Marco Cercone is a partner at Rupp Pfalzgraf and the leader of our Property Insurance Litigation and Antitrust groups. He has been at the Firm for over 21 years. He practices in the areas of first-party insurance coverage, subrogation, and antitrust.
Why did Marco choose to work at Rpp Pfalzgraf?
When Marco started at Rupp Pfalzgraf in 2003, we were much smaller, with about five or six lawyers at the time. He was the second or third associate when he was hired. We were a close-knit, very family-oriented law firm. We were different, we took care of our employees, and we really watched out for each other. We’ve kept that culture and that way of doing business together as we’ve grown into a firm of over 70 lawyers and one of the top five law firms in Buffalo while staying true to those principles of being family-oriented and having a great culture.
What type of work does Marco find most rewarding within his practice?
He finds all of the work that he does rewarding. The best way to describe it is that he’s a problem solver. People come to him with problems, and he tries to find a way to fix those problems. There’s no greater reward to Marco than finishing a trial for somebody when you have a bona fide dispute and winning it for your client and resolving that dispute to their satisfaction.
What is a fun fact that people may be surprised to learn about Marco?
While it might not be surprising to some, but Marco speaks Italian. His parents are immigrants from Italy, and they taught him a lot about hard work and faith to your family. Those principles have guided him into being the person and attorney he is today. Also, you would have to be in a coma not to know that Marco is a Bills fan, and a crazy Bills fan.
What is Marco’s best legal tip?
A lot of times, people will come to Marco with a problem, and when he takes a look at the problem, a lot of times it’s rooted in the fact that they waited too long to consult with an expert like an attorney to address the situation that is happening. They’ve made things worse by not relying on the experts in that particular field. So, his best legal tip is to do two things initially. First, make sure you read whatever it is your signing because under New York law, you’re presumed to know the contents of a contract to know the contents of a contract, whether you’ve read it or not. Second, I you don’t understand what you’re reading, you should reach out to a professional, talk to them, and get their advice so you don’t walk yourself into a situation that you might regret later.
