About Our Law Firm
New York and New Jersey
About The Firm
Founded in 1987, the New York and New Jersey law firm of Trief & Olk has tried numerous complex jury and judge trials in federal and state courts and successfully continued our representation through the appellate courts when necessary.
Our reputation in legal circles is such that it is not uncommon for adversaries of Trief & Olk to recommend our firm. On occasion, our adversaries on prior cases have even hired us to represent them.
Our cases come through referrals from other law firms, from past or present clients, or through word of mouth.
We are known for our litigation expertise, the in-depth analysis we give all our cases, and the level of time, energy, and due diligence we invest from the very beginning of each and every case. We never avoid the hard work of discovery in hopes of an early or easy settlement. We are exquisitely prepared —and prepared to try the case — every time.
In an effort to give back to the community, the firm provides pro bono legal work on behalf of family members who lost relatives in the World Trade Center attacks. We are also members of New York Trial Lawyers’ Care, which assists victims of 9/11. In connection with our pro bono work for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Committee on Mass Disasters Planning, we have provided legal advice and assistance to families of victims of major plane crashes in the New York area.
About Our Attorneys
Trief & Olk takes a team approach to every case we accept. Every client has at least two – and sometimes more – senior attorneys staffing the case. Associates are never given responsibility for a case without the involvement of one or more partners. Our lawyer-to-case ratio is extremely high, thus assuring the degree of personal attention and thoroughness for which our firm is known.
Our attorneys are litigators that have achieved consistently high results in New York and New Jersey. The Trief & Olk attorneys are:
- Ted Trief, JD 1976
- Barbara E. Olk, JD (Of Counsel) 1976
- Joseph Monaco III, JD (of Counsel) 1995
- Eric Dinnocenzo, JD 2001
- Jordan Rutsky, JD 2004
- Arlene Stevens
Ted Trief
Ted Trief received his J.D. from Rutgers University Law School, graduating with honors in 1976. He received his B.A. in 1973 from State University of New York at New Paltz. He is a former Assistant D.A.
Practicing law for over 30 years, Mr. Trief is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association President’s Club, the NY State Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and its Committee on Mass Disasters Planning.
He was admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts and New York in January, 1977 and in New Jersey in November, 2000, and is certified to practice before these U.S. District Courts: USDC/SDNY; USDC/EDNY; USDC/NDNY; USDC/NJ; as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit and the United States Supreme Court
Barbara E. Olk (Of Counsel)
Barbara Olk graduated from New York University Law School with a J.D. degree in June of 1976.
Ms. Olk completed her B.A. degree in English and Political Science at the University of Rochester in 1973, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Admitted to the Massachusetts and New York Bars in 1977, Ms. Olk is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and is admitted to practice before these U.S. District Courts: USDC/SDNY; USDC/EDNY; USDC/NDNY, and before the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit; and the United States Supreme Court.
Joseph D. Monaco, III (Of Counsel)
Joseph D. Monaco, III received his J.D. Degree from Fordham University Law School in 1995, was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1996, and was admitted in NJ state and federal courts as of 2004.
Mr. Monaco received his B.S. degree from Fordham University with a concentration in International Finance, where he was a member of Fordham’s Honors Program as well as being a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
Mr. Monaco’s memberships include the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, as well as certification to practice in these U.S. District Courts: USDC/SDNY; USDC/EDNY; and USDC/NDNY.
Eric Dinnocenzo
Eric Dinnocenzo graduated cum laude from Boston College Law School in 2001. He received his B.A. from Fairfield University in 1995.
Mr. Dinnocenzo has been admitted to the Bar in the following states: Massachusetts (2002), New York (2006), and New Jersey (2007). He is certified to practice before these U.S. District Courts: USDC/SDNY; USDC/EDNY; USDC/NJ; USDC/MA. His professional memberships include the American Association of Justice, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York City Bar, where he sits on the Tort Litigation Committee. Mr. Dinnocenzo serves on the Board of Directors of Visiting Neighbors, a non-profit agency that provides services for senior citizens in New York City.
He published the article, “The Use of Similar Accident Evidence In Products Liability Cases,” in the Fall 2007 issue of the Bill of Particulars,a publication of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute. In addition, he published the article, "The postclaims underwriting ‘gotcha’", in the January 2009 issue of Trial, a publication of the American Association of Justice.
Articles
The Use of Similar Accident Evidence in Products Liability Cases
The postclaims underwriting ‘gotcha’
Reprinted with permission of TRIAL (January 2009).
Copyright American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®).
Jordan Rutsky
Jordan Rutsky received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2004. He received his B.S. and B.A. in the fields of Business Finance and Political Science, respectively, in 2001 from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he graduated with honors and the President’s Disparate Majors Award. Mr. Rutsky is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey and is certified to practice in several federal courts, including the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the District Court of New Jersey. Mr. Rutsky is also a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers.
Arlene Stevens
Arlene Stevens graduated cum laude from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2008. While in law school, Ms. Stevens was a member of the Moot Court National Honor Society and was awarded the Cardozo Writing Award. In 2003, she graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University, where she was a member of the prestigious President’s Society. During her college years, Ms. Stevens also qualified for and was a member of the 2000 Olympic Fencing Team that represented the United States in Sydney, Australia. Ms. Stevens is admitted to practice in New York.
