WE BRING YOU JUSTICE - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Legal Assistant / Medical Examination Coordinator

Erika Sanchez is one of the firm's pre-litigation paralegals and medical examination coordinators. Prior to joining Buitrago & Associates, PLLC, Erika's legal experience focused on immigration law and bankruptcy law. With over 18 years of experience as a paralegal, her transition into personal injury has been a very smooth one. Erika has a wonderful welcoming personality and is very involved in the communication with our clients. Erika's skills also include marketing with an entrepreneurial spirit, having helped expand her own family business over time. She speaks Spanish, is very passionate about the legal profession, and is always eager to learn. Erika lives in New York City and is a devoted mother to her children.

Job Titles:

• Coordinator
• Litigation Paralegal
• Paralegal / Calendar Coordinator

Gloliset Garzon is a litigation paralegal and calendar coordinator at Buitrago & Associates specializing in motor vehicle, trip/fall, and slip/fall cases. Prior to joining our team, "Glo", worked for 6 years as a paralegal in both Florida and New York, dealing with numerous areas of civil litigation. She is fluent in Spanish and conversational in Greek. Prior to becoming a paralegal, Glo received her Bachelors degree in Forensic Psychology and Addiction Studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. When she's not working hard on personal injury matters, Glo is involved in the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and takes care of her three children. Glo takes pride in connecting with our clients and providing them the service and scheduling support that they deserve during the pendency of their case.

Job Titles:

• Office Manager

Iliana Alvarado is our team's office manager. Iliana's priority is to ensure that our firm runs smoothly, that we are able to maximize the value of our cases, and most importantly that our clients are being cared for. Mrs. Alvarado is heavily involved in the direction and organization of our team. Some of her responsibilities include handling all matters pertaining to any of New York State's Surrogate Courts. She is also in charge of processing all settlement documents, obtaining timely settlement checks, and disbursing all settlement proceeds. She is organized, detail oriented, and has established positive working relationships with colleagues and adversaries, alike. She is compassionate, understanding and always available to speak with our clients. Mrs. Alvarado earned her Bachelor of Political Science at CUNY-Hunter College, and obtained her Paralegal Certification from CUNY York College. She is a mother of two beautiful girls, a loving wife, and an active advocate for her community, who is constantly helping families locally and in El Salvador, her native country. She is also Fluent in Spanish.

Job Titles:

• Senior Manager of IT

Keith Manning is the Senior Manager of IT services at Buitrago & Associates. He is an integral part of what makes our office run properly, with vast experience in numerous technology related industries including banking, finance, and telecommunications. He is based in New York City, and has over 15 years of experience advising clients on IT solutions. In the earlier parts of his career, Keith was the Director of Managed Services for a New York based Software Asset Management consulting firm, Keith also worked previously for KPMG, were he lead hundreds of software audits for top tier software vendors. He is a member of the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers (IAITAM), and holds the Certified Software Asset Manager (CSAM), Certified Hardware Asset Management Professional (CHAMP) and Certified Asset Manager Security Expert (CAMSE) certifications.

Job Titles:

• Litigation Paralegal
• Paralegal

Loizaida De Jesus is a Litigation Paralegal, who specializes in motor vehicle, premises liability and labor law matters. She has over 12 years of experience, in the field of personal injury, all focused on advocating for the plaintiff. Mrs De Jesus excels when it comes to the preparation of pleadings on the firm's complex litigation cases. Her knowledge of the law and experience has made her essential to our firm when it comes to settling motor vehicle cases and avoiding unnecessary expense and litigation. Most importantly, Loi's efforts assure that our clients get their just compensation, as expeditiously as possible. Mrs. De Jesus earned her Associates degree from the Metropolitan College of New York, where she majored in Human Resources. She is bilingual and able to work closely with our Spanish speaking clients. On a personal level, Mrs. De Jesus stays busy taking care of her two adorable children and spends her free time helping the community of the Bronx where most of her family resides.

Mr. Buitrago has negotiated millions of dollars in settlements and has won major verdicts at trial when he and the client deemed settlement offers unacceptable. He has also argued many of his verdicts at the appellate level, thereby collecting not only the recovery he earned his clients but statutory interest, thereby fortifying his reputation of always doing the very best for his clients. Bio Buitrago & Associates PLLC founded in 2015 is owned and managed by Marcelo A. Buitrago. Marcelo A. Buitrago was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 2005 and is also admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. Mr. Buitrago obtained his Juris Doctorate from Hofstra University and holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in Finance from the Frank G. Zarb School of Business, Hofstra University. Prior to running his own practice, Mr. Buitrago was a partner at a powerhouse litigation firm which focused on personal injury, product liability and medical malpractice. He became the youngest partner in the shortest amount of time in the firm's history. After a year and a half of being with the firm he was honored to become a partner. This was awarded to him after demonstrating his abilities, the settlements he obtained and unexpected verdicts. Prior to that he was a senior trial associate in a nationally renowned law firm with offices in Florida, District of Columbia, New York, and New Jersey. His knowledge and trial experience has earned him an impressive reputation not only with his clients, but amongst his peers in the legal profession. Presiding Justices of the New York State Supreme Court in the Counties of Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn have recognized his top-notch skills and professional integrity. He has negotiated millions of dollars in settlements and has won major verdicts at trial when he and the client deemed settlement offers unacceptable. He has also argued many of his verdicts at the appellate level, thereby collecting not only the recovery he earned his clients, but statutory interest, thereby fortifying his reputation of always doing the very best for his clients. Due to his hard work and dedication he is sought out by clients on both sides of the bar. He is on several insurance company's lists as trial counsel and consultant. He has been recognized by his peers and been named a Super Lawyer. He has been noted on multiple issues of the New York Law Journal. Mr. Buitrago has been selected as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in The State of New York by The National Trial Lawyers Organization, top 40 lawyers under 40 years old by The National Trial Lawyers Association, Top 10 Lawyers under 40 Years old by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, received a top rating of 10 by AVVO, awarded the Client's Choice Award for consecutive years, named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers for over five consecutive years. In addition, he was hand-chosen by a committee from The National Trial Lawyers to become a Membership Director for that organization. The National Trial Lawyers is an honorary invitation-only organization that extends membership to elite attorneys who are recognized for superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership in their respective states. His dedication to his clients and the growth of his firm is unparalleled. This is shown by the fact that every one of his client's has his cell phone number. This is sadly not a norm in the industry, but Mr. Buitrago never forgets why he chose this field; he chose it to help get justice for his clients. Languages Bilingual and fluent in Spanish, as well as conversational French.

Job Titles:

• Member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association

Mr. Lasher's knowledge and trial experience is respected and wide- ranging. He has represented clients in all types of personal injury actions including motor vehicle accidents, trip/slip and falls, medical malpractice, construction accidents and products liability and has obtained millions of dollars in settlements and trial verdicts for his clients. Mr. Lasher is a member of The New York State Trial Lawyers Association, The Brain Injury Association of New York State, The New York City Spinal Cord Injury Association, New York State Bar Association, Queens County Bar Association and Kings County Bar Association. Bio Rick J. Lasher was admitted to the New York Bar in 2012 and has handled cases in all of the boroughs of New York City as well as in Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester and Putnam counties. Mr. Lasher, born and raised in Dix Hills, New York, obtained his Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School in 2011 and holds a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from Binghamton University. Before joining Buitrago & Associates, Mr. Lasher was a Trial Associate at Dankner Milstein, a well-known personal injury law firm located in Manhattan. Prior to that, he held a position at the Queens County District Attorney's office and advocated for worker's unemployment benefits in law school even prior to being admitted to practice law. Languages Able to communicate in Spanish

Job Titles:

• Head Paralegal

Tansy Troncoso-Cano is our Senior Paralegal and has been in the field of personal injury for over 10 years since she graduated with a Bachelors degree in Political Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Tansy is an expert in everything related to motor vehicle accidents and no fault insurance. She is also the firm's trial specialist and has extensive experience in medical malpractice matters as well. Throughout her career Tansy has taken cases from inception to trial, which has resulted in outstanding results for our clients. Tansy shows her dedication to our clients everyday in how understanding she is during these difficult times for our clients. She is just as hard working outside the office as well. Tansy is a board member for a non-profit organization and looks forward to teaching English and Spanish to her young daughter.

Job Titles:

• Legal Assistant
• Medical Records Clerk

Yuderka Espinal-Nunez, also known as Judy, is a Legal Assistant and Medical Records Clerk. She has 14 years of experience as an Administrative Assistant prior to joining Buitrago & Associates. Judy works with medical facilities to obtain all medical documentation necessary to achieve the best results for our clients. She is also essential to the day to day operations of the firm. From answering phones to confirming medical appointments, Judy is constantly in contact with our clients and their treating physicians. She has an associate degree in HealthCare Administration. In her spare time, Judy is a devoted mom of three, and loves to enjoy time with her family.