James E. Hacker

James E. Hacker is the Managing Partner of Hacker Murphy LLP. He has been trying personal injury cases and commercial cases throughout New York State for over 37 years.

Jim has tried over 100 cases to verdict and divides his practice between the areas of commercial litigation and the plaintiff personal injury. He has achieved multiple million-dollar verdicts and settlements in both State and Federal Court and has appeared and argued multiple times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the New York State Court of Appeals.

Mr. Hacker has been recognized two of the most prestigious trial lawyer associations in the country. He is an elected Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the premier legal association in North America. Fellowship is extended only by invitation, after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility, and collegiality. Membership can never be more than 1% of the total lawyer population of any state.

Jim is also an elected Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Membership is extended by invitation only and the Academy limits Fellowship to 500 active trial lawyers from the United States and includes over 150 Fellows from nearly 40 countries across the globe.

In addition to Jim’s extensive legal representation, he serves as the Chair of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York which provides free legal services to low-income people and serves 16 counties in northeastern New York. He is also President-elect of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, whose membership consists of more than 4,500 individuals from the legal community including members of the judiciary, government employees, law professors and students.

Jim currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Albany Law School where he was the former Board Chair. He is also a former Trustee of the Board of Hamilton College.

Locally, he is the Past President of the Albany County Bar Association, Past President of the Albany County Bar Foundation, and Past President of the Capital District Trial Lawyers Association who honored him with their Annual “Daniel H. Mahoney” Award in 2016.

Mr. Hacker holds an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell and has been recognized as a “Best Lawyer in America” and “Super Lawyer” in both the fields of personal injury and commercial litigation. He has previously been recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” in both categories.

He is also an elected member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals and has been appointed as a United States District Court Mediator. He has mediated and arbitrated over 750 cases in the last 15 years. He has also served as an expert witness in various jurisdictions.

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Bar Admissions

• State of New York
• United States District Court, Northern District of New York
• United States District Court, Southern District of New York
• United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Education

• Juris Doctor, Albany Law School of Union University
• Bachelor of Arts, Hamilton College

Experience

• Lead counsel in the Ethan Allen tour boat disaster where he represented 20 families of the victims and litigated simultaneous lawsuits in Federal Court, New York State Supreme Court, and the New York State Court of Claims arguing in the New York State Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• $7.5 million product liability verdict which included punitive damages against the manufacturer, United State District Court for the Northern District
• $1.2 million dollar verdict motor vehicle crash, United States District Court for the Northern District
• $1.5 million dollar verdict motor vehicle crash, Ulster Supreme Court
• $1.1million dollar verdict nursing home neglect, Schenectady County Supreme Court
• $5.25 million dollar settlement motor vehicle crash, Albany County Supreme Court
• $5.65 million dollar settlement medical malpractice action, Albany County Supreme Court
• $1.5 million dollar settlement motor vehicle crash, Albany County Supreme Court
• $1.4 million dollar settlement medical malpractice, Otsego County Supreme Court
• $1.5 million dollar settlement medical malpractice, Broome County Supreme Court
• $1 million dollar settlement pedestrian accident, Kings County Supreme Court
• $2.4 million dollar settlement workplace accident, Schenectady County Supreme Court
• $1.2 million dollar settlement workplace accident, Schenectady County Supreme Court
• $1.75 million dollar settlement workplace accident, Saratoga County Supreme Court
• $1.5 million dollar settlement medical malpractice, Albany County Supreme Court
• $1 million dollar settlement motor vehicle crash, Schenectady County Supreme Court
• $1 million dollar settlement workplace accident, Washington County Supreme Court

Reported Cases:

• Metz v. State of New York, 27 Misc.3d 1209(A); 86 A.D.3d 748;20 N.Y.3d 175
• In Re Lake George Tort Claims, 2006 W.L. 2934806; 461 Fed.Appx.39, 2012 W.L. 40064800
• Loftus v. White, 85 N.Y.2d 874
• Matter of Estate of Quigley 172 A.D. 3d 1516
• Waddy v. Genesee Patrons Cooperative Insurance Co., 164 A.D. 3d 1056
• Urbaniak v. Shoreline Cruises, 459 F. 2d 154
• Gonick v. Adirondack Research and Management, 57 Misc. 3d 1203(A)
• Drum v. Collure, 161 A.D. 3d 1509
• Utica Mutual Insurance v. Century Indemnity Co. 2019 WL 6482559
• Hackert v. First Alert, 271 Fed. Appx. 31
• Atiles v. Golub Corp., 141 A.D. 3d 1055
• Heller v. Lewis, 50 Misc. 3d 1203(A)
• Rhodes v. Swope 64 Misc. 3d 1227(A)
• Brereton v. UnumProvident Company, 2005 WL 901039
• STS Steel v. Maxon Alco Holding, LLC, 123 A.D.3d 1260
• Morizio v. Roeder, 44 Misc.3d 1214(A)
• Icon Office Solutions v. Underwood Office Technology, 21 Misc.3d 1144(A)
• Kirk v. Howe, 2000 W.L. 1239107
• Cohen v. Tomillson, 63 Misc. 3d 1217(A)
• Rosewood Builders LLC v. National Fire 2013 WL 1006629
• Merriman v. Town of Colonie, 934 F. Supp. 501
• Waterford Mortgage v. Integrated Alarm Services Group, 2008 W.L. 4589630
• American Building Maintenance Co. v. Acme Property Services Inc., 515 F.Sub.2d 298
• Seacon Corp. v. Sellect Corp., 2009 W.L. 2495949
• Groat v. Global Hawk, 2012 W.L. 3985098
• Abraham v. Novello, 39 A.D.3d 1039
• Washington v. Community Health Plan, 220 A.D.2d 972
• Casala v. Henna, 270 A.D.2d 680
• Keis v. Northern Distributor, 226 A.D.2d 9
• Securities Exchange Commission v. McGinn Smith 2019 WL 1060650
• Harper v. Murphy Overhead Doors 131 A.D. 2d 966
• Woodward v. CSX Tranp. 2012 WL 431190
• Hooper v. Hise 117 A.D. 2d 709

Awards & Recognition

• American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
• International College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
• Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
• Daniel H. Mahoney Award , Capital District Trial Lawyers Association, (2016)
• Best Lawyer in America, Lawyer of the Year, Personal Injury
• Best Lawyer in America, Lawyer of the Year, Medical Malpractice
• Best Lawyer in America, Lawyer of the Year, Commercial Litigation
• Super Lawyers, Top 10 Upstate New York
• “Lawyer of the Year,” Litigation, Insurance – Albany, Best Lawyers (2025)
• “Lawyer of the Year,” Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs – Albany, Best Lawyers (2025)
• The Best Lawyers in America^® - Troy, 2025
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation - Insurance
  • Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Professional Affiliations

• American College of Trial Lawyers
• International College of Trial Lawyers
• Litigation Counsel of America
• Albany County Bar Association, Past President
• Albany County Bar Foundation, Past President
• New York State Trial Lawyers Academy, Regional Vice President
• Capital District Trial Lawyers Association, Past President
• New York State Bar Association, Former Member House of Delegates
• American Bar Association
• New York State Trial Lawyers Association
• American Association for Justice
• The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals
• Designated Neutral – United States District Court for the Northern District of New York

Practice Areas

• Personal Injury
• Commercial Litigation
• Mediations
• Arbitrations
• Medical Malpractice