David Cutner was born and raised in Southern California. He graduated from U.C.L.A. in 1967 with a B.A. degree in Economics, and then received his J.D. law degree from the University of Southern California Law Center in 1970.
Looking for new experiences before deciding where to make his career and his home, Mr. Cutner accepted his first position as an attorney with a major Wall Street law firm. After a few years in private practice, he received an appointment as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he gained invaluable experience in the trial and appellate courts as a federal prosecutor.
Following several years working for the government, Mr. Cutner returned to private practice with a large firm. Then, in 1984, he founded his own firm which became known as Cutner & Associates, P.C. In 2007, with his friend and colleague, Carole Lamson, he founded Lamson & Cutner, P.C.
In 1985, Mr. Cutner’s mother moved to New York City from Southern California. She was in her 70’s at that time, and soon after moving began a long, slow decline, physically and mentally. Mr. Cutner and his sister dealt for years with home care aides, nurses, hospitals, and nursing homes, in arranging for their mother’s care. He was deeply affected by the experience of caring for his mother, making decisions about her medical treatment, and dealing with her doctors, and with hospitals, nursing homes, and government agencies.
Although Mr. Cutner had for years been a litigator and corporate lawyer, these experiences convinced Mr. Cutner that the elderly and disabled needed good advice and representation as much, if not more, than people in the business sector. He felt that he had a lot to contribute as an attorney for the elderly and disabled, and their families. As a result, Mr. Cutner turned his attention to the area of law practice known as Elder Law, where he now focuses his practice.
In addition to representing individual clients in need of Elder Law services, over the years Mr. Cutner has represented nursing home owners, doctors, disabled individuals, and has served as a court-appointed guardian. Mr. Cutner is frequently invited to speak at nursing homes, senior centers and health fairs on Elder Law topics. Under the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings system, which is based on the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary, Mr. Cutner has been consistently rated by his peers as having the highest levels of professional excellence in legal ability and adherence to professional standards of conduct and ethics.
