How to Choose the Right 9/11 Attorney for Your Case

Who is the Best Lawyer for My 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Claim?

Many people assume that all 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) lawyers are essentially the same. Take it from Hansen & Rosasco. We have been representing 9/11 victims and families since 2001 - Nothing could be further from the truth.

You see TV and internet ads from “America’s Largest Law Firm”, hear non-stop radio ads, see pop-ups on Facebook or Instagram - all saying they are the “best 9/11 attorneys.” Some firms say they have recovered “billions of dollars” for 9/11 victims. Does that matter?

The fact is that recovering “billions of dollars” for tens of thousands of victims often means that such law firms are operating like “VCF claim factories”. You get little to no “personal service” and you are assigned “revolving door” Case Managers. You will feel like just another file as opposed to a valued client. Do you want your compensation claim and lifetime healthcare handled in a factory setting?

Unlike high-volume 9/11 law firms, Hansen & Rosasco has been offering hands-on personal representation for 9/11 victims and families since October 2001. We have been proudly helping the 9/11 community from the beginning. Since you will not receive “billions” from the VCF, you should look for individual case results. Check Hansen & Rosasco’s individual 9/11 compensation results page here. Check our 5-Star Google reviews here.

In addition to 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund experience, you should ask on your initial phone call about the law firm claim Amendment process, whether they have a dedicated wrongful death claim and Surrogate Court department, the amount of staff per client, how they assist you with getting your cancer or respiratory condition “certified” by the World Trade Center Health Program and 9/11 VCF appeal win percentage.

How much money can a law firm get you in your “individual case”?

As previously mentioned, the fact that any law firm has recovered billions or millions of dollars total for all of their clients essentially means nothing when you are deciding who you should hire for your case. You need to know how much you are likely to get in your individual case. For claims involving lost earnings or death during someone's work life, it is oftentimes hard to pin down an exact compensation amount. However, an experienced attorney can tell you the factors upfront that the VCF considers when making such awards.

Hansen & Rosasco recently obtained an individual client a $4.2 million VCF award. Go to the law firm’s 9/11 Award Results page to see if you are impressed with the award amounts and descriptions of certain types of claims.

The point is not simply which law firm advertises the largest number of cases. The better question is whether the firm has experience handling YOUR type of case.

Experience, Experience, and More Experience: How Long has the 9/11 Law Firm been handling 9/11 VCF claims?

Unfortunately, there are multiple law firms across the US who have little to no experience handling 9/11 VCF claims. The large majority of these law firms solicit clients solely for legal fee income. They often have zero experience supporting the entire 9/11 community of victims and families.

9/11 attorney Troy Rosasco represented his first client in a 9/11 Victim Compensation claim in October 2001. The case involved the death of a 22-year-old man who was working as a busboy at the famous Windows on the World restaurant on the 106th floor of the North Tower. American Airlines Flight 11 struck the Tower between the 93rd and 99th floors. His mother, who worked on the 37th floor, was able to get out of the Tower before it collapsed. Troy later represented the mother, who had tremendous survivor guilt, in her 9/11 Social Security disability claim based upon post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

We now approach the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 in just a few months, which means Troy has been representing 9/11 victims for almost 25 years. Bringing that depth of knowledge, including representing thousands of VCF claimants to date in VCF claims, is hard to match.

Did you contact a 9/11 Claim Referral Service or an Actual 9/11 Law Firm?

There are many internet marketing firms posing as “law firms” that advertise for 9/11 claims on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. These marketing firms simply advertise for 9/11 claims, and then “refer” your claim to an unknown or inexperienced law firm. Avoid these “lead generation” advertising machines like the plague. These companies simply take your private personally identifiable information and sell it to law firms. One way to check if the ad you’re seeing is from an actual 9/11 law firm is to see if you can click through to an actual law firm website, see a firm name, and find their experience and past results representing 9/11 victims.

There are a handful of legitimate NYC-based law firms handling 9/11 claims. They may differ in how they handle your claim and how quickly they get you a compensation award, but these are legitimate and honorable 9/11 law firms that care about their clients. Don’t trust “Referral Services” or law firms that do not have an entire informational website dedicated to 9/11 claims. If you want to know who the legitimate law firms that have been supporting the 9/11 community for many years, feel free to call me for my objective and straight forward opinion.

Choose a Firm That Primarily Focuses on 9/11 Cases

Hansen & Rosasco ONLY handles 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund claims. As a result, we are always up-to-date on the latest policies and procedures at the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which can greatly impact the timing and compensation of your award amount.

The 9/11 VCF claim process is complex. The strongest firms typically have:

Close relationships with the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) in order to get 9/11 related medical conditions “certified” as soon as possible. Remember, getting a certification of your 9/11 condition at the World Trade Center Health Program is a necessary prerequisite to getting any monetary compensation from the VCF.
A large, dedicated, and knowledgeable full-time VCF claims staff that can help you obtain the written evidence to prove “Proof of Presence” in the 9/11 NYC Exposure Zone, which is necessary to establish eligibility for compensation.
Close relationships with a client’s individual medical providers.
Knowledge of VCF policy and procedural changes. This matters because the VCF is constantly evolving. Certification rules, exposure standards, compensation calculations, and documentation expectations change over time.
A high appeal win percentage. A sophisticated VCF firm understands that some claims may need to be appealed, generally for eligibility reasons. Hansen & Rosasco’s record of winning appeals for eligibility is over 90%.
Years of 9/11 law firm experience. A lawyer who just began representing 9/11 clients in the last few years often does not have credibility in the overall 9/11 community of victims and advocates.

Understand What a 9/11 Lawyer Actually Does

An experienced VCF attorney and legal team help with:

“Registering” the claim before the deadlines expire
Proving “presence in the “9/11 exposure zone”
Coordinating with the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP)
Obtaining medical certifications from the WTCHP
Gathering employment and Social Security records
Calculating economic loss for claimants who lose time from work due to their 9/11 condition or die due to their 9/11 condition while still working
Filing amendments for additional compensation for worsening conditions
Handling appeals on the issues of “eligibility” and award amounts
Assisting surviving spouses and estates to navigate the death claim process
Handling certain Surrogate Court work and filings on wrongful death claims for both New York and out-of-state clients' wrongful death claims

Responsiveness Matters

One of the most common complaints about large, factory-like 9/11 VCF law firms is that clients never speak to an attorney and feel their claim is just a number. They are switched from one case manager to another during the pendency of their already long claim timeline, which can often last as long as three years. While life happens, and staff members may move on to law school, or move out of state, or change careers, Hansen & Rosasco is committed to communication and transparency while your claim is being handled to ensure there are no hiccups. Our Google Reviews speak for themselves!

During your initial consultation, you should ask:

Who will actually handle my claim?
Will I have a dedicated “Case Manager"?
How quickly are calls returned?
Can I communicate by email or text?
Will I ever speak directly with an attorney?

Pay attention to how the firm treats you during the intake process. That is usually a good sign of whether your future attorney/client relationship will be successful.

Look for Genuine Commitment to the 9/11 Community

In coordination with the premier non-profit 9/11 Advocacy Organization, 9/11 Health Watch, Hansen & Rosasco was asked to go to Washington, DC to lobby for additional 9/11 benefits for 9/11 victims. Both Dan Hansen and Troy Rosasco immediately flew to Washington to stand behind a bipartisan group of both Senators and Congressional Representatives advocating for additional and much-needed benefits. In addition, Hansen & Rosasco are proud to financially support on an annual basis the excellent work 9/11 Health Watch does to protect benefits for the entire 9/11 community.

Additionally, Troy Rosasco has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at St. John’s Law School (his alma mater), educating students on the importance of 9/11 claims, and has endowed the “Troy and Linda Rosasco 9/11 Memorial Scholarship” at the law school.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a 9/11 lawyer is not simply about television advertising, internet pop-ups, or slogans. The best 9/11 firms combine:

Deep knowledge of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund policies and procedures,
Deep knowledge of the World Trade Center Health Program
compassion and empathy,
timely responsiveness,
Attention to detail,
and long-term commitment to the entire 9/11 community.

The VCF system was created to help all 9/11 victims obtain compensation without enduring traditional court litigation. But the process can still be complicated, emotionally draining, and document-intensive. A strong law firm should make the process easier — not harder. Most importantly, victims and families should remember that they are not merely “numbers” of “thousands” of claims. Behind every VCF file is a human being whose life was permanently changed by September 11th and its aftermath. The right lawyer for your individual claim understands that.