Alex C. Dell is the founder of the firm, and has over twenty-four (24) years of experience in the areas of workers' compensation law and disability benefits law.

Alex represents injured and disabled workers who are in need of wage replacement and medical benefits. Alex's practice also includes representation of injured policemen, firemen and correction officers seeking benefits pursuant to New York's General Municipal Law Section 207-a and 207-c.

Alex earned his B.A. with honors at the State University of New York at Binghamton, and his J.D. at Queens College School of Law of the City University of New York.

Alex frequently teaches attorneys who are interested in becoming more familiar with the area of workers' compensation, and regularly speaks to various labor union members about their rights under the New York State Workers' Compensation Law. Alex is admitted to practice before all New York State Courts, as well as the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York.

Alex is also admitted to practice in the state of Connecticut and before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Albany County Bar Association and the Injured Workers Bar Association. Outside of work, For over twenty-five (25) years, Alex served as a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Ice Hockey Referee. On January 23, 1992, Alex reffed his 1st National Hockey League (NHL) game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders at the Nassau Colliseum in Uniondale, New York.

Louis M. Dauerer began working for the Firm in 1990 while still in Law School.  His astute legal acumen and diligent work ethic made him a natural fit to remain with the Firm and dedicate his legal his legal career to the advancement of the rights of injured workers.   ​

​Lou is a lifelong Hudson Valley resident who graduated from Arlington High School.  He holds degrees from Dutchess Community College (A.A.), State University of New York Binghamton (B.A.) and St. Johns University School of Law (J.D.).

​Lou is active in several organizations dedicated to assisting injured workers.   He sits on the Board of Directors of the New York injured Workers Bar Association (as Past President) and is a founding member and one of the Directors of the New York Workers Compensation Alliance, a political action committee dedicated to protecting the rights of injured workers.   He is a member of the Dutchess County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York Injured Workers’ Bar Association, and the Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group.​

Lou also serves on the Board of the non-profit Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial, which raises scholarship funds for the children of permanently injured and deceased workers.

​Lou enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews, participating in sports car club activities and shooting sports events. He is also an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Mr. Lemire resides in Saratoga County, NY.   He graduated from C.W. Post College of Long Island University (B.A.), magna cum laude in 1989, and Albany Law School of Union University (J.D.) in 1992.

Mr. Lemire concentrates his practice in representing employers, injured workers, and insurance companies in all stages of litigation before the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board and New York courts.  He is experienced in all phases of the Workers’ Compensation process – developing  and implementing  claim strategy; and settlement agreements; coverage and uninsured employer issues; handling  claims throughout the hearing and trial process; drafting and arguing administrative appeals; and perfecting appeals to the Appellate Division, Third Department and the New York State Court of Appeals.  Mr. Lemire’s practice also includes litigation in both state and federal courts in matters involving personal injury, social security disability, and employment claims.

Mr. Lemire is a frequent lecturer on all aspects of the New York Workers’ Compensation System.  In January 2010, the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section of the New York State Bar Association named Mr. Lemire “Chair of the Year” in “recognition of his exceptional contribution as Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Law Division.”

Prior to establishing Lemire & Higgins, LLC, Mr. Lemire operated his own firm in Saratoga County; and was a named partner of one of Albany’s oldest firms where he developed, expanded, and supervised his Workers’ Compensation and Appellate Practice.

MADELINE H. PANTZER is Chief of Adjudication of the Workers’ Compensation Board. She is a graduate of University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she majored in History and a graduate of New York Law School with a Juris Doctor degree. She worked in private practice and as an Administrative Law Judge with the City of New York prior to joining the WCB in 1998. She has served as a Workers’ Compensation Law Judge in Brooklyn and Manhattan, the Senior Workers’ Compensation Law Judge for the Albany District and the Chief of Administrative Review Division. Madeline leads a statewide adjudication system which conducts 1,000 hearings a day, and she has led the successful implementation of the Virtual Hearing Center.

Justin S. Teff, Esq., was born in Washington, D.C., and raised on Long Island, New York. He graduated from the State University at Albany in 1998, and received his law degree from Albany Law School in 2001. Mr. Teff was admitted to practice in the Third Department in 2002, and has since focused his career on all aspects of workers’ compensation law and practice. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, Mr. Teff worked for the defense litigation firm of Stockton, Barker & Mead, as well as the Special Funds Conservation Committee.

Mr. Teff is the immediate past President of the New York State Injured Workers’ Bar Association (IWBA) and is a member of the New York State, Albany County, and Ulster County Bar Associations. He is the Ulster County Bar Association’s delegate to the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates. Mr. Teff is also a member of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Mr. Teff is an avid writer and lecturer on various subjects including workers’ compensation law. He has taught numerous Continuing Legal Education seminars throughout the state on workers’ compensation matters. His academic articles have been cited by two of New York’s four Appellate Divisions. Mr. Teff has previously authored amicus curiae briefs for the Court of Appeals and Appellate Division on behalf of the IWBA.

Mr. Teff is the Chair of New York State Bar Association Committee on Judicial Discipline, and is a former member of the Special Committee to Review the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Crystle Watts was raised in Middletown, NY. After high school, she attended Orange County Community College and earned an Honors Associate’s degree in Social Science in 2005. She graduated cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

Crystle went on to study at Albany Law School of Union University. She received the Deans’ Scholarship Award and graduated magna cum laude in 2013. While studying at Albany Law School, Crystle served as a lead articles editor on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Science & Technology. She also participated in the Pro Bono Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, helping low-income individuals prepare and file their tax returns. During her final year of law school, Crystle secured an internship with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. She worked on appellate review of Workers’ Compensation decisions in the Office of General Counsel, where she gained foundational knowledge of New York’s compensation system.

In 2014, Crystle was admitted to the New York State Bar. She is thankful for the opportunity to turn her legal knowledge of the Workers’ Compensation system into practical benefits for clients who are injured on the job. Crystle takes pride in helping injured workers secure the medical care and compensation to which they are entitled.

A member of the New York State Bar Association and the Injured Workers’ Bar Association, Crystle lives in Columbia County and enjoys hiking, gardening, and cooking.

Sean was born in Syracuse, NY and attended Skaneateles High School.  After graduating college at R.I.T. in Rochester, NY, Sean spent several years working in the civil service field before entering Albany Law School in Albany, NY.   While in law school, Sean served on the executive board of the Albany Law Review and on the Student Senate of the Student Bar Association.  Sean began his legal career at a corporate law firm in Albany, NY before switching gears and joining Stockton, Barker & Mead as an Associate Attorney in 2014.  Sean devotes 100% of his practice to Workers' Compensation defense.  Sean is a member of the New York State Bar Association.

David F. Wertheim is General Counsel for the Workers’ Compensation Board, based in Schenectady. David received his J.D. from Cardozo Law School in 1991, and has spent the majority of his career as an attorney with New York State. He has been with the Board since 1997, initially as a staff attorney. He has worked in various positions including Acting Director of the Administrative Review Division, Senior Administrative Law Judge for the Albany district, Deputy General Counsel, and in July 2016 he was appointed as General Counsel. Among key programmatic and legislative initiatives have been: the implementation of electronic filing; the creation of special hearing parts for permanent partial disability determinations, and special hearing procedures for opioid weaning and addiction recovery; a virtual hearing center for multi-point video hearings; the 2017 enactment of Paid Family Leave; regulatory amendments in several practice areas, including attorney’s fees, appeals, and stipulations; and the 2017 workers’ compensation reform package. David resides in Saratoga Springs.