Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer

What Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer does

Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer (LSK&D) is a New York-based litigation defense law firm organized as a limited liability partnership, with offices at 100 Wall Street in Manhattan and 61 S Paramus Road in Paramus, New Jersey. Founded in 1974, the firm maintains a roster of 40+ attorneys organized across 18 practice areas, with a core focus on general liability, products liability, insurance services and coverage litigation, security litigation, and trucking/transportation defense, supported by appellate, commercial litigation, construction defect, employment, environmental, and professional liability groups. The firm's client base consists of insurance carriers (e.g., Great West Casualty Company, Aspen Insurance UK Limited) and corporate/retail defendants (e.g., Macy's, FedEx Ground), served through traditional hourly billing on defense-side litigation matters ranging from premises liability and employment disputes to wrongful-death cases with eight-figure exposure.

The firm generates revenue exclusively through professional services billing for trial preparation, motion practice, depositions, appellate work, and courtroom representation, with no technology products, subscription pricing, or non-legal revenue streams. Business development is executed through a sales-led, relationship-driven model leveraging professional networks, ALFA International referrals (a network of 140+ independent law firms), bar association involvement, and thought-leadership publications in outlets such as Law360 and the New York Law Journal. Marketing and distribution channels are traditional for the legal industry: direct enterprise engagement, industry seminars, and earned media via case-result publications, with no consumer-facing or self-service surface. Recent strategic activity centers on maintaining third-party credentials (U.S. News Best Law Firms 2023-2024) and institutional continuity rather than expansion or capital-markets activity.

Name

Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer

Legal name

Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer, LLP

Website

https://lskdnylaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer is a New York-based litigation defense law firm (40+ attorneys, founded 1974) serving insurance carriers and corporate/retail defendants across 18 practice areas including general liability, products liability, insurance coverage, transportation, and appellate matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services - Litigation Defense

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD), Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions) (FSAJADAB)

Keywords

• Litigation defense services
• Insurance coverage law
• Trial attorney services
• Products liability defense
• General liability defense

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Litigation Defense: Traditional hourly billing for litigation defense services including trial preparation, motion practice, appellate work, and trial representation for insurance companies and corporate clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer is a litigation defense law firm providing trial and appellate representation to insurance carriers, corporations, and retailers. The firm's core work covers general liability defense, products liability defense, insurance coverage litigation, premises liability, transportation/trucking accidents, construction defects, professional liability claims, and commercial disputes. Engagements span pre-trial motion practice through trial and appellate work, delivered via traditional hourly billing by experienced trial attorneys.

Product overview

Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer is a law firm offering trial attorney services organized around multiple specialized legal practice areas rather than a unified software product. The firm provides legal defense services across general liability, products liability, insurance coverage litigation, security, and transportation sectors, with supporting practice groups covering appellate, commercial litigation, construction, employment, environmental, professional liability, and retail/hospitality matters. This is not a technology product company but a professional legal services firm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Liability Defense Trial attorney defense representation in general liability matters for insurance carriers, corporations, and retailers.
• Products Liability Defense Defense litigation services for products liability claims brought against manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.
• Insurance Services and Coverage Litigation Legal services related to insurance coverage disputes, coverage opinions, policy interpretation, and bad faith claim litigation for insurance carriers.
• Appellate Practice Appellate court representation and brief writing services before state and federal appellate courts.
• Commercial & Business Litigation Business and commercial dispute resolution and trial representation for corporate clients.
• Complex Tort Litigation Representation in complex tort litigation matters including catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.
• Construction Defect & Labor Law Legal defense services for construction defect claims and labor law matters for contractors, builders, and insurers.
• Employment & Labor Law Defense representation in employment and labor law matters including discrimination, harassment, and wage disputes.
• Environmental & Toxic Tort Defense services for environmental and toxic tort claims including exposure cases and regulatory disputes.
• Trucking and Transportation Legal defense services for trucking and transportation industry cases including accident claims and cargo disputes.
• Retail & Hospitality Legal defense services for retail and hospitality industry clients including premises liability, slip-and-fall, and customer injury claims.
• Professional Liability Defense representation for professional liability claims against professionals including legal and accounting malpractice.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ALFA InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLester Schwab Katz & Dwyer is a member of ALFA International, a premier global legal network with more than 140 independent law firm members worldwide. ALFA members meet high standards and are respected by peers. The network enables the firm to provide cost-effective, high-quality legal services while drawing upon collective experience of worldwide network of trial and business counsel. Firm also benefits from educational programming including seminars, webinars, and legal compendia.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rivkin Radler LLP: Long Island/NY-based insurance defense and coverage firm of comparable mid-size scale; directly competes with LSK&D for the same insurance panel and corporate defense matters in the NY/NJ market.
• Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP: National insurance defense and coverage firm with deep carrier panel practice; closely comparable to LSK&D's core insurance defense and coverage litigation work, though at much larger scale across multiple US regions.
• Litchfield Cavo LLP: Insurance defense firm focused on general liability, transportation, products liability, and professional liability for carriers and self-insureds; comparable practice mix to LSK&D across multiple jurisdictions.
• McGivney & Kluger P.C. Mid-Atlantic insurance defense firm with parallel general liability, products liability, transportation, and professional liability practice areas, serving insurance carrier panels similar to those of LSK&D.
• Anderson Kill P.C. NY-headquartered law firm recognized for insurance coverage and recovery litigation; overlaps with LSK&D's insurance coverage litigation practice area and serves many of the same insurance carrier clients.
• Clausen Miller P.C. Long-standing insurance defense firm with deep practice in insurance coverage, bad faith, property, and casualty defense — directly overlapping with LSK&D's core practice areas and carrier panel work.
• Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP: NY/NJ-based insurance defense firm serving carriers and self-insureds in general liability, premises liability, and coverage matters; directly comparable in size and practice mix to LSK&D.
• Nicoletti Gonner & Spiegel: NY/NJ-area litigation defense firm handling insurance defense, premises liability, transportation, and general liability matters; comparable size and regional footprint to LSK&D.

Broad incumbents

• K&L Gates LLP: Global full-service law firm with a substantial insurance coverage and litigation practice; competes for higher-end insurance panel work and corporate defense engagements that LSK&D also pursues.
• Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP: One of the largest US insurance defense firms with a national footprint; competes with LSK&D on insurance panel work but at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lester-schwab-katz-&-dwyer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer