The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

Focus and practice areas

Brewington Law is a litigation practice based in Hempstead, New York. The firm centers its work on civil rights and constitutional law, and it builds much of its docket around that field. Voting rights and election law, employment and housing discrimination, and police misconduct all fall under the same civil rights heading. The firm also handles matters that involve claims of governmental wrongdoing.

The firm describes itself as a full-service practice with its emphasis on litigation and trial work. It says it serves clients on Long Island and beyond. In my opinion, the clearest read on any firm comes from the areas it chooses to name, and Brewington Law names a wide set. That range points to a general civil practice with a strong pull toward rights-based cases.

The civil rights core

Civil rights and constitutional law is the field the firm puts first. Such cases usually begin with a claim that a government body or official violated a person's rights under the Constitution or federal law. Many of them move through federal court, where statutes like Section 1983 let individuals sue state and local actors. The path runs through pleadings, discovery, motion practice, and, in some cases, a jury trial.

Police misconduct

Police misconduct claims are part of this same body of law. A plaintiff generally has to show that an officer's conduct crossed a constitutional line and that harm followed from it. These cases can involve claims of excessive force, false arrest, or unlawful search. Courts also weigh doctrines such as qualified immunity, which can shape how far a claim proceeds. As a reviewer, I take the firm's decision to list police misconduct on its own as a sign that these cases hold a central place in its work.

Voting rights and election law

Voting rights and election law is a further area the firm names, and it ties closely to the firm's constitutional work. Cases here can turn on district maps, ballot access, or the way an election is run. Some proceed under the Voting Rights Act or state election law. A court might order changes to a map or new rules for how ballots are counted. Redistricting after each census tends to bring a wave of such disputes.

Employment and housing discrimination

Employment and housing discrimination fills out the civil rights side of the practice. Employment claims often move through an agency such as the EEOC or a state human rights division before they reach court. Federal and state law bar discrimination on grounds such as race, sex, age, and disability. Housing claims can involve fair housing rules that address bias in rentals, sales, or lending. Both types usually depend on records, timelines, and witness accounts gathered during discovery.

Work beyond civil rights

The firm names several practice areas alongside its civil rights work. These cover criminal defense, education law, personal injury, and estate planning. Each draws on a different set of rules and a different court or forum. Together they let the firm take a range of matters for individuals and families.

Criminal defense and education law

Criminal defense covers people facing charges. The work can include a first appearance, pretrial motions, and either a trial or a negotiated plea. Education law can involve disputes over student discipline, special education services, or access to school programs. Both areas often put a lawyer across the table from a public body. That overlap fits a firm whose core is the relationship between individuals and the state.

Injury, malpractice, and wrongful death

The firm also takes serious personal injury cases, including medical malpractice and product liability, together with wrongful death claims. A medical malpractice claim usually turns on expert testimony about the standard of care and whether a provider met it. A product liability case looks at whether a product was defective and whether that defect caused injury. Time limits apply to these claims, and one filed too late can be barred whatever its merits. Jay Umans, listed as of counsel, handles personal injury for the firm.

Wills, trusts, and estates

Estate work gives the firm a service for clients focused on planning ahead. This work covers the documents that direct how property passes and who manages it. It also can involve planning for incapacity through tools like a power of attorney or a health care proxy. This area rounds out a practice built largely on litigation, and it serves clients who want their affairs in order.

How the team is built

Frederick K. Brewington is the founding attorney and principal. Cobia M. Powell, Lorraine R. Bishop, and Albert D. Shamel Manuel are the associate attorneys. Jay Umans is of counsel and works on personal injury. The team page lists these five as the firm's attorneys.

Two more members of the team hold law degrees in support roles. Precilla Lockett, J.D., is the legal administrator. Danielle Speziale, J.D., is a law clerk. Their titles mark the work that keeps a litigation practice running day to day.

History and standing on Long Island

The firm dates its founding to 1987. Its about page describes a practice built on Long Island 39 years ago, which matches that year. The firm has worked from the same region for close to four decades. That span covers decades of change in civil rights and constitutional law, the fields the firm puts at its center.

The firm says it is an African-American-owned law firm on Long Island. It also states that the New York Law Journal has recognized it among the state's minority-owned firms. Both points come from the firm's own about page, stated in the firm's words.

What the record shows

The firm points to reported case results across several of its practice areas. Those results cover police and governmental misconduct. They also cover discrimination and retaliation. Personal injury and medical malpractice appear among the reported outcomes as well.

These categories match the areas the firm emphasizes elsewhere on its site. That alignment matters, because the firm's stated results and its stated focus point the same way. A reader who wants specifics can ask the firm about matters like their own.

Frederick K. Brewington founded the firm in 1987. It works today from Hempstead, New York, with five attorneys listed on its team page.