We Remember an Attorney, a Friend, who was about helping Family: Rudolph F.X. Migliore
In his 30-second television spots, lawyer Rudolph F.X. Migliore offered a lifeline to Long Islanders who’d suffered accidents or exposure to asbestos or dangerous medicines.
Production values were modest and there was no braying about million-dollar settlements: just a man in a suit inviting viewers to “call me, Rudy Migliore. I’m your point of contact.”
Migliore did, in fact, win numerous large settlements for his clients over a 40-year career but thought it tacky to say so, said a son, Rudolph John Migliore. And he really was the point of contact at the Commack firm that bore his name, making home visits and phone calls that others might have delegated to associates and paralegals. “It wasn’t about a dollar figure,” said his son. “It was about helping a family.”
Rudolph Francis Xavier Migliore, 73, of East Setauket, died April 25 at Stony Brook University Hospital of complications of COVID-19, said his son.
Migliore was born June 19, 1946 in Manhattan to Rudolph Francis Migliore, an insurance broker, and the former Eileen McKie, a clerical assistant. He graduated Sachem High School in 1964 and Dowling College in 1970 with a business degree. He served in the National Guard from 1968 to 1973, and graduated from Delaware Law School in 1977.
He and a partner, Joseph Franco, went into business in 1980; Franco left the firm in 2000.
Migliore began working pro bono in the 1990s for retired New York City firefighters and helped win passage of a state law ensuring that firefighters’ spouses would receive health care benefits after their death, said Migliore’s son.
Using both individual and large-scale, mass tort lawsuits, he represented thousands of firefighters and other workers who had been exposed to asbestos and other dangerous substances on the job. Other clients included patients who had been harmed by drugs with undisclosed side effects.
He also represented hundreds of Long Island churches incorporating as nonprofit organizations.
Migliore is survived by his wife, the former Ann Dolbeer, and their children Rudolph John, Matthew and Stephanie, all of Setauket; and Rachel, of Chicago.
A memorial service will be streamed on May 9 at 10:30 a.m. on the Branch Funeral Home website, followed by burial at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram. A memorial service is planned for Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, where Rudolph and Ann Migliore met and attended church.