Poughkeepsie, NY

Derek J. Spada

Derek J. Spada was born in Kingston, raised in Saugerties, and currently resides in Woodstock. He is an exceptional litigator and has successfully concluded thousands of personal injury cases since becoming an attorney. Derek is often assigned the most complex aspects of the firm’s cases. He is highly regarded by his peers and has become an especially accomplished appellate attorney. Derek has utilized his strong writing skills to handle more than 125 appeals and more than 1,000 summary judgment motions during his career. Derek is also a distinguished trial attorney. Using strategic and aggressive methods when necessary, he has resolved numerous complex issues on behalf of clients. Derek obtained the highest jury verdicts in Ulster County in 2021 and 2022. For years Derek has proven himself in courtrooms across the state of New York. Derek was voted President of the Ulster County Bar Association for an unprecedented three terms in 2011, 2017 and 2021, served as the Chair of the Ulster County Board of Ethics from 2015 - 2022, and was a member of the Character and Fitness Committee for the Third Judicial Department from 2013 - 2023. Derek has judged local high school mock trial competitions, as well as moot court competitions at his former law school. He is active in organizations throughout the community and coached his son’s Little League baseball team for several years.

Martin P. Rutberg

When people meet Marty Rutberg, they sense that this is a serious man doing serious work. Other lawyers try to impress people by talking about the size of their verdicts and settlements; Marty’s record speaks for itself. He focuses his firm on the size of the difference they make in people’s lives - Marty sees personal injury law as the ultimate “helping profession.” He chose to be a personal injury lawyer so he could help people. To some, that statement is just words, but to Marty Rutberg, it’s a personal mantra and the cultural foundation of the firm. Marty has been practicing law for more than 40 years, initially in general practice. But after winning a large personal injury verdict for a client with brain injuries, Marty chose to devote his career to helping injured people and their families. This is an attorney with an impressive portfolio of verdicts and settlements, many with compelling human perspective. He has impeccable credentials, including service as President of the Dutchess County Bar Association, receipt of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Community Service, and memberships in the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the American Association for Justice. His unique presence and effectiveness derive from the way his personal and professional lives merge to create a unique legal personality. In his college years, Marty saw himself working in forestry, then turned to political science and the law, but never lost his affinity for the outdoors. He is a lifelong mountain hiker and canoe traveler who regularly journeys solo. He believes that his time “outside and alone” gives him an edge in presenting his cases. People who speak with him and see him work believe it too. As Marty describes it, “There is some kind of synergy between the skills and experience of wilderness travel and my professional style, especially in the courtroom. Both involve sustained physical output along with a calmed mind and opened senses. Both require you to constantly see the big picture yet quickly identify important details. It’s not exactly thinking. It is more of a spontaneous seeing of things as they are and taking them as they come. Lots of people can learn the rules of law. My inner experience in wilderness somehow gives me the ability to absorb and embody my client’s case. That allows me to be extremely effective in communicating the case to others. That communication is the purpose of my professional existence. Marty’s refined perception, analysis, and judgment are his guides in the complex world of personal injury law. It makes him a formidable opponent and a valued advocate in and out of the courtroom.” Critical thinking and the ability to make correct decisions under pressure are paramount to success whether in the wilderness or in presenting a case. Marty’s refined perception, analysis, and judgment are his guides in the complex world of injury law. That makes him a formidable opponent and a valued advocate both in and out of the courtroom. To a great degree, Marty is the product of his upbringing. He grew up in a modest home in a blue-collar environment. He has never forgotten his roots and the need to protect the rights of people from all walks of life, especially those who have been hurt by someone else’s negligence. Marty believes that, “in your heart, you are either an attorney for injured plaintiffs or for defendants. You can’t play both sides without being phony. A plaintiff’s lawyer is a people’s lawyer. The defense is mostly about protecting insurance company profits.” Marty Rutberg is comfortable in his commitment to the side of the plaintiff. He is proud that Rutberg Breslow is one of the few firms that represent only injured people and their families. In the end, it’s not about the bragging rights that come with the settlements and verdicts, it’s about getting his clients what they deserve, case after case. If you live anywhere in eastern New York State, chances are you have heard Marty on the radio. There are few who don’t recognize his voice and his message. He is the champion of everyday people with serious injuries. When Marty says he is going to get you fair compensation, you believe it. So do his adversaries. Marty combines tenacity and compassion in a style that achieves results for his clients. His reputation is impeccable. He’s the guy with the intelligence and instincts necessary to lead you through the legal woods... or any woods for that matter.

Alexander E. Mainetti

Alexander E. Mainetti, Esq. is a personal injury trial attorney and partner at the law firm of Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C. Alex along with his brother and father formed Mainetti & Mainetti, P.C., in 2018, a law firm designed exclusively to handle personal injury cases. Since then the firm has grown from 1 to 3 law offices including Kingston, Poughkeepsie and now New Windsor, NY, has doubled their attorney and paralegal staff and was voted the #1 Personal Injury Law Firm in the Hudson Valley. Within the firm, Alex is focused on personal injury trial advocacy. He has obtained millions of dollars in trial verdicts and settlements in Supreme Courts and Federal Courts throughout the State of New York. He was voted #1 lawyer in the Hudson Valley in the 2022 Chronogrammies. He has been ranked as 10 out of 10 on AVVO, Top 40 under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association, Top 10 nationally by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, Top Lawyers of Upstate New York, America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, Ranked Nationally as Top 10 under 40 by NAOPIA and nominated as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers every year consistently since 2016. Alex is dedicated to helping his clients who have been wronged and promises to provide them with the highest level of representation. Alex is a graduate of Queens College and a 2013 graduate of Albany Law School. Outside of the law, Alex was elected and served as President of Ulster County Community Action (UCCA), a not-for-profit organization focused on helping poverty-stricken families in the Hudson Valley community. He spent countless hours at UCCA developing strategies to grow the organization and provide a better quality of life to all those in need. In 2019-2020 Alex was also elected and served as President of the Ulster County Bar Association. UCBA is an organization comprised of Ulster County Justices presiding over Village, Town, City, County, Supreme and Appellate Division Courts, as well as Hudson Valley attorneys. Most recently, in 2023 Alex proudly joined Kingston Uptown Business Association (KUBA) as a Board Member and in 2024 was elected Vice President. KUBA is a tremendous organization largely responsible for the revitalization and continual improvement of the Uptown Kingston Business District.

Eli B. Basch

Kingston native, Eli B. Basch, has been helping Ulster County injury victims for over thirty years. He has dedicated his career to helping injury victims and the families of individuals who were injured or killed in Ulster County car accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, falls, fires, explosions, recreational accidents, boating accidents, plane crashes, construction accidents, defective product accidents, and medical negligence. Mr. Basch is widely regarded as one of the most experienced and successful personal injury attorneys in Upstate New York. With over 250 trial verdicts and more than 5,000 settlements to his credit, Eli has handled more trials than any other personal injury lawyer currently practicing in Ulster County. In fact, he has represented more injury victims than any other lawyer in the history of Ulster County. In 2011, Eli Basch was named a Super Lawyer of Upstate New York by Super Lawyers Magazine, and he’s been recognized among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers of New York State since 2007. His reputation has earned him a position on the Governor’s Screening Committee for Judicial Appointments, and he previously served on the Committee for Professional Standards in the Third Judicial Department from 1998 to 2004. Mr. Basch lives in Kingston just two miles from his office. Mr. Basch welcomes the opportunity to sit down and visit with you to discuss how he can help you deal with your serious personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage claim.

Maureen A. Keegan

As a co-founder and partner at Basch Keegan & Spada, Maureen A. Keegan (Moe) has practiced personal injury law exclusively since 1986. Maureen’s areas of practice include all aspects of civil litigation, medical malpractice, wrongful death, automobile and trucking claims, product and premises liability. Initially, Ms. Keegan worked for a medical malpractice defense firm in New York City. Based in Kingston for the last 30 years, Ms. Keegan has successfully represented clients throughout the Hudson Valley, greater New York City, and Capital District areas. Before studying law, Keegan worked as a Pharmacy Resident at Johns Hopkins and at teaching hospitals in New York State. She has been a Super Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer of New York State. Over the years, Keegan has successfully represented thousands of injury victims and is widely known as a successful and knowledgeable attorney in the Hudson Valley. She is active in local community and bar associations. Basch Keegan & Spada’s philanthropic support is well known in Ulster and Dutchess Counties. The firm was honored by SUNY Ulster and Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. In addition, Basch Keegan & Spada collects for the pantry of People’s Place at Thanksgiving time. They have supported the Jewish Federation’s Fall for Art for more than 20 years, support the Ulster County Bar Association’s Adopt a Star program at Christmas. There are dozens of other excellent philanthropic groups Basch Keegan & Spada lends a helping hand to. Moe, a native Long Islander, has enjoyed making the Hudson Valley her home for the past 30+ years. She and her husband Dave have two children, Ryan and Jane, who both graduated from Kingston High School. Jane is currently teaching math at Brooklyn Tech, and Ryan will be awarded an MBA from Stanford in June, 2021. Moe enjoys the outdoors and is an active sculler and member of the Rondout Row Club. She and Dave enjoy exploring the hike and bike trails in Ulster, Dutchess, Greene and Columbia County.

Lawrence A. Breslow

When you’re in a courtroom with Larry Breslow, it’s hard to miss the high energy he exudes. Motivated by his compassion for the injured and blessed with a knack for what he calls “the core of a story,” Larry is fundamentally driven by a strong competitive nature. For him a trial is “the process of beating down insurance defense lawyers with the truth.” His courtroom style coincides with his view of the world where “the facts and common sense mean a whole lot more than a bunch of technicalities.” Juries tend to agree. Knowing that, his courtroom opponents often see the wisdom of settling his cases. Larry is almost always smiling. When not in court, his fast wit and ready laugh tends to put clients at ease. He lightens the moment for his clients so they are more able to help him address the painful business of their case. True to the mission of the firm, which places the attorney-client relationship at the foundation of every case and by staying focused on their needs, Larry’s connection to his clients runs deep. Larry’s diverse background and experiences have helped shape his philosophy of the practice of law. His father exemplified the highest standard of legal practice so from an early age, Larry saw law as a way to help people. Following law school he spent several years in civil litigation and personal injury law before accepting a position as in-house counsel for a highly regarded publisher. In 2005, he returned to his roots and passion...the practice of personal injury law. He brings to the Rutberg Breslow Personal Injury Law firm a unique combination of skills and experience. By virtue of his legal acumen and relentless pursuit of excellence, he wins justice and fair compensation for his clients in case after case. Guided by a strong sense of right and wrong, at all stages of litigation, settlement and trial, Larry’s legal skills are a source of pride to the entire firm. In 2012, Larry became managing partner of the firm.