Early in my career, the litigation work I did largely revolved around big companies and wealthy individuals going up against each other. Those clients appreciated good work and the results we delivered, but for them the win was just about the money. After doing this work for several years, I realized I didn’t want to dedicate my life to helping those multimillion-dollar companies. I want to use my skills to make a real difference in peoples’ lives.”
Avelino Garcia is on Weitz & Luxenberg’s team of knowledgeable and experienced personal injury and negligence attorneys. He brings a unique perspective with his background in commercial litigation.
In addition to working on behalf of survivors of child sexual abuse, Mr. Garcia is working on the sex trafficking case against Abercrombie & Fitch. He is focused on helping survivors get the justice they so rightfully deserve.
Helping Regular People
“Even though I ended up going a different direction with my career, I don’t at all regret working for a large corporate defense firm. I was just out of law school and excited to get all the experience I could. Everything was brand new, and I learned a lot about the practice of law,” Mr. Garcia says.
He adds, “But it didn’t take me long to realize that what I really wanted to do was help regular people. I wanted to do something that matters in someone else’s day-to-day life.”
Mr. Garcia reveals that one of the most rewarding parts of his previous work experience was handling pro bono cases for immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. In fact, he’s still working on one of these cases. “The work I’m doing for this client really matters. The impact on his life will be huge,” he states.
“This opportunity has made it clear to me how helping regular people is so much more rewarding than helping wealthy individuals and multimillion-dollar companies get a little richer,” emphasizes Mr. Garcia.
Supporting Adult Survivors of Sex Abuse
At a prior firm, Mr. Garcia represented The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre in Long Island, New York. That representation came about when the Diocese of Rockville Centre was forced into bankruptcy after an overwhelming number of child sex abuse survivors were allowed to assert their previously time-barred claims. This experience is particularly helpful to W&L, as we frequently take on large organizations accused of failing to prevent child sex abuse.
As Mr. Garcia explains it, “in the context of bankruptcy, the biggest fight is often over how much money is available to be split amongst the survivors. Unfortunately, these kinds of defendants are very adept at delaying and obstructing that process, so it is really important to know how to get to a resolution quickly and efficiently.”
Doing All We Can for Our Clients
We choose the legal strategy and approach that works in our client’s best interests. And we help our clients determine what that may be.
When it comes to large organizations accused of sex abuse or sex trafficking, the legal claims could number in the dozens or more.
In recent years, Weitz & Luxenberg has filed claims on behalf of adult survivors of sex abuse. We continue to file claims against organizations that failed to protect the survivors, as well as the individuals who perpetrated the abuse.
Sometimes, an organization needs to file for bankruptcy because it cannot afford to pay out the millions of dollars in judgments against them. W&L also helps our clients by filing claims for financial compensation with these bankruptcy trusts.
Building the Skills to Make a Difference
Mr. Garcia’s strong foundation in different forms of litigation is a welcome addition to our firm. It adds to our arsenal of legal weapons.
He began building his litigation experience at a large, corporate firm. The firm has thousands of employees and over 40 office locations around the world.
Although Mr. Garcia realized he wanted to help individuals early on, he gained important legal experience while there. This included handling commercial contract disputes, bankruptcy-related litigation, and Fair Credit Reporting Act statutory claims.
He also worked at a boutique law firm focused on high-stakes commercial litigation. While there, he handled commercial disputes of all types and represented both plaintiffs and defendants.
Mr. Garcia’s clients at his prior firms included large financial institutions, renewable energy companies, credit reporting bureaus, wealthy individuals, investors, and more.
On the Personal Side
Mr. Garcia is licensed to practice law in the state of New York. He earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law in New York City, and he earned undergraduate degrees in Spanish and mathematics and political science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Outside the office, Mr. Garcia lives in Brooklyn and enjoys spending time with his fiancée and cat. He has lots of hobbies, including cycling, birding, golf, and photography.
