Martin P. Rutberg - Poughkeepsie, NY
Attorney at Rutberg Breslow Personal Injury Law
Personal Injury Lawyers in Poughkeepsie, NY
3344 Route 9 North Suite 100 Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
47
Years
Experience
Poughkeepsie Personal Injury Lawyer
Updated: 03/02/2026
Areas of Practice
- Personal Injury
Litigation: 100%
Attorney Information
Overview
When people meet Marty Rutberg, they sense that this is a serious man doing serious work. Other lawyers try to impress people by talking about the size of their verdicts and settlements; Marty’s record speaks for itself. He focuses his firm on the size of the difference they make in people’s lives – Marty sees personal injury law as the ultimate “helping profession.” He chose to be a personal injury lawyer so he could help people. To some, that statement is just words, but to Marty Rutberg, it’s a personal mantra and the cultural foundation of the firm.
Marty has been practicing law for more than 40 years, initially in general practice. But after winning a large personal injury verdict for a client with brain injuries, Marty chose to devote his career to helping injured people and their families.
This is an attorney with an impressive portfolio of verdicts and settlements, many with compelling human perspective. He has impeccable credentials, including service as President of the Dutchess County Bar Association, receipt of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Community Service, and memberships in the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the American Association for Justice. His unique presence and effectiveness derive from the way his personal and professional lives merge to create a unique legal personality.
In his college years, Marty saw himself working in forestry, then turned to political science and the law, but never lost his affinity for the outdoors. He is a lifelong mountain hiker and canoe traveler who regularly journeys solo. He believes that his time “outside and alone” gives him an edge in presenting his cases. People who speak with him and see him work believe it too.
As Marty describes it, “There is some kind of synergy between the skills and experience of wilderness travel and my professional style, especially in the courtroom. Both involve sustained physical output along with a calmed mind and opened senses. Both require you to constantly see the big picture yet quickly identify important details. It’s not exactly thinking. It is more of a spontaneous seeing of things as they are and taking them as they come. Lots of people can learn the rules of law. My inner experience in wilderness somehow gives me the ability to absorb and embody my client’s case. That allows me to be extremely effective in communicating the case to others. That communication is the purpose of my professional existence. Marty’s refined perception, analysis, and judgment are his guides in the complex world of personal injury law. It makes him a formidable opponent and a valued advocate in and out of the courtroom.”
Critical thinking and the ability to make correct decisions under pressure are paramount to success whether in the wilderness or in presenting a case. Marty’s refined perception, analysis, and judgment are his guides in the complex world of injury law. That makes him a formidable opponent and a valued advocate both in and out of the courtroom.
To a great degree, Marty is the product of his upbringing. He grew up in a modest home in a blue-collar environment. He has never forgotten his roots and the need to protect the rights of people from all walks of life, especially those who have been hurt by someone else’s negligence.
Marty believes that, “in your heart, you are either an attorney for injured plaintiffs or for defendants. You can’t play both sides without being phony. A plaintiff’s lawyer is a people’s lawyer. The defense is mostly about protecting insurance company profits.”
Marty Rutberg is comfortable in his commitment to the side of the plaintiff. He is proud that Rutberg Breslow is one of the few firms that represent only injured people and their families. In the end, it’s not about the bragging rights that come with the settlements and verdicts, it’s about getting his clients what they deserve, case after case.
If you live anywhere in eastern New York State, chances are you have heard Marty on the radio. There are few who don’t recognize his voice and his message. He is the champion of everyday people with serious injuries. When Marty says he is going to get you fair compensation, you believe it. So do his adversaries. Marty combines tenacity and compassion in a style that achieves results for his clients. His reputation is impeccable. He’s the guy with the intelligence and instincts necessary to lead you through the legal woods… or any woods for that matter.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Super Lawyers, 2008 - 2024
- Recipient of Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Community Service, Catharine Street Community Center
- Juvenile Diabetes Association, Corporate Honoree 2015
Other Sources of Feedback About Martin P. Rutberg
Included on the 2026 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2012 New York Super Lawyers Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2010 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2009 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
- 2008 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
-
Brooklyn Law School,
Brooklyn,
New York, 1978
J.D.
-
Brooklyn Law School,
Brooklyn,
New York, 1978
-
Non Legal Education
-
University of Massachusetts/Amherst, 1975
B.A.
Honors: cum laude
-
University of Massachusetts/Amherst, 1975
Current Employment Position(s)
-
Of Counsel
Classes and Seminars
- Continuing Legal Education Speaker, Dutchess County Bar Association
Pro Bono Activities
- Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, Board of Directors and President
- United Way, Volunteer, Fund Raising
- Temple Beth EI, Board of Directors
- Catharine Street Community Center, Board of Directors, Chair of Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast
- Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, Special Fundraising
- Hudson Valley Hospice
- Hudson Valley Community Center/JCC
- Center of Prevention of Child Abuse
- Rhinebeck Jewish Center
- Dutchess County Sheriff’s Department and multiple Police and Fire Fighting Benevolent associations
Bar Admissions
- New York, 1979
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1979
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1979
- U.S. District Court Northern District of New York, 1996
- U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 2001
- Supreme Court of the United States of America, 2008
Other Affiliations
- Dutchess County Bar Association, 2004 - 2005 (Past Judiciary Committee Member, Past Bar President)
- Sullivan County Bar Association
- Ulster County Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Mid-Hudson Women’s Bar Association
- New York State Trial Lawyers Association
Photo
Contact
3344 Route 9 North
Suite 100
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone: 800-788-2374
Fax: 845-486-0270
Email: Send a message
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