Michael A. D'Anton

Michael brings an impressive range of expertise to Chasan Leyner & Lamparello, PC, combining his extensive psychological training with a strong legal presence. Concentrating on civil litigation and governmental, labor and employment law, with subspecialties in medical/psychiatric/psychological malpractice, health, mental health, personal injury, construction defects and consumer protection matters, his clients benefit from his unique perspective as a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and retired state consulting medical examiner.

He has prosecuted a number of criminal appeals and post-conviction relief petitions, many involving claims of ineffective assistance of counsel by defendants with psychiatric histories, and his expertise in these cases led to court appointment as counsel for alleged mentally incapacitated litigants.  Michael’s admission to the bar was a natural progression, following his private practice in forensic, rehabilitation and counseling psychology, where he gained extensive experience conducting expert psychological examinations in personal injury, capital offense homicide and workers’ compensation cases.  As a consulting medical examiner with the state of New Jersey, Department of Labor, Division of Disability Determinations, Michael gained invaluable experience rating claims for Social Security Disability benefits.  An expert witness in multiple psychology disciplines, he has testified in federal, state and workers’ compensation courts throughout New Jersey. He has held adjunct teaching positions at the undergraduate and graduate levels at several universities in New Jersey, focusing his teaching endeavors on forensic psychology.

Michael is a recognized expert on the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, and has served as a psychologist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  He was cited for humanitarian work on behalf of disabled veterans by the Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion, and testified before the New Jersey Agent Orange Commission on his findings in a nationwide study on the readjustment problems of Vietnam veterans.  Those findings were later presented to the House of Representatives’ Veterans Affairs Committee.