Lecturer Bios
Joshua D. Kelner, Esq.
Joshua D. Kelner graduated cum laude from Williams College in 2001 and cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2004. While in law school, he was Articles Editor for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, and a finalist in the Ames Moot Court Competition. In college, he was President of the Williams College debate team.
He has been associated with Kelner & Kelner since 2005, during which time he has concentrated his practice on the trial preparation of complex personal injury cases and on appellate advocacy. He has conducted depositions, second seated trials, and argued numerous motions before the courts. He has also successfully briefed and argued numerous appeals. He was previously associated with the law firm of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, LLP, during which time he focused on federal litigation and white collar criminal defense.
He is the author of The Anatomy of an Image: Unpacking the Case for Tort Reform, which was published in the University of Dayton Law Review in 2006. He is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the New York State Bar Association.
Emil L. Samuels, Esq
Emil L. Samuels joined Kelner and Kelner in 1991. He concentrates his practice in all types of personal injury matters, including motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, and municipal liability.
As a trial lawyer with the firm, Mr. Samuels has successfully represented our clients in both State and Federal courts. Mr. Samuels has written and argued appeals in the Appellate Courts in the First and Second Departments. Mr. Samuels lectures on the topics within the field of negligence at the annual CLE weekend at St. John's University School of Law.
Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Samuels recently obtained a $12.5 million verdict in Queens County for a man injured in a bus accident. He also won a $4 million verdict in NY County for a woman struck by a commercial van; this was a top 10 largest verdict in New York State in 2020.
Mr. Samuels has also obtained a $5 million settlement for the wrongful death of a husband arising out of a building fire and negotiated a $3.8 settlement for a child who sustained burns in a fire while residing in a city shelter. He also successfully obtained a settlement of $3.8 million for the wrongful death of a construction worker who died after falling from a defective scaffold, and obtained a $2 million recovery in federal court for the wrongful death of a merchant seaman.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Samuels worked as a legislative assistant in the office of the New York State Assembly Deputy Majority Leader where he was responsible for the drafting and shepherding of legislation. In 2000, he ran for the NY State Assembly in the 17th Assembly District in Nassau County, New York. Currently, Mr. Samuels serves as an elected Village Justice in Nassau County, New York.
Kimberly A. Schirripa, Esq.
Mrs. Schirripa is a Partner who is based in the firm's New York City Office. Her practice concentrates on complex cases, products liability, construction/labor law cases, general liability, and automobile liability. She has over 12 years of experience representing companies and individuals in high exposure cases in both Federal and State Courts in New York and New Jersey. She has also successfully argued before the Appellate Division, First and Second Departments.
Mrs. Schirripa is a 1999 graduate from State University at Albany where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She is 2002 graduate of New York Law School, where she graduated magna cum laude and received the Order of the Barristers Award for her skills in oral advocacy. She was also an Articles Editor for the Journal of International and Comparative Law and the Vice-Chair of the Moot Court Association. Ms. Schirripa has been selected for inclusion in the 2019 and 2020 New York Super Lawyers.
