They have won hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of thousands of accident victims, many of them catastrophically injured. They have been lead counsel in several multi-plaintiff litigations. Mr. Barasch and his colleagues take special pride in the work they have done on behalf of injured New York City firefighters, winning landmark decisions that have shaped the law on their behalf. After helping scores of firefighters receive awards in their individual cases, the firm was thrust into the legal problems of those killed and injured in the World Trade Center attacks, representing the families of dozens of firefighters killed, as well as over 1,000 first responders who sustained permanent respiratory illnesses from the toxic dust at the WTC site.

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein appointed Mr. Barasch as liaison counsel on behalf of all rescue workers injured or killed, and he worked closely with Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master of the Victim Compensation Fund, to expand the rules of the Air Transportation Safety and Systems Stabilization Act. When the VCF closed in 2004, the firm fought to reopen it because many clients continued to be diagnosed with new illnesses caused by the toxic dust, and/or they were found disabled after they had received an award for a non-disabling injury.

In January 2011 President Obama signed the Zadroga Act into law, named in honor of the firm's client, NYPD Detective Jimmy Zadroga, who died of pulmonary disease in 2006 caused by WTC toxins. As a result, $2.4 billion has been made available for medical care and $2.7 billion has been set aside for compensation to those whose health has gotten worse since 2003. Mr. Barasch and his colleagues currently represent more than 5,000 sick first responders and residents."

He is the manager of the World Trade Center DNA Identification Team, a unit dedicated to advancing the science and helping return loved ones to their families. Mark has been recruited by the United Nations, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and several foreign countries to assist in locating the missing and design protocol to further this ability.

John went through years of surgeries and innumerable hours of therapy; as well as extensive hospital stays and mounting medical expenses. Once out of the hospital, John made it his mission to alleviate the Heroes of 9/11 from the burdens he experienced and created the FealGood Foundation.

The foundation assists First Responders and others who have been physically or mentally injured as a result of their rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts at the WTC site. John has helped pass 19 pieces of legislation in DC, NYS, NJ and Michigan. Through his organization, he has donated $10 million over the last 20 years, built a memorial and donated a kidney.

Frank retired from IBM in 2005 after a career of nearly 33 years. He held a variety of sales and executive positions including Global Client Director and Vice President, Alliances in the Computer Services Industry. Following his retirement from IBM, he established Fetchet Consulting LLC which helped firms with their route-to-market and distribution strategies.

Frank resides in New Canaan, CT with Mary, his wife of more than 50 years. He graduated from Youngstown State University and was an IBM Certified Client Director, having participated in the Harvard Executive Program. Frank and Mary have three sons, Wes, Chris - and Brad, who perished at the age of 24 on 9/11.

Using social work practices, she guided the development of programs that provide continuity of care and promote resiliency in the lives of victims' families and survivors. Today, Ms. Fetchet is dedicated to helping communities heal after tragedy in the wake of natural disasters, acts of mass violence, social or civil unrest, and domestic terrorism.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Ms. Fetchet recognized the importance of providing information and a wide range of programs for all those impacted by 9/11. As a family member, she was committed to helping families through the emotional, but therapeutic process of commemorating the lives and stories of 9/11. Under her leadership VOICES worked with over 1,600 families to create the Living Memorial Project. This online collection of over 87,000 photographs and personal keepsakes, documents the nearly 3,000 lives lost and stories of survivors and is a core component of the In Memoriam exhibit at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.

Ms. Fetchet is a strong advocate for the rights of victim's families and survivors, and public policy reforms to make the country safer. As a 9/11 family member, she advocated for an appropriate process for the notification of human remains, the Victim's Compensation Fund and the creation of the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. She was also instrumental in campaigning for the 9/11 Commission and the implementation of reforms based on their recommendations. She testified before the 9/11 Commission and the U.S. Congress on five occasions.

More recently, Ms. Fetchet is assisting communities impacted by other tragedies by sharing lessons learned through VOICES' nineteen years of experience. In 2013 she implemented a project, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, to define best practices in preparing for and responding to acts of mass violence. Interviews were conducted with those who responded to the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and New York City, the Oklahoma City bombing and the shootings at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University and Tucson, Arizona. The project culminated in the creation of a Resource Kit that is available to communities nationally. Ms. Fetchet also initiated a research project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to quantify the needs of victims' families and survivors.

An expert on the long-term needs of victims and survivors, mental health care, preparedness, and national security reforms, she has made hundreds of appearances on national television and at conferences in the U.S. and abroad, and contributes regularly to print and radio.

In addition to the Missing Persons Team, Carl supervises the World Trade Center DNA Identification Unit, acts as a manager for the Family Assistance Center for New York City during mass fatality events, and is an integral member of the team that created, organizes, and continues to host New York City’s Missing Persons Day.

He previously served as Acting Chief Medical Examiner since December 2021 and as First Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, the second highest leadership position within OCME, since 2013.

Dr. Graham joined the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in 2006 and later served as Deputy Chief Medical Examiner for the borough of Manhattan. With a particular focus most recently on the investigation of overdose fatalities, he leads OCME's response to the opioid epidemic in coordination with local, state and federal partners. Dr. Graham established the OCME Drug Intelligence and Intervention Group in 2016 and currently serves as Chair of the city's RxStat Overdose Fatality Review Committee led by the OCME since summer 2021.

A native of Tennessee, Dr. Graham graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He then completed general surgery internship and anatomic pathology residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta prior to subspecialty fellowship training in forensic pathology at the Emory/Fulton County Medical Examiner program. Dr. Graham is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in both anatomic and forensic pathology. He holds faculty appointment currently as Chair for the Department of Forensic Medicine at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Graham has published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific journals in the areas of forensic science, medicine, and pathology, and he is a member of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the National Association of Medical Examiners.

Robert represents more than 6,600 family members and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He is co-liaison counsel and an active member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for Personal Injury and Death Claims in In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001, seeking to expose and bankrupt the alleged financiers and supporters of al Qaeda. Robert also played a central role in In re September 11th Litigation, involving more than 50 personal injury and wrongful death clients against the aviation and aviation security industries for their alleged failure to detect and prevent the 9/11 attacks.

Robert has also represented terrorism victims in litigation against Arab Bank for allegedly supporting Hamas.

In these roles, he’s responded to mass trauma events internationally for the past decade and co-authored the organization’s public statements on human rights issues. His most recent book is Creative Arts-Based Group Therapy with Adolescents, with the late Nancy Boyd Webb.

After serving on the law faculty at Rutgers University-Camden and the University of California Hastings College of the Law, she became the 14th president of Mills College, the first women’s college west of the Rockies. In 2022, she was appointed chair of the independent Military Justice Review Panel, chartered by Congress to review and assess the operation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. She served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study group that issued a landmark 2018 report on sexual harassment and on the Response Systems Panel, which made recommendations for improving the U.S. military's investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of sexual assault in 2014.

A recipient of the U.S. Department of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service and the CalVet Trailblazer Award from the California Department of Veteran Affairs, she is a member of American Law Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations and holds degrees in engineering, law, and history from Duke, Yale, and Penn.

He has handled cases arising from crashes involving major commercial airlines and was appointed by the Federal Court as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Committee in the litigation arising out of the crash of Swissair Flight 111. He has also been appointed by the Federal Court as a member of the Plaintiffs Committee for liability arising out of the September 11 attacks. Subsequent to the terrorist attacks, Mr. Kushlefsky established himself as one of the Nation’s leading experts on the September 11 Victims’ Compensation Fund, representing more than 120 families in the VCF.

Matt McCauley’s legal practice is focused upon the representation of September 11th first responders who were injured or have developed illnesses due to their invaluable service at Ground Zero, Fresh Kills, and other disaster sites during the rescue and recovery operations following the 9/11 attack, and civilian survivors who lived or worked in lower Manhattan and are now afflicted with some of the same post-attack diseases.

Together with some of the country’s best advocates, Matt lobbied feverishly for the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, affording benefits and compensation to ill and injured first responders and civilian survivors through the creation of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. Matt and other dedicated advocates of the crucial legislation successfully redoubled their efforts and got Congress to reauthorize the “Zadroga Act” in 2015, and then again in 2019 with the reauthorization of the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act. Currently, as part of a tireless and relentless team, he is working to obtain the passage of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 before the 119th Congress.

His tireless and unwavering motivation to complete any mission before him has been ever present. Matt entered the NYPD Police Academy in October 1990 at the age of twenty, having to postpone the junior year at Iona College he had just begun. Prior to entering the police academy, Matt had already become a NYS Paramedic, an accomplishment he completed while concurrently attending Iona College as well. He would eventually return to Iona to complete his BS in Criminal Justice in 1996 while a member of the NYPD working in the 32nd Precinct and continuing to work as Paramedic. Matt would continue his education at Pace University School of Law, graduating in May 2001. Again, during this time he continued to work within the NYPD and also as a Paramedic. It was during Law School that he had opportunities to work within the New York County District Attorney’s Office on domestic violence prosecutions as well as working within the Unites States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on terrorism prosecutions prior to 9/11.

The next chapter of Matt’s life, like for so many others, would be forever tied to 9/11/2001. Upon graduation from Law School in May 2001, Matt decided he wanted to take a shot at landing a job within the US Attorney’s Office to work on terrorism prosecutions. He retired from NYPD, turned down an offer from Robert Morgenthau to join the Manhattan DA’s office and accepted a coveted federal clerkship with the United States Court of Appeals – Second Circuit, with the hopes of it being a spring board back to the US Attorney’s Office directly next door. While he would have the opportunity to work on important cases with highly respected Second Circuit Judges, including United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, it was another matter that would change things quickly. Sitting in his office on the 6th Floor or Foley Square facing Centre Street on the morning of 9/11, Matt would hear and feel the first plane go by as it was about to strike the North Tower of the World Trade Center and, a short time later while looking out the window and on the phone trying to find out where he was going to meet first responders already heading to the location, he would watch the South Tower get struck, which sent a ripple of heat and concussion past Foley Square. Still a Paramedic and only recently retired from NYPD, Matt worked at Ground Zero during the rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of that day. In the Second Circuit he would also work on legal issues associated with quickly changing laws in the aftermath.

After leaving the Second Circuit, while Matt would not have the opportunity to pursue the work on terrorism prosecutions he had wanted to do, he would eventually be drawn more and more to important issues surrounding the 9/11 attacks and the rescue and recovery efforts, specifically the First Responders who were now becoming ill. Matt was part of an important team of first responders who lobbied Congress for the successful passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. This work was not over and this team would have to go back for reauthorizations and extensions in 2015 and 2019. While a constant quiet presence seen in the background at press conferences, upfront Matt ran teams with John Feal, Jon Stewart and many other advocates in meetings with numerous members of Congress including then Senate Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell. As an NYPD police academy classmate with Detective Luis Alvarez, Matt had the honor of working with him, Jon Stewart and the other presenters on what would be an exceptionally emotional and forever memorable day of testimony before Congress in 2019, again being a quite constantly working presence in the background of that hearing. While mourning the death of his friend Louie, Matt was present with his son Finn in the Rose Garden at the White House when the President signed the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Matt continues to purse the mission of others that have been lost to 9/11 illnesses and remains a steadfast follower of the words of his friend and fellow advocate, the late FDNY Firefighter Ray Pfeifer, who would say “Always Do the Right Thing, Even When Nobody is Looking.”

Dr. Naturale helped launch SAMHSA’s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and an international not-for-profit, Psychology Beyond Borders. She developed training of trainers and capacity building activities in Uganda and Yogyakarta, Indonesia, was a curriculum developer of FEMA’s Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program and the Boston Medical Center for Multicultural Mental Health’s curriculum on Responder Resiliency.

Dr. Naturale received her doctorate from New York University where she studied Post traumatic and Secondary traumatic stress responses in the clinicians who responded to 9/11. She is currently the lead architect of the Boston Marathon bombings behavioral health response and is training emergency response clinicians in Kiev, Ukraine. Dr. Naturale continues to provide disaster and terrorism preparedness and response consultation and training throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Over the past decade with the OCME, Dr. Odien has played an essential role in the ongoing identification efforts of the victims of the September 11th attacks. In her capacity as the Lead WTC Anthropologist, she serves as the primary liaison, providing direct communication, support, and information to the families of 9/11 victims.

A survivor of the Boston Marathon Bombing, she combines lived and professional expertise in ways that resonate deeply with victims and survivors of terrorism and mass violence.

Dr. O’Neill has developed learning communities, peer-reviewed materials, presented at national and international conferences, and provided trauma-informed care and consultation following incidents of mass violence. She is a consultant for the NMVC, the OVC VOCA Center, and OVC TTAC, responding to MVIs and supporting long-term recovery and consultation in many communities, including New Orleans, Virginia Beach, Gilroy, Nashville, Perry (IA), Allen (TX), Columbine, and Vienna, Austria. She has served on numerous advisory groups and response teams dedicated to disaster mental health, peer support, and survivor services, including the Vibrant Emotional Health Crisis Emotional Care Team, the Disaster Distress Helpline Steering Committee, the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Team, and S.T.O.P.

Internationally, Dr. O’Neill is a member of the European Union Hub of Experts on Victims of Terrorism and has contributed to United Nations initiatives on victims’ rights, justice, and memorialization, presenting at the First Global Congress for Victims of Terrorism at UN Headquarters, providing testimony for the development of the model legislative provisions, and providing expert consultation for the development and launch of VOTAN (Victims of Terrorism Associations Network).

She maintains a private counseling practice, is an adjunct instructor in the graduate counseling psychology program at Chestnut Hill College, and is an adjunct lecturer for the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz. Dr. O’Neill earned her doctorate in health sciences with a focus on mental health, where her dissertation explored social support in communities impacted by hate-motivated mass shootings; the findings are being prepared to be presented for publication.

Dr. Phillips a retired Adjunct Full Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Psychology Doctoral Program at LIU Post, NY, and Group Faculty and Supervisor at the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies. She is in private practice in Northport, NY, co-author of three books, over 40 articles and chapters, and hosts Psych Up Live on International Talk Radio.

Since the Fund reopened in October 2011, she has served in various leadership roles touching most aspects of the program, including supervision of the public-facing Helpline, managing the team responsible for all outgoing correspondence, supervising the eligibility claim review team, developing a training program for new staff, and coordinating cross-team leadership efforts. Nicole joined the United States Department of Justice as an Attorney Advisor to focus on economic loss claim review in 2015. The following year, the Special Master tapped her to lead the team of legal professionals dedicated to reviewing FDNY and NYPD first responder claims.

Nicole has a deep understanding of VCF policy, and her comprehensive knowledge of the program overall is rooted in her longevity and progress within the Fund. As a member of the VCF Outreach Team, Nicole has represented the VCF during in-person information sessions, training sessions, and virtual webinars alike. She has served as a subject matter expert for the appeals process, and as a Hearing Officer presiding over in-person and virtual eligibility and compensation appeal hearings. In October 2020, Nicole was named Associate Special Master, a leadership team role created to provide additional operational and policy support to the Special Master. In this role, Nicole provided oversight to streamline productivity across the team, and ensure that claims continue to move as quickly and efficiently as possible. In 2022, she received the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division Special Commendation Award in recognition of her exemplary service.

Prior to joining the VCF, Nicole worked in project management and began her legal career at a small private practice. She graduated from the Howard University School of Law and received her undergraduate degree cum laude from Howard University. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Nicole is a member of the New York State Bar and District of Columbia Bar. She now calls the Washington, DC area home.

Her pursuit for justice has led to successes in declassification of the “28 pages”, enactment of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act – “JASTA”, the introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral 2021 September 11 Transparency Act which was the catalyst for President Biden’s Executive Order on September 3, 2021, directing a Declassification Review of key 9/11 documents, resulting in troves of newly declassified documents never seen before.

At the launch of LIV Golf in 2022, she began the Stop Saudi Sportswashing campaign and is currently working with congress to enact the Ensuring Justice Victims Terrorism Act to protect the 9/11 community’s ability to continue their civil litigation against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the role it played in the September 11 terrorist attack against our nation.

She has served the Department of Justice for over 14 years, most recently in the Office for Victims of Crime (“OVC”), where she focused on implementation of a claims system for victims of trafficking in child pornography.

Prior to this role, Allison oversaw all grant functions for the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (“SMART”). Previously at the SMART office, she had oversight over the team working with American Indian tribes to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. For their efforts, she and her team received the Assistant Attorney General Award for Exceptional Service.

Allison previously served as the Deputy Director of the Federal, International, and Tribal Division at OVC. She oversaw the Antiterrorism Emergency Assistance Program, including the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program, National Mass Violence Victimization Center, and OVC's Mass Violence victim support program. As Deputy Director, she also provided guidance and resources for Federal partners’ victim services programs. In addition, she led the tribal victims' services program, including the creation of innovative and efficient processes to help the Department effectuate a massive increase in funding for the first ever Tribal Victim Services Set Aside Program, and the creation of the Tribal Financial Management Center.

Before her Federal service, Allison was the Director of the National District Attorneys Association's (“NDAA”) National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse (“NCPCA”), where she managed program activities and staff; and trained and provided technical assistance nationwide on child abuse, maltreatment, sexual exploitation, computer facilitated crimes against children, and domestic violence. She has also authored numerous articles on these topics. Prior to her position at NDAA, Allison was a prosecutor for over 11 years, serving in New York and Illinois. She was an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office for more than nine years, where she tried a wide variety of felony cases.

Allison was born and raised in New York City, and although living in the Washington D.C. area for the past 20 years, considers herself a lifetime New Yorker. Before beginning her legal career, Allison was a police officer and lieutenant for eight years in the Philadelphia area. She received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Temple University School of Law.