Attorney Marc L. Breakstone
Attorney Marc L. Breakstone Says Clients Feel Former New England Patriots Player Brandon Spikes “Got Off Lightly” With Probation
Click here to view the interview on WCVB.
Former New England Patriots player Brandon Spikes pled guilty yesterday to criminal charges in the hit-and-run car crash which injured a family of three on I-495 in Foxborough. He was sentenced to one year probation and loss of license.
Attorney Marc L. Breakstone of Breakstone, White & Gluck represents the family.
“They feel that he got off lightly for engaging in conduct that could have killed them frankly,” Breakstone told WCVB.
Early on June 7, Spikes was driving his Mercedes-Benz Maybach on I-495 in Foxborough and struck the Nissan Murano carrying Breakstone’s clients. He was traveling without headlights and hit the family’s car at a high-speed, but never stopped.
They were treated at a local hospital. Police found his vehicle abandoned nearby, after his on-board navigation company reported the driver stated he had hit a deer. Spikes, who had just returned to the New England Patriots a month earlier, was released by the team shortly later.
Yesterday in Wrentham District Court, Spikes was found responsible for speeding and a marked lanes violation as well. He also admitted prosecutors had sufficient facts to convict him on charges of negligent operation and driving an uninsured vehicle. Those charges were continued without a finding for one year and Spikes could avoid conviction if he stays out of trouble.
Breakstone told The Boston Herald his clients are, “very lucky not to have been killed. They’re still traumatized by this incident. This guy, hopefully, learned a lesson that will change his behavior going forward.”
Driving without auto insurance is against the law in Massachusetts and punishable by a fine or up to one year in a house of correction.
“This is a trifecta of irresponsibility; no insurance, reckless driving, leaving the scene in a cowardly fashion,” Breakstone told Fox 25 TV.
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston
Coverage: The Boston Herald, The Boston Globe, WCVB, Fox 25 TV Boston and WHDH.
Attorney Marc L. Breakstone Responds After State Police Announce Former Patriots Player Brandon Spikes Will Be Charged With Leaving Scene of Personal Injury Crash
Attorney Marc L. Breakstone spoke to Fox 25 News Boston after State Police issued a citation charging former New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes in the hit-and-run accident that injured a family of three. Breakstone is representing the family.
“It’s surprising to them that Mr. Spikes would drive so recklessly and then just leave the scene,” Breakstone told the news station. “It will affect them for a long time. This could have been a story with a tragic ending.”
Spikes will be charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury crash, operating a motor vehicle negligently to endanger, speeding and failure to stay within marked lanes. He was cut by the New England Patriots after State Police opened the investigation.
Attorney Marc Breakstone Speaks for Clients in Hit and Run Accident With Possible Link to Former Patriot Player’s Mercedes
Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston
As State Police investigate a weekend hit-and-run car crash in Foxborough, attorney Marc L. Breakstone spoke on behalf of his clients who were injured. Breakstone told The Boston Globe there is “overwhelming evidence” that his clients’ vehicle was struck by the Mercedes-Benz Mabach registered to ex-New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes.
Breakstone, a personal injury attorney at Breakstone, White & Gluck in Boston, is representing the Billerica family who was struck in the early Sunday morning crash. The parents and child were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after their Nissan Murano was struck suddenly.
Breakstone said the car that struck his clients was likely traveling at least 80 to 85 miles per hour and that his clients never saw any headlights.
“It is an extraordinary act of negligence for one vehicle to strike another vehicle that’s traveling 60 miles an hour on the highway,” Breakstone told the Globe. “I suspect that whatever that driver was under the influence of is the reason that the driver left the scene.”
Around the same time, State Police were notified the 2011 Mercedes-Benz Maybach registered to Spikes had been abandoned nearby in the median strip of Interstate 495 in Foxborough. A Mercedes roadside assistance service operator contacted State Police, telling them the driver of the vehicle reported hitting a deer.
State Police say the investigation is ongoing and they have not established who was driving the Mercedes-Benz Maybach or whether the Maybach hit the other car.
Spikes was released by the Patriots on Monday. He played for the Patriots from 2010 through 2013, then joined the Buffalo Bills for the 2014 season. He had recently returned to the Patriots on a one-year deal which would have been worth up to $2 million.
Breakstone told the Globe his clients are working to move past the hit-and-run accident.
“They want their normal lives back,” he said. “They want their good health and their comfortable state of mind. … They’re alarmed, first, that they could have been killed. They’re alarmed that it may have been an NFL player behind the wheel, and they would just [prefer to] not be in the spotlight and just have a return to normalcy.”
Related Coverage:
Accident Blindsided Family, Lawyer Says, The Boston Herald.
Patriots release Brandon Spikes amid crash investigation, WCVB.
Police probing whether ex-Patriots linebacker Spikes’ car hit Billerica family’s, The Lowell Sun.
Breakstone, White & Gluck Participates in Bike Friday
Today was Bike Friday, sponsored by Boston Bikes, the city office which promotes safe cycling. Bike Friday is one of the last events of Bay State Bike Week. It included a number of organized rides and a gathering at Boston City Hall. Breakstone, White & Gluck was there to share information about our Project KidSafe campaign.
Attorney David W. White and Attorney Marc L. Breakstone of Breakstone, White & Gluck participated in Bike Friday at Boston City Hall Plaza. The two attorneys were there to support the cyclists as they rode in and to share information about the firm’s Project KidSafe campaign.
Boston Bikes organizes Bike Fridays to celebrate those who ride their bikes to work and to encourage others. More than two dozen organizations and vendors signed up for today’s event. While 200 cyclists registered for the event, organizers estimated up to 350 cyclists actually pedaled in and enjoyed a free breakfast, courtesy of Boloco.
Breakstone, White & Gluck participated for the first time and set up our Project KidSafe tent to show support for the cyclists. Attorneys David W. White and Marc L. Breakstone were among the crowd waiting for the cyclist convoys, which came in from Lexington, Newton, Somerville and many other communities.
Other organizations which participated included MassBike, Boston Cyclists Union, Livable Streets Alliance, Hubway and Landry’s Bicycles.
Marc and David spoke to a number of cyclists about our Project KidSafe initiative, through which we donate bicycle helmets to children who need one in the Boston and Worcester areas. We have donated more than 4,000 bicycle helmets since 2013, through partner organizations such as CYCLE Kids of Cambridge, Somerville and Cambridge public schools, Bikes Not Bombs, Massachusetts Safe Routes to Schools, the Westborough Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. We have also worked with Boston Bikes’ Roll It Forward program, which refurbishes used bicycles and donates them to city residents who may not otherwise have access to a bicycle.
After the event, Marc said, “It is rewarding for us to be able to give back to the community in a way that promotes safety for children. We look forward to continuing our Project KidSafe program, and to expanding it in the years to come.”
The next Bike Friday events are scheduled for June 26th, July 24th and August 28th. Read more about the event.
The cyclists came in in convoys this morning, traveling in from Lexington, Arlington and other communities. While 200 cyclists registered in advance, organizers estimate 350 actually rolled in.
Breakstone, White & Gluck Honored by Super Lawyers for 11th Year
We are pleased to announce our attorneys have been selected as Super Lawyers for 2014. This is the 11th year they have been recognized as among the best in Massachusetts and New England.
Our partners, Marc L. Breakstone, David W. White and Ronald E. Gluck, have been selected to various lists, including the Top 100 New England Super Lawyers, Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyers, New England Super Lawyers and Massachusetts Super Lawyers. Our associate, Samuel A. Segal, has been selected to Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars, for the second consecutive year.
Super Lawyers is a national rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. The top 5 percent of attorneys in each state are selected. The Super Lawyers list will be published in November’s edition of Boston Magazine.
Attorney Marc Breakstone was selected for the following 2014 Super Lawyers honors:
- Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers, Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice
- New England Super Lawyers, Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice
Breakstone has also been named a Top 100 New England Super Lawyer four times, in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013. It is the eighth year he has been recognized to the Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyers and his 11th year as a Massachusetts and New England Super Lawyer in the category of plaintiff’s medical malpractice.
Breakstone has established a reputation as one of the top medical malpractice and personal injury lawyers in Massachusetts and New England. For over 25 years, he has represented clients who have been seriously injured by negligence in cases involving wrongful death, construction accidents, gas explosions and transportation and truck accidents. He is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.
Attorney David W. White was selected for the following 2014 Super Lawyers honors:
- Top 100 New England Super Lawyers
- Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyers
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers, Personal Injury General Plaintiff
White, a past president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, has been named to the Top 100 New England Super Lawyers list three times and the Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list six times. He has been recognized on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list in the personal injury category for 11 years.
White has practiced law in Boston for over 25 years and specializes in personal injury cases, representing clients seriously injured in bicycle accidents, car accidents, construction accidents and those injured in product liability and premises liability cases. He is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.
Attorney Ronald E. Gluck has been selected for the following 2014 Super Lawyers honors:
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers, Personal Injury General Plaintiff
- New England Super Lawyers, Personal Injury General Plaintiff
Gluck, who represented victims of the 9-11 attacks, has been selected to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list for 10 years and New England Super Lawyers for 8 years. He has represented seriously injured clients for over 30 years in cases involving wrongful death, car and truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, liquor liability, premises liability and product liability. He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Attorney Samuel A. Segal has been selected for the following 2014 Super Lawyers honors:
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2014
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2013
Segal handles personal injury cases in all areas of the firm’s practice, including medical malpractice, premises liability, car accidents and construction accident claims. He is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law. The Rising Stars list recognizes the top 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state who are either 40 years old or younger or who have been in practice for 10 years or less.
22 Years and Counting!
Founded in May 1992, Breakstone, White & Gluck celebrates its 22nd anniversary this week. Our law firm has been guided by a commitment to provide consistently excellent representation to individuals and families who have been seriously harmed by the negligence of others. We feel honored to help our clients not only obtain full and fair financial compensation, but also the best possible medical and personal end-results. We are grateful to the innumerable referring attorneys who have entrusted their clients’ cases to us. We are thankful to our own families for their love and support. We look forward to continuing to serve our community and our clients in the future. Thank you.
Lobbying for Civil Legal Aid in Massachusetts
The lawyers of Breakstone, White & Gluck lobbied their state legislators on Beacon Hill today in support of increased funding for civil legal aid as part of the annual Walk to the Hill 2014. The event, sponsored by the Equal Justice Coalition, draws lawyers from across the Commonwealth for a day of lobbying for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, which provides legal aid for the poor and underserved.
“The amount of funding for civil legal aid has suffered a decline in the last ten years; some sources of funding have dried up, costs have increased, and the legislature has been slow to fill the gap. We are asking our legislators to increase funding from $13 million in the last fiscal year to $17 million this year,” said David White. Governor Patrick has recommended only $14 million in his budget request.
Marc Breakstone explained that investing in legal aid actually saves the state money in the long run. “For example, legal service agencies can help find available Federal benefits which people are already entitled to, and can prevent people from being wrongfully evicted and becoming homeless,” he explained. “For example,” Breakstone added, “in Fiscal Year 2012, legal aid organizations unlocked over $70 million in new revenue and cost savings, all on a modest budget of $10.5 million.”
However, caseloads are increasing, staff is being cut, and the number of people who need legal services, but cannot receive them because of budget limitations, continues to increase.
“Massachusetts needs to continue its commitment to the poor and disabled,” said Ronald Gluck. “Considering the return on investment in legal aid, the issue should be a no-brainer,” he added.
For more information, visit the website of the Equal Justice Coalition, or the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation.
Breakstone, White & Gluck Selected for New England and Massachusetts Super Lawyers Lists; 10th Year Honored
We are pleased to announce our lawyers have been honored as Super Lawyers for 2013.
Partners Marc L. Breakstone, David W. White and Ronald E. Gluck were selected for inclusion to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers for 2013 list. Associate Samuel A. Segal was also selected to Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2013. The honors will be printed in a supplement of November’s edition of Boston Magazine.
Breakstone, White & Gluck’s lawyers have been recognized by Super Lawyers for 10 years, first in 2004. Super Lawyers is a publication of Thomson Reuters. It rates lawyers across the country and recognizes no more than the top 5 percent of lawyers in each state. Attorneys are selected using a rigorous, multiphase process that includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.
Rising Stars uses the same selection process, except candidates must be 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. Only 2.5 percent of lawyers in each state are recognized as Rising Stars.
Attorney Marc L. Breakstone was selected as one of the Top 100 New England Super Lawyers for 2013, a Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyer for 2013 and a Massachusetts Super Lawyer for 2013. This is Breakstone’s fourth time being selected as a Top 100 New England Super Lawyer. He has been selected to the Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyer seven times and a Massachusetts Super Lawyer for ten years. Breakstone, a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, has been practicing law in Boston for over 25 years and specializes in personal injury cases involving wrongful death, medical malpractice, gas explosions, construction accidents and transportation accidents. Read more about Marc.
Attorney David W. White was selected as a Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyer for 2013 and a Massachusetts Super Lawyer for 2013. It is White’s fifth time on the Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyer list and tenth year on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list. He has also been named to the Top 100 New England Super Lawyers list twice. White, a graduate of the Northeastern University School of Law, is a past president of the Massachusetts Bar Association and has been practicing law in Boston for over 25 years. He specializes in personal injury, wrongful death, insurance bad faith, bicycle accident and motor vehicle accident claims. Read more about David.
Attorney Ronald E. Gluck was selected as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer for 2013 for the ninth year and a New England Super Lawyer for the seventh time. Gluck has been practicing law in Boston for over 30 years and serves on the Board of Governors for the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. Gluck specializes in personal injury cases involving wrongful death, car accidents, head injuries, motorcycle accidents, liquor law liability, premises liability, defective medical devices and pharmaceutical product liability. He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Read more about Ron.
Attorney Samuel A. Segal was selected as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2013. Segal joined Breakstone, White & Gluck as an associate in early 2010 and has handled cases involving personal injury, auto accidents, dog bites, gas explosions and medical malpractice. Segal is an active member of the Young Lawyers Division of the Massachusetts Bar Association and volunteers as an attorney-coach for the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Mock Trial Team in Cambridge. He is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.
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Attorney Marc Breakstone Comments in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Article: “Too Much Information? Lawyers Split Over Online Juror Surveillance”
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly writes this week about the divide among lawyers on monitoring social media use and Internet activities by jurors. It is a common practice, especially in Massachusetts, which does not allow attorney-conducted voir dire. There have been no ethical opinions on the subject issued in Massachusetts. Not all attorneys are comfortable with it, but some consider it fair.
“I see no ethical issue. It’s in the public domain,” says Marc L. Breakstone, a Boston personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer with over 25 years of experience. “The public domain is the public domain. There’s certainly nothing wrong with checking the Internet. There would be a lot wrong with interacting with jurors or doing anything on the Internet to influence jurors with respect to the case.”
Breakstone later adds, “Trial lawyers are starving for information about jurors. The Internet is a potential treasure trove of information. Why wouldn’t a diligent trial lawyer inquire of that source? I would rather have voir dire, but without voir dire, this is all I can do.”
Read the full article online or view the PDF version.
Breakstone, White & Gluck Recognized on Boston’s Top Rated Lawyers List
Breakstone, White & Gluck announces its lawyers have been recognized in the 2012 edition of Boston’s Top Rated Lawyers. The list was created by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, which tapped its database of Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings to identify lawyers who have been given its highest rating of AV Preeminent. This rating is based on the confidential opinions of lawyers and members of the judiciary who have been invited to participate.
Attorney Marc L. Breakstone has been named to the General Practice list of top Boston lawyers. Attorney Breakstone has been recognized numerous times throughout his legal career. He has been named to the list of Top 100 New England Super Lawyers twice and to the list of Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyers five times. Attorney Breakstone has been named to the Massachusetts Super Lawyer list seven years in a row. He is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and specializes in personal injury, construction accident and medical malpractice cases. Click here to read his bio.
Attorney David W. White has been named to the Personal Injury list of top Boston lawyers. Attorney White has received numerous honors throughout his career. He has been named to the list of Massachusetts Super Lawyers eight times. He was twice selected to the list of Top 100 New England Super Lawyers and four times to the list of Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyers. Attorney White is a past president of the Massachusetts Bar Association and recipient of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ President’s Award in 2008. A graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, attorney White specializes in personal injury, medical malpractice and bike accident cases. Click here to read his bio.
Attorney Ronald E. Gluck has been named to the Civil Litigation list of top Boston lawyers. Attorney Gluck has been recognized numerous times during his professional career. He has been named to the list of Massachusetts Super Lawyers seven consecutive years. He has also been chosen for the list of New England Super Lawyers five times. Attorney Gluck specializes in catastrophic personal injury cases stemming from car accidents, construction accidents, public transportation disasters and medical device and pharmaceutical product liability. He is a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Click here to read his bio.
Click here to view this year’s list of Boston’s Top Rated Lawyers.
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