Insurance Litigation Attorneys & Lawyers

New York & New Jersey

The law firm of Trief & Olk, founded in 1987, consists of experienced litigation attorneys. During the course of our practice, we have had to litigate many claims in which insurance companies have denied life insurance claims to bereaved family members. We have settled life insurance denial claims. We also have brought claims to trial and through the appeals process. Consequently, we have developed experience in this area of law.

Trief & Olk has a reputation in legal circles as a top notch litigation firm. In fact, because of our success, we often receive referrals from law firms we have litigated against.

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 partners are:

• Ted Trief, JD 1976
• Barbara E. Olk, JD (Of Counsel) 1976
• Joseph Monaco III, JD (Of Counsel) 1995
• Eric Dinnocenzo
• Jordan Rutsky
• 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 29 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

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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.

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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.

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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 Association of the Bar of the City of New York City Bar, where he sits on the Tort Litigation Committee.  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.  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.

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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.

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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.

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Contact the Trief & Olk life insurance claim attorneys today if your life insurance claim has been denied. Our experienced life insurance lawyers will help you get the life insurance proceeds you deserve.