Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP

What Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP does

Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP (MCB) is a New York-based Limited Liability Partnership and the oldest and largest medical defense firm in New York State, founded in 1912 as the predecessor Whiteside & Stryker. The firm specializes in medical malpractice defense for healthcare providers, with practice areas spanning medical, dental, podiatric, nursing home, and professional malpractice defense, as well as appellate services, labor and employment, health care law, product liability, electronic discovery, and professional discipline and licensing representation before bodies such as the OPMC and OPD. MCB also offers specialized COVID-19 legal services and serves corporations, governmental entities, and individuals, though healthcare providers are the dominant client vertical. The firm is led by Managing Partner Michael F. Madden and employs nearly 100 attorneys including 38 partners across six office locations spanning New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

The firm's core offering is professional services — high-stakes litigation and advisory work delivered by attorneys on a customized, matter-by-matter basis. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured around case complexity, practice area, and individual client arrangements, with engagements running on multi-year cycles typical of enterprise legal services. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales, anchored by long-tenured direct attorney-client relationships with major healthcare institutions and reinforced through Platinum-level sponsorships of healthcare risk management and medical society associations (AHRMNY, MSSNY, MGMA), CLE programming, quarterly client publications, and an active presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Technology infrastructure consists of state-of-the-art high-speed data and communications networks, next-generation firewalls, anti-virus/anti-malware protection, and a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to enable secure remote work.

MCB's ownership is fully partner-held, with no disclosed external investors, private equity backing, or parent company. Governance is partner-led, with succession events including the recent transition of the Managing Partner role to Jacqueline D. Berger (succeeding Michael N. Romano), the appointment of Michael C. Clarke as Managing Attorney, several senior retirements, and a coordinated class of partner promotions (effective in part on July 1, 2024). The firm carries a strong external reputation profile, including a Tier 1 national ranking in Health Care Law from U.S. News & World Report / Best Lawyers, 26 partners rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, 14 partners on the 2025 New York Metro Super Lawyers list, 12 partners in the 2026 Best Lawyers in America, 2 Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, 3 American Board of Trial Advocates members, and Mansfield Certification Plus status for diversity and inclusion (2023-2024).

Name

Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP

Legal name

Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP

Website

https://mcblaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP is a New York-based law firm founded in 1912 and the oldest and largest medical defense firm in New York State. It serves 50+ major healthcare providers, physician groups, nursing homes, and corporations with nearly 100 attorneys across six tri-state offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services - Medical Malpractice Defense

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Medical malpractice defense
• Healthcare legal services
• Professional liability defense
• Appellate litigation services
• General liability defense

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: MCB provides high-quality legal representation as defense trial counsel and legal advisors. The firm charges professional fees for legal services including case representation, consultation, and ongoing counsel to healthcare providers, corporations, and individuals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP provides defense trial counsel and legal advisory services, with a core focus on medical malpractice defense for healthcare providers, physicians, and institutions. The firm complements its medical defense practice with appellate advocacy, electronic discovery, labor and employment counsel, professional discipline representation, and general liability defense for healthcare systems, corporations, and governmental entities.

Product overview

Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP is a law firm offering legal services rather than a technology product. The firm operates as a unified full-service legal practice providing defense litigation services across multiple specialized areas. The core offering centers on medical malpractice defense for healthcare providers, complemented by related practice areas including appellate services, electronic discovery, labor & employment, professional liability, and regulatory compliance advisory services. The firm has grown from its origins as a medical defense practice to offer comprehensive legal services to healthcare institutions, corporations, and individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Malpractice Defense Defense of healthcare professionals and institutions against medical malpractice lawsuits, including high-exposure cases with significant media coverage, for hospitals, medical centers, and healthcare systems.
• Appellate Services Specialized appellate advocacy in state and federal courts across all practice areas, with attorneys regularly teaching and advising other lawyers.
• COVID-19 Legal Services Comprehensive guidance navigating legal repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, including immunity protections and regulatory shifts for healthcare clients.
• Dental Malpractice Defense Defense of dentists, periodontists, endodontists, prosthodontists, orthodontists, and other dental professionals in malpractice claims.
• Electronic Discovery Management of electronically stored information (ESI) including preservation, cost-effective discovery, and production in litigation matters.
• General Liability Defense Defense and supervision of general liability and personal injury claims with trial attorneys' medical knowledge and access to medical experts.
• Health Care Law Navigation of complex Federal and State health care statutes, regulatory requirements, and corporate compliance matters for healthcare providers.
• Labor & Employment

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 Partners rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association for Healthcare Risk Management of New York (AHRMNY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCB sponsors AHRMNY's Annual Full-day Conference. Senior Trial Partner Jacqueline D. Berger and Appellate Partner Barbara D. Goldberg attended the association's annual conference. The firm also publishes articles in AHRMNY's Risk Management Journal.
• Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCB sponsors MSSNY's House of Delegates meetings, maintaining strong ties with the organized medical community in New York State.
• Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCB sponsors MGMA's Annual Conference at Platinum Level, demonstrating commitment to engaging with medical practice leaders.
• LiveOnNYminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner Peter T. Crean was invited to sit on the Board of Directors for LiveOnNY, an organ procurement organization.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Goldweber Epstein LLP: Direct peer - NY-based law firm focused on medical malpractice defense, healthcare liability, and related professional liability work for healthcare providers and physicians.
• Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A. Direct peer - New York/New Jersey-based law firm with a strong medical malpractice defense and healthcare liability practice serving hospitals and physicians across the tri-state area.
• Heidell, Pittoni, Murphy & Bach, LLP: Direct competitor - another long-standing New York-based law firm specializing in medical malpractice defense and healthcare liability, with a comparable focus on hospital and physician clients across the tri-state area.
• L'Abbate, Balkin, Ripp, Bauman & Charny, P.C. Direct peer - NY-based firm specializing in professional liability, medical malpractice, and healthcare defense for institutional and individual healthcare provider clients.
• Rivkin Radler LLP: Direct peer - Long Island and New York City-based law firm with strong healthcare, medical malpractice, and professional liability defense practices serving similar hospital and physician clients.
• Wade Clark Mulcahy LLP: Direct peer - NY and New Jersey-based law firm focused on medical malpractice defense, general liability, and healthcare law for hospitals, physicians, and nursing homes, with similar geographic scope.
• Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch, LLP: Direct peer - New York medical malpractice and healthcare defense firm serving hospitals, physicians, and long-term care facilities with a comparable specialized practice and trial-driven approach.

Broad incumbents

• Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP: Broad incumbent - national AmLaw firm with a significant medical malpractice and healthcare liability defense practice, competing for the same hospital and physician clients but with broader service offerings and multi-state presence.
• Hodgson Russ LLP: Broad incumbent - NY-headquartered full-service law firm with a notable healthcare and medical malpractice practice, offering broader corporate, litigation, and regulatory services beyond MCB's core defense focus.
• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP: Broad incumbent - large national firm with a substantial healthcare and medical malpractice defense practice serving hospitals and physicians, offering broader geographic reach and full-service capabilities versus MCB's boutique specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MCBLLP
• Facebookfacebook.com/MartinClearwaterBellLLP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/martinclearwaterbell

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP