Click on one of the links below to learn more about each counsel bio.
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Deborah J. Banfield
Email: DBanfield@grsl.com – Download vCard
Deborah J. Banfield is Counsel to GRSLBG&B and concentrates her practice in areas of General Liability, Construction, Premises Liability, Automobile and Motor Carrier Liability, Asbestos/Toxic Tort and Municipal/Traffic. She represents insurance companies, self-insured clients, and corporate clients in defense of these claims.
Ms. Banfield joined GRSLBG&B in February 2020. She graduated with her B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Lycoming College and later received her law degree from Capital University Law School in 1991. She was a member of the Capital University Law Review and her Article concerning lender liability under CERCLA was published in the 1991 Law Review.
Prior to joining GRSLBG&B, Ms. Banfield spent over 15 years as a Partner at a New Jersey litigation firm. Ms. Banfield has regularly presented and served as a panelist for firm clients, insurance companies and insureds on insurance coverage, claims handling practices, insurance fraud, and risk transfer. She is a member of the American Bar Association, New Jersey Association for Justice and the National Association of Professional Women.
Ms. Banfield was designated as a “New Jersey Super Lawyer” by “Super Lawyer” Magazine in 2022-2023.
Ms. Banfield is admitted to practice in New Jersey. She is also an accomplished appellate advocate and has successfully argued matters before the Appellate Division of New Jersey.
In addition, Ms. Banfield is actively involved in her community as well as charitable organizations. She has been on the Board and has served as the Vice-President and Secretary of a Philanthropic Foundation since 2006 which supports Charitable Organizations, Theater and the Arts in New Jersey.
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Vincent L. Gonzalez
Email: VGonzalez@grsl.com
Vincent L. Gonzalez is Counsel to GRSLBG&B and concentrates his practice in General Liability. He represents the interests of insurance carriers and self-insured companies in all aspects of litigation, including trials and appellate practices. Mr. Gonzalez concentrates his practice in the area of General Liability and Construction Law, including labor law, personal injury, and premises liability claims.
Mr. Gonzalez graduated from Wagner College in 1980 with a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry. Thereafter, Mr. Gonzalez worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist at St. Vincent’s Medical Center of Richmond and an instructor for the Wagner College Nuclear Medicine Program. In 1989, Mr. Gonzalez received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School.
Prior to joining GRSLBG&B, Mr. Gonzalez’s litigation practice was based in Manhattan, where he represented both plaintiffs and defendants in various areas of the law including personal injury, medical malpractice, mass tort, labor and employment. He successfully handled cases from inception through trial in New Jersey and New York State and Federal Courts. For several years, Mr. Gonzalez also served as a Scoring Judge during the Qualifying Rounds of the New York Regional National Student Trial Advocacy Competition (STAC) in the Supreme Court, Kings County.
Mr. Gonzalez is a member of the New York Bar Association and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York.
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Joseph C. Valenzuela
Email: JValenzuela@grsl.com – Download vCard
Joseph Valenzuela is Counsel to GRSLBG&B and concentrates his practice in General Liability, Professional Liability, Construction and Insurance Coverage. He represents insurance companies and self-insured companies in the defense of these claims.
Mr. Valenzuela joined GRSLBG&B in June 2016. He graduated with a B.S. from The College of New Jersey in 2008 and received his law degree from the Hofstra University School of Law in 2011. While attending law school, Mr. Valenzuela was an Articles Editor for the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal.
Prior to joining GRSLBG&B, Mr. Valenzuela worked at a Pennsylvania-based insurance defense firm where he represented insurers in first-party claims. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Mr. Valenzuela has been selected as a “Rising Star” by the New Jersey Edition of Super Lawyers for 2019-2023.
Practice Groups:
- General Liability
- Construction
- Professional Liability
- Insurance Coverage
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- New Jersey, 2011
- New York, 2012
- Pennsylvania, 2015
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 2019
Education:
- The College of New Jersey (B.S. Criminology & Justice Studies, May 2008)
- Hofstra University School of Law (J.D., 2011)
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- New Jersey Bar Association
Nicholas J. Grau
Email: NGrau@grsl.com
Nicholas Grau is Counsel to GRSLBG&B and concentrates his practice in Workers’ Compensation. He represents employers, insurance carriers and third-party administrators in the defense of these claims.
Mr. Grau joined GRSLBG&B in September 2021. He graduated with a B.A. from Rutgers University in 2007 and received his law degree from the Pace University School of Law in 2011. While attending law school, Mr. Grau was selected to the Dean’s List in 2010 and 2011, and he received a specialized certification in Environmental Law.
Prior to joining GRSLBG&B, Mr. Grau was the Workers’ Compensation Department Head of a local New Jersey Firm. He also has experience with personal injury litigation, New Jersey no-fault insurance, and municipal court practice.
He is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, and the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
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David S. Kaplan
Email: DKaplan@grsl.com
David S. Kaplan is Counsel to GRSLBG&B and concentrates his practice in General Liability, Personal Injury and Property Damage and is an experienced trial attorney. Mr. Kaplan handles all aspects of cases from inception through trial in an array of matters including personal injury, automobile, product liability, workers’ compensation, asbestos litigation, property damage, general liability, and Title 59 matters.
Mr. Kaplan graduated from American University with a B.S. and received his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in State and Federal Courts of New Jersey and is also a member of the New Jersey Bar Association.
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Erin L. Peters
Email: EPeters@grsl.com
GRSLBG&B is pleased to announce that Erin L. Peters has rejoined the Firm’s New Jersey Office as Counsel to its Litigation Department. Ms. Peters first joined the Firm in 2012, and during her initial tenure, she successfully litigated a multitude of cases in several areas, including Premises Liability, Automobile/Trucking Liability, Dram Shop, Construction Accident, Insurance Coverage, and Employment Discrimination. Ms. Peters prior achievements at GRSLBG&B include affirmation of Summary Judgment with a published opinion in the matter of Dunkley v. Coraluzzo Petroleum Transporters, 441 N.J. Super. 325 (App. Div. 2015); an employment law decision she was invited to speak about at the New Jersey Law Center.
Ms. Peters earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Pennsylvania State University in 2006 before attending New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 2009. Ms. Peters then served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Barry P. Sarkisian, J.S.C. (Ret.), of the New Jersey Superior Court.
Ms. Peters will resume her practice of defending clients in both New Jersey State and Federal Courts, with a particular focus on complex matters. Ms. Peters has been selected as a “Rising Star” by the New Jersey Edition of Super Lawyers for 2023.
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