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Fanelli, Kraft of Weitz & Luxenberg Recognized as New York 'Rising Stars' by Super Lawyers magazine

Hard-hitting attorneys played pivotal roles in winning multi-million dollar verdict in high profile case last year

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — A pair of high-flying attorneys with the Manhattan law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., are among the New York legal professionals to have earned a coveted spot on Super Lawyers magazine's 2012 "Rising Stars" roster.

They are Michael Fanelli, Esq., and Danny Kraft, Jr., Esq., who each played pivotal roles in winning a $22-million verdict last year against Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. on behalf of cancer-stricken plaintiffs exposed to asbestos.

"This is a tremendous honor," said Fanelli, the plaintiffs' co-chair in the Goodyear lawsuit which was initiated at the behest of a steamfitter and a heavy-equipment engine mechanic after on-the-job contact with products containing the toxic mineral asbestos caused the men decades later to develop fatal mesothelioma.

Added Kraft, the lead trial-attorney against Goodyear, "It's very gratifying to be recognized for our important work of obtaining justice for asbestos victims."

"Rising Stars" are extraordinarily successful attorneys no older than 40 or who have been in practice 10 years or less. Super Lawyers – published by a national organization that rates attorneys based on performance and peer evaluations – taps attorneys for elite "Rising Star" status by first taking nominations from other lawyers who have personally observed them in action and then by rigorously sifting the candidates' qualifications, according to the magazine.

Both Fanelli and Kraft are associate attorneys in Weitz & Luxenberg's Asbestos Litigation group. Fanelli has practiced law since 2004, Kraft since 2001. Many of the hard-hitting litigation skills each possesses were cultivated during their time working as assistant district-attorneys in Bronx County, N.Y.

Kraft is a graduate of Emory University School of Law; Fanelli of New York Law School. Read more about them at http://www.weitzlux.com/Michael-Fanelli_1936673.html and at http://www.weitzlux.com/DannyRKraft/findalawyer/legalservice_1934750.html

Weitz & Luxenberg is a leading mass-tort and personal-injury litigation law-firm founded in 1986 by attorneys Perry Weitz, Esq., and Arthur Luxenberg, Esq. To date, the firm has secured more than $7.3 billion in verdicts and settlements for clients. Its numerous practice areas include: asbestos and mesothelioma, defective medicines and devices, environmental pollutants, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice.

Please visit http://www.weitzlux.com

Contact:
Dave Kufeld
Weitz & Luxenberg
(800) 476-6070