Estella Rothwell
Attorney, medical malpractice
Represents patients and families in claims of surgical error, missed diagnosis, birth injury and care-home neglect.
Estella opened her own office after years of working inside larger firms, because she wanted to be the only person who decides whether a case is taken. She reads the records herself, works with physician reviewers in each specialty, and writes to every person she turns away.
She takes few cases at a time, so each client can reach her directly.
Cases
- Surgical errors
- Missed and delayed diagnosis
- Birth injuries
- Care-home neglect
Where she is admitted, and where she trained
Bar admissions
New York
1991
Connecticut
1996
Courts
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Education
J.D., Hofstra University School of Law
1991
B.A., Binghamton University
1988
Languages
English
Italian
Memberships
Nassau County Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
Why one lawyer
A malpractice case depends on one decision made early: whether the records support a claim. At a larger firm that decision is often made by someone the client never meets.
Here it is made by Estella, after a physician has read the chart. Minerva Brackett, a nurse who reviews charts for the office, builds the timeline first, so the physician starts from the facts in order.
The office is on Old Country Road in Mineola, close to the county courts. Clients who cannot travel can meet by phone or video.
Begin with a conversation
A first call is a conversation, not a pitch. You will hear what she would need to see, and what happens next.