Shirian does not measure a case by the size of the defendant but by the strength of the legal pathway. His approach is methodical. Identify statutory leverage. Evaluate institutional exposure. Apply pressure early.
“Large defendants rely on delay, complexity, and intimidation,” he explains. “We counter with precision. As a boutique firm, we do not have bureaucracy. We can pivot faster, litigate leaner, and apply pressure where it matters most.”
The firm supplements its core team with a network of litigation specialists, forensic experts, and trial consultants when cases demand it, scaling deliberately rather than permanently. This allows the firm to remain agile while still handling technically complex and resource intensive litigation.
The firm represents the catastrophically injured victim of the 2022 Brooklyn subway shooting in which a Glock pistol was used. When the firm was approached by the victim, they determined the MTA lacked liability but identified other paths to justice. Shirian brought a claim against the manufacturer pursuant to General Business Law Section 898, which al-lows victims of gun violence to sue gun manufacturers for negligent marketing and distribution. The case is in federal court.
The Second Circuit, in National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. v. James, upheld the constitutionality of Section 898, rejecting the gun industry’s challenge that the law violates the dormant Commerce Clause. The July 2025 ruling affirmed the lower court’s decision that the law is constitutional. Shirian is optimistic about the ultimate outcome and is preparing for a possible Supreme Court case.
“This case represents everything we do: finding creative legal pathways when others see dead ends,” Shirian says. “Section 898 is a powerful tool, and the Second Circuit has already confirmed that New York has the right to hold gun businesses accountable for failing to prevent their products from being used unlawfully. We’re prepared to litigate this at every level—including the Supreme Court if that’s what it takes—to get justice for our client.”
In another case, a woman’s husband was shot on the subway. The case alleges an MTA employee took a photograph of him lying in a pool of blood, which was then disseminated on social media, causing their client extreme emotional harm. The firm is suing the MTA for civil rights abuse and is confident of a successful outcome.
In another case, the firm represents the estate and family of a father, who was shot and killed during a drive-by shooting at a funeral in the Bronx. An NYPD detective had repeatedly promised the family that police presence and protection would be provided at the funeral — assurances the family relied on. On the second day of the funeral, no officers were present. A vehicle drove by and opened fire, killing one man and injuring another attendee.
The firm is pursuing claims against the detective, the City of New York, and the NYPD, arguing that the department’s affirmative promises created a special relationship and lulled the family into a false sense of security.
“When a family is told by the police that they will be protected, and they rely on that promise, and then no one shows up — that is not just a failure. That is a betrayal,” Shirian says. “A man was killed at his cousin’s funeral while his wife and children stood feet away. We are holding the city accountable for the promises its officers made and broke.”
Shirian recalls sitting with the family after the shooting. “His wife told me she trusted the police when they said they would be there. She brought her children to that funeral believing they were safe. That is when you understand your job is not just legal. It is human. You are carrying someone else’s loss into a courtroom and asking 12 strangers to care.”
Though the matters vary from catastrophic injury to institutional abuse, each case shares a common theme. Institutional accountability. “We are not chasing volume,” Shirian says. “We take cases where power imbalance is the core issue. Where a corporation, agency, or institution believed it would not be challenged.”
