About us

Kramer, Dillof, Livingston & Moore (KDLM)

Charles Kramer

Our Founder and Legacy

In 1940, a young lawyer named Charles Kramer left the employ of Harry Gair, a prominent New York City personal injury lawyer, to build his own practice. He rented a two-room suite at 70 Pine Street, and for several years honed his craft on his own. Then, in 1944, he hired a young man who had just been honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. Henry Dillof became Charlie’s law clerk – a form of apprenticeship that prepared young lawyers for the Bar exam. Two years later, Henry passed the Bar, and became Charlie’s Associate. And in 1950, they formed the firm of Kramer & Dillof.

Over the next 25 years, other attorneys joined the partnership, and the firm’s reputation for excellence in representing injured plaintiffs – particularly in complicated medical malpractice cases – grew nationally. In 1978, another young attorney joined the firm as partner: Thomas Moore.

Senior partners Judith Livingston and Tom Moore (who are married to each other) are among the most successful and respected trial attorneys in the country. In medical malpractice cases, labor law and negligence cases, Moore and Livingston have won more than 120 verdicts over $1 million. In addition, they have negotiated settlements on behalf of their clients in excess of $1 billion.

They are both members of the elite trial attorney’s group The Inner Circle of Advocates. Judy was the first woman ever to be named to the Inner Circle. Both Judy and Tom are listed in the highly respected book “The Best Lawyers in America,” published by Woodward White. In 2014, American Legal Media published its first Medical Malpractice Hall of Fame. KDLM won five of the top 25 cases on the list, more than any other firm. Two out of the three highest verdicts on that list, ever awarded in New York history, were achieved by our firm.

It is little wonder that KDLM was named to the National Law Journal’s “Plaintiffs Hot List.” They are regularly recognized and honored by their peers. But it is their dedication to their clients that is the hallmark of their practice.

As a measure of other attorneys’ respect for the firm’s legal expertise, Tom and his partner Matt Gaier have written a regular column on medical malpractice for the New York Law Journal since 1997. In addition, Tom and Matt are authors of the most important legal textbooks on medical malpractice and trial practice.

Success for our clients requires relentless preparation and intimate knowledge of the law. It requires experience and financial resources to fully investigate, research and prepare every case we take on, from beginning to end.

We are committed to that effort and dedicated to working on behalf of our clients. KDLM prides itself on giving each case the complete attention it deserves and requires at every step of the legal process.