Richard A. Portale is known in and out of the courtroom for his passion, hard work, and commitment to justice. Mr. Portale has consistently fought for the rights of his clients with a track record that speaks for itself.
No matter what the scope of the charges his clients are facing, Mr. Portale recognizes that the outcome of his work significantly impacts the lives of many. He and his team work tirelessly to do their very best for their clients.
Awards:
- Americas Top 100 Attorneys – Lifetime Achievement Award
- Hudson Valley’s Top Lawyers – for 2021
- Super Lawyers – for 2018, 2019, and 2020
- American Institute of Trial Lawyers, Litigator of the Year, Criminal Law – for 2019
- Westchester Top Attorneys, Westchester Magazine – Selected by peer recognition and professional achievement – October 2019
- The National Trial Lawyers – Top 100 Trial Lawyers – for 2015, 2016 and 2018
- Westchester Top Attorneys, Westchester Magazine – Selected by peer recognition and professional achievement – October 2018
- National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys – Nationally Ranked – Top 10 Attorney Award – for 2018
- Lawyers of Distinction – for Excellence in Criminal Defense Law – for 2018
- Lawyers of Distinction – for Criminal Defense, Top 10% in the USA – for 2017
- American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys – Client Satisfaction Award – 10 Best – for 2015 and 2016
- Top 100 DWI Attorneys – New York City – Recognized by the National Advocacy for DUI Defense, LLC – for 2014 and 2015
Education & Personal Life
Mr. Portale attended the University of Buffalo as an undergraduate and soon after earned his Juris Doctorate from the John Marshall School of Law. He is originally from Buffalo, NY.
When not fighting for justice in the courtroom, Mr. Portale enjoys hiking, snowboarding, rugby, and spending time with his fiancé Brooke and their two sons Hudson & Sebastian.
High Profile Cases
Mr. Portale has been involved in numerous high-profile cases.
- Very recently, in a case that garnered international media coverage, the People of the State of New York v. Angelika Graswald, Mr. Portale and his team masterfully crafted a defense after police claimed his Latvian client admitted she had murdered her fiancé in a kayak on the Hudson River in April, 2015. Undeterred by the murder charge and the evidence against his client, who faced a possible sentence of 25 years to life, Mr. Portale and his team worked tirelessly for over two years and were eventually able to overcome both Murder and Manslaughter, leveraging a plea to Criminal Negligence that allowed Ms. Graswald to be released in December, 2017.
- Mr. Portale was co-counsel for Bill Clinton’s neighbor, Carlos Perez-Olivo (a criminal defense lawyer himself) who was charged with Second Degree Murder in 2008. At the trial, Mr. Portale was responsible for all the forensic evidence, in which he provided scientific proof that Mr. Olivo could not have been the one to shoot his wife.
- In 2009, Mr. Portale was a member of the defense team of former NFL linebacker Eric Naposki, who was arrested and charged with first degree murder in Newport Beach, California.
- In 2010, Mr. Portale was lead counsel for Westchester Police Officer James Pileggi on charges of Reckless Manslaughter for shooting and killing a friend in his car at point blank range – with his own off duty firearm. That trial resulted in a hung jury.
- Immediately following the Pileggi trial, Mr. Portale defended Terry Carver, a longshoreman accused of breaking a screen, climbing in the window of his girlfriend’s apartment and stabbing her lover nine times in the chest and torso. Mr. Carver was acquitted in six hours.
In 2017, he and his partner James A. Randazzo founded the firm Portale Randazzo LLP, which concentrates on both criminal and civil defense.
Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals, D.C. – Second Circuit
- United States District Court, Southern District of New York
- United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
- New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division Second Department
- New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division Fourth Department