Ilya Kharkover, General Attorney in New York

Coming to work for Weitz & Luxenberg feels like joining a family. A lot of us were prosecutors at one time. We helped victims of crime and prosecuted the people who committed those crimes. At W&L, we’re helping regular people who were seriously harmed by the actions of large corporations. Our clients deserve justice. It feels good to be doing something of value for them.

Weitz & Luxenberg welcomes Ilya Kharkover to our experienced and dedicated team of mesothelioma and asbestos trial litigators. “I’m excited to be here,” says Mr. Kharkover. “I’ve known about Weitz & Luxenberg for years. What the firm stands for and the work they do. And I feel privileged to join the ranks of some of the most talented plaintiffs’ attorneys in the country.”

“So much of the work I’ve done over the years at the District Attorney’s office has prepared me to be here,” Mr. Kharkover adds. “To work with clients and help them understand the legal process. To investigate and build strong cases that can go to trial.”

First Meeting Sets the Stage

“The first meeting sets the stage for everything to come,” Mr. Kharkover explains. “First and foremost, I need to assure our clients I can empathize with their situation. I want them to know I have considered the many challenges they’re facing, and helping them is my number 1 goal.

“I make certain my clients recognize I am their fighter, their representative. I am someone who knows what he’s doing. They can feel confident I can help. I’m good at what I do — and they can rest easy,” Mr. Kharkover points out.

Helping Clients Exposed to Asbestos

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that is preventable. That’s the good news. The bad news is corporations often care more about making as much money as possible than safeguarding people’s health.

Companies expose their employees to asbestos and hope they’ll get away with it. Since mesothelioma often takes decades to develop, that’s what corporations are counting on —maybe their employees will die before they ever get diagnosed with mesothelioma. Or so many years have passed that our clients won’t be able to trace their mesothelioma diagnosis back to the companies they worked for.

But Weitz & Luxenberg has news for them. We’ve been doing what we do for decades. We know the history, know the offenders, and know the sneaky tricks corporations play to get away with their reprehensible actions. Mr. Kharkover emphasizes, “We will find you and hold you accountable. Be sure of that.”

Working for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office

Mr. Kharkover’s experience working for a number of district attorney’s offices dates back to 2007, while he was still attending law school. After graduating in 2008, he continued on this path working for the Bronx district attorney.

For more than a decade, Mr. Kharkover dedicated himself to helping victims of crimes and prosecuting anyone who had committed those crimes. He did more than just gain a tremendous amount of knowledge about the workings of the judicial system. He also excelled in taking on greater levels of responsibility and in tackling ever-increasing challenges as they arose.

Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau

Most recently, he served as deputy chief for the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau for almost two years and the Public Integrity Bureau for three. He supervised a team of 20 attorneys and 15 professional staff members.

His key responsibilities included providing direction to attorneys and investigators, overseeing grand jury presentations, and developing trial strategy. He assigned cases, appointed investigative teams, served as second chair for junior assistants on trial, and directed all office activities.

In addition, Mr. Kharkover led pre-indictment investigations involving grand juries, wiretaps, and search warrants. He also maintained a caseload and active trial calendar litigating cases of homicide, attempted murder of a police officer, bribery, perjury, official misconduct, larceny, economic fraud, falsifying business records, and offering a false instrument for filing.

Public Integrity Bureau

Mr. Kharkover supervised a bureau tasked with investigating and prosecuting corruption committed by public servants. As supervisor for the Public Integrity Bureau, Mr. Kharkover helped establish a new bureau. The new entity was tasked with investigating and prosecuting corruption and violent crime perpetrated by elected officials and members of service from all of the different New York City agencies.

Rackets Bureau, Trial Bureau, and Criminal Court Experience

As assistant district attorney for more than eight years, Mr. Kharkover worked for the Rackets Bureau, Trial Bureau, and Criminal Court. His key responsibilities included investigating and prosecuting organized crime, murder-for-hire, sex trafficking, and public corruption cases. He also prosecuted hundreds of violent felonies, including homicides, robberies, burglaries, gun possession, and assault.

Mr. Kharkover is licensed to practice law in New York. He earned his J.D. from Pace University’s School of Law in White Plains, New York, and his B.A. from the State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton in Binghamton.

On the Personal Side

Outside the office, Mr. Kharkover enjoys spending time with his young child, riding a motorcycle, and playing ice hockey.

He is also bilingual and is fluent in Russian.