James Balcarczyk II
Biography
James Balcarczyk is a Partner in our Buffalo office, where he concentrates his practice in civil litigation and devotes a substantial portion of his time to representing professional malpractice defendants, including nursing homes, hospitals, physicians, physician’s assistants, physical therapists, nurses, and nurse’s aides. He has represented both medical malpractice and long-term care clients at trial.
James developed his expertise as a Partner at a full service regional firm based in New York, where he was a trial attorney in the firm’s general litigation department. He defended medical and nursing facilities and their staff against negligence and malpractice claims. He also represented medical professionals in misconduct proceedings involving the New York State Department of Health, Education Department, and Office of Professional Medical Conduct. In addition, he is experienced in the field of mental hygiene law and has represented clients at civil commitment hearings. Before joining HBS, James worked with a global claims management company, where he managed a large volume of lawsuits for long-term care and medical malpractice clients and was responsible for risk analysis, defense counsel management, and the administration of self-insured retentions.
James received his Juris Doctor from Albany Law School, where he was an associate editor for the Albany Law Review. While in law school, he served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Ralph W. Smith, Jr. with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. James received his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from the State University at Buffalo (formerly State University of New York at Buffalo), where he majored in Political Science and English. During this time, he was elected as a committee member for the City of Lackawanna and served from 1994-1996.
James was born and raised in the Buffalo area and currently resides in the City of Lackawanna where he previously served as the Assistant City Attorney and City Prosecutor.
Credentials
Admitted
State Courts:
- New York
Education
- J.D., Albany Law School, 2001
- B.A., cum laude, English and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1997
Memberships
- Bar Association of Erie County
- Medical Society of the County of Erie, Health Law Committee, 2009-2013
- New York State Bar Association
Recognition
- Volunteer Lawyers’ Project Outstanding Service Award, 2003
- Awarded for completing 150+ hours of pro bono work.
Presentations
James has written extensive materials and presented in-services at hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical industry facilities.