Hamilton Clarke’s Civil Rights practice is among the leading practices in the United States.  We are known for vigorously defending clients whose civil rights have been violated, and have successfully litigated major civil rights cases throughout the country.

Our attorneys have experience representing clients in matters involving, among others, employment, racial and religious discrimination, disability, police misconduct, LGBT rights, prisoner/juvenile justice, and voting rights/election protection.

We have a strong track record of success, and our attorneys are skilled litigators who are not afraid to take on powerful entities to fight for justice. 

Our Civil Rights attorneys have obtained notable victories and have played pivotal roles in civil rights cases of import, including:

• a $9.25 million excessive force verdict – one of the highest ever civil rights verdicts in the Northern District of New York – arising from the death of Terry L. Cooper, Jr. at Clinton Correctional Facility
• the highest per-person class action settlement award in a mass arrest lawsuit anywhere in the United States
• a landmark permanent injunction against the State of New York in a religious discrimination class action lawsuit
• the landmark NYPD "stop-and-frisk" case
• the civil case involving the five individuals exonerated in the Central Park jogger case
• the families of Eric Garner and Barrington Williams, achieving triumphant wrongful death claims against the City of New York

Hamilton Clarke’s expertise also extends to class action matters, where the firm is currently leading a pending case against the State of New York on behalf of New York State Corrections Officers, fighting for reasonable religious accommodations.  We also are co-leading a significant class action lawsuit against the City of Rochester, addressing decades of racially biased policing practices.