Department of Public Safety's Investigative Services Division. In that capacity, Steve assisted with the coordination and implementation of municipal initiatives for other Departments throughout Westchester County and also acted as the Division Liaison for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Division, United States Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Attorney's Office and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
During Steve's tenure with the Westchester County Department of Public Sector, he obtained extensive labor, negotiation, and discipline experience as he served as the Vice President of the Westchester County Police Department's Police Benevolent Association for over fifteen years. In his capacity as Chairman of the Negotiation Committee, Steve successfully bargained on behalf of over 300 union members delivering two successive six-year memorandums of agreements between the County of Westchester and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety Police Benevolent Association. During his tenure on the Westchester County Department of Public Safety's Executive Board, Steve advocated in all aspects of Police Union member rights including terms and conditions of employment, 207C disputes and employee discipline. His experience in this regard is invaluable as he oversees all of the Firm’s Public Sector Employment matters.
Nadine Jones
Nadine Jones is a dedicated paralegal with over 30 years legal experience and whose main responsibility is drafting legal documents and research data. Apart from her paralegal responsibilities, Nadine likes to read mysteries and watch foreign tv shows.
Gary A. Cusano, Esq.
Gary A. Cusano has over 36 years of litigation experience. He has litigated high exposure tort and commercial transaction cases involving automobiles, construction site accidents, product liability, multi-party large-scale property damage cases, breach of contract, toxic tort, construction litigation, corporate and employment litigation, and dental malpractice. He also litigates insurance coverage and contract matters. He represents victims with serious personal injuries as well as wrongful death. Prior to establishing the firm, he held the position of Managing Trial Attorney of CNA Insurance Company's staff counsel program in Tarrytown, New York.
Gary received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1985 and is admitted to practice in both New York State and Federal Courts in the Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. He is a former Chairman of the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section of the NYS Bar Association; a past member of the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates; a member of the Panel of Arbitrators on Insurance Coverage for A.A.A.; a Certified CLE lecturer for the New York State Bar Associations; a member of the New York State Bar Association; and a member of the Westchester County Bar Association.
Mr. Cusano is an accomplished trial attorney who has successfully litigated multi-million dollar matters at both the Federal and State court levels. He has extensive experience in handling complex and high exposure cases.
He currently resides in Westchester County with his wife Adrienne and has two children Alexandra and Gregory.
Stephen M. Smith , Esq.
Stephen M. Smith has been practicing law for over 15 years. Prior to forming the practice of Cusano Smith PLLC, Steve operated his own law practice, Law Offices of Stephen M. Smith, Esq., in Yorktown Heights, New York. Steve practices predominantly in Public Employment Law, Personal Injury, Social Security and Retirement Disability as well as Commercial and Business Transactions. Steve is a graduate of Pace University School of Law located in White Plains, New York and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York.
Prior to practicing law, Steve gained over 25 years of Law Enforcement experience starting with the New York City Police Department beginning in 1996 and was most recently employed by the Westchester County Department of Public Safety with headquarters in Westchester County, New York. For over six (6) years, Steve was legal counsel to the Westchester County Department of Public Safety's Investigative Services Division. In that capacity, Steve assisted with the coordination and implementation of municipal initiatives for other Departments throughout Westchester County and also acted as the Division Liaison for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Division, United States Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Attorney's Office and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
During Steve's tenure with the Westchester County Department of Public Sector, he obtained extensive labor, negotiation, and discipline experience as he served as the Vice President of the Westchester County Police Department's Police Benevolent Association for over fifteen years. In his capacity as Chairman of the Negotiation Committee, Steve successfully bargained on behalf of over 300 union members delivering two successive six-year memorandums of agreements between the County of Westchester and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety Police Benevolent Association. During his tenure on the Westchester County Department of Public Safety's Executive Board, Steve advocated in all aspects of Police Union member rights including terms and conditions of employment, 207C disputes and employee discipline. His experience in this regard is invaluable as he oversees all of the Firm’s Public Sector Employment matters.
Samiera Akhtar, Esq.
Samiera Akhtar is an attorney who prior to moving to New York, practiced law in London, England. She has extensive experience in litigation and real estate. She has undertaken personal injury, breach of contract, employment, and medical malpractice cases. Samiera attended Guildford Law School in England and was admitted to the New York Bar in 2010. She currently resides in Fairfield County with her husband and has two sons.
Nadine Jones
Nadine Jones is a dedicated paralegal with over 30 years legal experience and whose main responsibility is drafting legal documents and research data. Apart from her paralegal responsibilities, Nadine likes to read mysteries and watch foreign tv shows.
Jullian Muller
Jullian Muller is a committed paralegal with over four years dedicated to Cusano Smith. She has honed her skills in litigation support, subpoenas, e-discovery, docketing, case management, and more.
