Hon. Marsha L. Steinhardt (Ret.)

Honorable Marsha Steinhardt joins NAM after a remarkable 31-year judicial career, 26 of which were spent as a Justice of the Supreme Court. In 2011 she was assigned to the Medical Malpractice Trial Readiness Part (MMTRP), Kings County, where she conferenced every post Note of Issue medical malpractice case in Brooklyn, resulting in the resolution of a significant number, prior to trial. While assigned to the MMTRP, Justice Steinhardt also oversaw hundreds of nursing home cases that involved incapacitated patients, developing bed sores, falling and choking. On days when the conference calendar was not being called the Judge presided over medical malpractice trials. Judge Steinhardt was assigned to the Appellate Term, 2nd, 11th and 13th Judicial Districts from 2008 – 2011, where she heard appeals from the Civil and Criminal Courts. Simultaneously with her appellate duties, Judge Steinhardt continued trying malpractice cases.

Justice Steinhardt’s legal career began as an attorney for the New York City Transit Authority, Torts Division, in 1972. In 1986, she transitioned to the Court system where she worked as a Law Secretary to Civil Court Judge John R. Cannizaro. In 1989, she became Principal Law Secretary to Justice Vincent Pizzuto, who was then sitting in a medical malpractice Individual Assignment Part. Her own judicial career began in 1990 when she was elected a Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Kings County. Four years later, she was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Her early time on the Supreme Court bench was spent in a trial part where she presided over many various types of cases, including personal injury, product liability, premises liability, and several matters involving complex commercial litigation. In 2002, she was assigned to an Individual Assignment Part (Part 15) and handled predominantly medical malpractice trials and motions.

Respected by both plaintiffs and defendants alike, Judge Steinhardt is known for her deep understanding of medical practices, processes and terminology that allows her to fully assess and evaluate the issues of the case. Attorneys and jurors who have appeared before her in court have commented that she is “Even-handed, respectful of attorneys, respectful of jurors – a true pleasure to appear in front of, and smart and well prepared.”; “I was a juror in her courtroom. I found her to be very respectful and pleasant, both to the jury and the attorneys.” Her knowledge and experience handling medical malpractice and nursing home matters, together with her settlement skills and experience working with counsel to resolve their cases, makes for a very natural transition to her role as a mediator/arbitrator.

Judge Steinhardt has received numerous awards that include the Vivian Agress Trailblazer Award by the Brooklyn Bar Association, the Lenore Kramer Award by the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the Award for Outstanding Jurisprudence by the New York State Medical Defense Bar Association and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association. She has participated in numerous continuing legal education programs over the years for many bar associations, including the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association (BWBA), of which she is a past president, and the New York State Trial Lawyers’ Association. As a breast cancer survivor, she also serves on the Advisory Board of Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert, which helps educate those in the legal profession about breast cancer. She stated, “I believe, with every adversity, when things happen you just have to take a deep breath and keep going. None of us is guaranteed an easy ride. And it’s not so much what happens to you that counts; it’s how you deal with it.”

Justice Steinhardt is available to arbitrate and mediate medical malpractice cases throughout New York state.