Michael J. Petruzziello
Michael Petruzziello is a trial attorney licensed in California and New York who represents individuals in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, premises liability, and complex civil litigation. For nearly two decades, he has built his career in courtrooms—trying cases, examining witnesses, and advocating for clients before judges and juries.
Trial Experience
Michael helped secure a $7.385 million jury verdict in a product liability trial, where he directly examined the plaintiff, members of the plaintiff’s family, the treating physician, and multiple fact witnesses; cross-examined the defense’s liability expert; and delivered the closing argument to the jury.
Throughout his career, Michael has handled every phase of litigation, including depositions, mediations, dispositive motions, expert discovery, jury selection, and trial. He has conducted and defended depositions involving parties, expert witnesses, corporate representatives, treating physicians, and fact witnesses.
Michael believes insurance companies pay their highest settlements when they know an attorney is fully prepared to take a case through verdict. For that reason, he prepares every case from day one as though it will ultimately be presented to a jury. This approach allows him to negotiate from a position of strength while remaining prepared to try the case when necessary.
A Career Built in the Courtroom
After graduating from law school in 2007, Michael began his legal career representing injured plaintiffs. Working alongside an accomplished trial attorney, he second-chaired several cases and helped secure multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements.
Despite his early success in civil litigation, Michael made the deliberate decision to become a public defender. He believed deeply in providing exceptional legal representation to people who could not afford counsel and recognized that there was no substitute for the experience gained through daily courtroom litigation.
The decision led to eight years of intensive trial experience.
During his public service, Michael litigated hundreds of criminal cases, including some of the most serious felony prosecutions.
• Selected more than 30 juries
• Served as lead counsel in more than 30 vehicular homicide cases
• Conducted numerous evidentiary and suppression hearings
• Represented clients in grand jury and probable cause proceedings
• Was appointed a Felony Trial Attorney before the age of 30
Michael also mentored younger attorneys, second-chaired many of their first trials, participated in organizational planning on behalf of management, and authored legal motions that became standard templates within the Public Defender’s Office.
High-Profile Cases
In one high-profile homicide case arising from a fatal bicycle collision, Michael negotiated a resolution that reduced the homicide charge to an unclassified misdemeanor, avoiding both a felony conviction and incarceration for his client.
The case received significant media attention, including coverage by Newsday.
Read the Newsday coverage of Michael Petruzziello’s argument
Read the Newsday follow-up coverage of Defendant’s plea
Returning to Civil Litigation
Michael eventually returned to civil litigation, bringing with him years of intensive jury-trial experience.
Few personal injury attorneys have spent years trying criminal cases before juries, and even fewer have returned to civil practice with that depth of courtroom experience. Those years shaped Michael into a trial lawyer comfortable making critical decisions in real time, examining witnesses under pressure, confronting opposing experts, and presenting persuasive cases to judges and juries.
Today, he puts that experience to work representing individuals in wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, product liability, premises liability, and automobile accident cases and has helped obtain multimillion-dollar results for his clients.
Education & Admissions
Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics, cum laude, from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his Juris Doctor from Touro Law Center.
While in law school, he won the American Bar Association Negotiation Team Competition and the ABA Dispute Resolution and Mediation Team Competition. His interest in advocacy began much earlier: in 10th grade, he won a mock supreme court competition before New York judges and later competed in debate during college.
Michael is admitted to practice before:
• All California state courts • All New York state courts • United States District Court for the Central District of California
Beyond the Courtroom
Michael lives in Southern California with his wife. Outside of practicing law, he enjoys cycling, hiking, traveling, and jogging with his two dogs.
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