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Michael Vitaliano’s Staten Island roots run through both the ballot box and the bench: his father represented the borough in the New York State Assembly for two decades and now sits as a United States District Judge. The son took the prosecutor’s path — years as a New York City Assistant District Attorney working high-level prosecutions from homicide and sexual assault to drug trafficking, gang, and white-collar cases — then crossed over, trained at one of the state’s premier defense firms, and founded his own practice serving Staten Island and the wider city.
At a Glance
| Firm | The Vitaliano Law Firm |
| Principal Attorney | Michael E. Vitaliano |
| Office | Staten Island, NY (St. George area; contact 718-273-7800 — precise suite via the firm’s site, vitalianolaw.com) |
| Focus | Criminal defense in New York state and federal courts — homicide, narcotics, firearms, burglary and robbery, DWI, sex-offense, and financial-crime matters — serving Staten Island and New York City |
| Background | Former New York City Assistant District Attorney for multiple years, assisting high-level prosecutions including homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, organized gang crime, and white-collar matters; then associate at a prominent New York criminal defense firm before founding his own practice |
| Admissions | New York; U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York |
| Education | Msgr. Farrell High School (Staten Island); B.A. Criminal Justice with honors in major, St. Joseph’s University (Philadelphia); J.D., Brooklyn Law School |
| Fee Structure | Free consultation |
Career History
Vitaliano is a product of Staten Island’s civic establishment — Msgr. Farrell High School, a father whose twenty years in the Assembly preceded his appointment to the federal bench, a mother who chairs the board of a major borough charitable organization — and his own career has tracked the family’s public-service line. After Brooklyn Law School he was appointed an Assistant District Attorney, where he prosecuted and assisted in complex, high-profile cases across the severity spectrum. On leaving the DA’s office he joined one of New York State’s most prestigious criminal defense firms as an associate, where his results earned him the National Trial Lawyers’ “Top 40 Under 40” designation — a marketing-program recognition we label as such below — before he founded The Vitaliano Law Firm. He is a member of state and national criminal defense organizations.
Practice Concentration
The practice is criminal defense across the charge spectrum his prosecutorial docket covered: homicide, narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms, burglary, robbery, DWI, sex offenses, and financial crimes, in state and federal court. The Staten Island positioning is the structural asset — a borough-native, prosecution-formed defense lawyer in the city’s most underserved defense market — with the firm’s stated approach emphasizing early investigation, vigorous plea negotiation, and disciplined trial preparation and management.
Track Record
The verifiable record is the career structure: multi-year prosecutorial service on high-level cases, formation at a top defense firm, and independent client reports of concrete outcomes — including a criminal charge reduced to a non-criminal violation. These are firm- and client-reported outcomes; no itemized dispositions ledger is published, and this research did not independently verify individual results. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case.
Client Voice
The aggregated review record runs to a 4.6-star rating. The positive majority is specific and service-oriented — clients describe an attentive advocate who answers even late at night, with one writing that the firm makes clients “feel safe and reassured.” Per our disclosure policy, the record’s most serious negative entry is reported rather than omitted: one reviewer alleges poor communication, unreturned calls, a felony outcome after being advised to take a plea, and undisclosed charges — unverified allegations that stand against the balance of the record, which prospective clients can raise directly at consultation. This research did not surface any public disciplinary findings.
Beyond the Courtroom
The Vitaliano family’s civic footprint — legislative service, the federal bench, charitable-board leadership — is Staten Island institutional fabric, and the firm’s own practice continues the pattern of borough-rooted professional service, with free consultations lowering the barrier to counsel in a market where options are few.
Recognition
Sorting per our standard: the prosecutorial appointment and the associate tenure at a premier defense firm are the substantive credentials; the National Trial Lawyers’ “New York’s Top 40 Under 40 Criminal Defense Lawyers” designation is a membership-based marketing-program award, which we label as such. A disclosure we apply to every New York profile: New York State does not operate a board certification program for legal specialties comparable to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, so no New York attorney profile on this site will describe its subject as a state-certified specialist, and this profile attributes no certification to Vitaliano.
New York Legal Backdrop
A New York criminal case moves on statutory clocks that defendants rarely know exist. After arrest, arraignment generally must occur within about twenty-four hours; a felony defendant held on bail must be released under CPL § 180.80 if the prosecution fails to secure grand jury action within the statutory period (120 hours, or 144 hours spanning a weekend or holiday). CPL § 30.30 sets speedy-trial clocks — six months on most felonies, ninety days on class A misdemeanors — and New York’s discovery reform, CPL Article 245, obligates prosecutors to turn over their evidence on an automatic timetable. CPL § 160.59 permits sealing of up to two eligible convictions after ten crime-free years. Staten Island cases are prosecuted by the Richmond County District Attorney and heard in the borough’s courts in St. George — a compact courthouse community where local standing and familiarity carry real weight. None of this is legal advice; consult a licensed New York attorney about your situation.
Awesome Attorneys Assessment
The case for Vitaliano is the borough-establishment pedigree converted into defense practice: genuine NYC prosecutorial formation on serious cases, apprenticeship at a top defense firm, deep Staten Island roots in a market with the city’s thinnest private defense bar, federal-court admissions, and an accessible, free-consultation model.
The honest trade-offs, stated plainly: this is a solo-led practice with the capacity limits that implies; the prosecutorial tenure’s specific office and duration are not detailed in his public materials; the firm publishes no results ledger; the review record contains the one serious adverse allegation disclosed above; and the marquee accolade is a marketing-program award, labeled per our standard.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys in August 2026 without the participation, sponsorship, or payment of The Vitaliano Law Firm. Primary sources: the firm’s website (vitalianolaw.com), including its attorney-profile, about, and Staten Island practice pages (prosecutorial background and case types; education; family history; practice scope). Independent verification: Avvo profile (Staten Island office; biography); LinkedIn profile (career chronology); experience.com aggregated reviews (4.6-star rating; the positive themes and adverse allegation disclosed in Client Voice); Justia and Cornell LII listings (practice designations; contact details); the National Trial Lawyers and America’s Top 100 listings (labeled as marketing programs per our standard). His father’s Assembly service and federal judgeship are matters of public record. Statutes cited in the New York Legal Backdrop were verified against the New York Criminal Procedure Law (§§ 30.30, 160.59, 180.80, and Article 245).
Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice
Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal-directory publisher. This profile was not paid for by The Vitaliano Law Firm, and inclusion in our editorial coverage cannot be purchased. Our methodology and editorial standards are applied consistently across all firms we cover.