We’re Protecting Investors from Financial Abuse

David Vermont has more than 20 years of legal experience as an attorney. In order to obtain substantial trial experience, he started his career as a prosecutor in Brooklyn, New York. He then transitioned to personal injury and medical malpractice cases and finally became an expert in product liability cases, focusing on mass torts, in particular pharmaceutical and medical device cases.

For almost 15 years, David was a trial attorney for Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP, where he was a member of the product liability, personal injury and workers’ compensation groups. He led the discovery and trials of numerous pharmaceutical and medical device cases. In particular, on behalf of plaintiffs, he successfully negotiated the settlement of three multi-district litigation (“MDL”) case types:

Rezulin — $30 million settlement representing 50 clients (average settlement: $600,000). Rezulin was a diabetes drug that caused liver failure.
Vioxx — $40 million settlement representing 100 clients (average settlement: $400,000). Vioxx was a drug manufactured by Merck, prescribed as an arthritis painkiller. Vioxx caused heart attacks, strokes and sudden cardiac death.
Avandia — $40 million settlement representing 150 clients (average settlement: $266,666). Avandia was a diabetes drug that caused heart attacks, heart failure, and death.
At Ashcraft, on a pro bono basis, David represented September 11th victims applying for benefits from the Victim’s Compensation fund. In addition, he coached and mentored a staff of three employees.

David began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York, where he prosecuted several hundred misdemeanor and felony cases – everything from shoplifting to armed robbery to murder cases. He was active in prosecuting domestic violence cases, including the conviction of a mafia lieutenant and rap star, “Old Dirty Bastard.” He presented over 100 cases for indictment to the Grand Jury of the State of New York, and he became a supervisor in the D.A.’s case intake bureau, evaluating arrests made by the New York City Police Department for legal sufficiency and determining which level of offense with which to charge defendants.

David received his B.A. in History from Binghamton University and his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.

Mack Press has almost 30 years of law experience. He received his BS degree from Wharton Business School (magna cum laude); graduated from the Law School at the University of Pennsylvania; and he is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania (and he is also admitted to the federal bar in those jurisdictions and in the Ninth Circuit).

Mr. Press started his career working as an associate attorney / partner for large-scale law firms in New York City, where he litigated and arbitrated commercial matters in federal and state court, including securities, accountant/auditor liability, unfair competition, and insurance matters. Mr. Press also acted as pro bono counsel for The Police Athletic League.

Mr. Press then used his vast experience defending securities and business clients, and he began working for “Plaintiff based” law firms, where he prosecuted securities and consumer Class-Action lawsuits on behalf of institutional investors and individual stockholders across the United States. In that position, Mr. Press has gained significant experience in negotiating, mediating, and arbitrating the settlement of large-scale class action cases.