Lawyer focuses on helping Latino working class

Law

Four years ago, attorney William Ferro purchased a telephone number - 1-800-Cantaso - that his firm shared with about eight others, and his life has not been the same since.

The number got him phone calls from hundreds of Latinos on Long Island and in the metro area who had been injured on construction sites or in auto accidents, and since then Ferro, of Brookville, has built up one of the largest Latino-centered personal-injury practices on the Island.

At any given time, Ferro, of Hauppauge-based Ferro, Kuba, Mangano, Sklyar Pc, said that the 20-year-old law firm has about 650 personal-injury cases, up from only a handful a few years ago. The workers had suffered injuries around cranes or on scaffolds, Ferro said. Most are here legally, he said, some are not, but all are entitled to representation.

Though Ferro is not Latino, his roots appear to be with the underdog and the working class. His father was a laborer, and his law career began with a stint in the public defender's office in Brooklyn. He regards Latino workers, regardless of status, as hardworking and trying to support families at home.

But Ferro's legal work expanded into a kind of personal mission to help Latino workers after he acquired the 1-800-Cantaso number. (Cantaso, a word used mainly in the Caribbean, means "big hit.")

Last year, Ferro's firm paid for 350 flu shots for Latino workers. This year it provided 1,000 such shots. Ferro spent $5,000 of his own money on toys for Latino children.

The Rev. Allan B. Ramirez, pastor of the Brookville Reformed Church and a leader of Latino causes, said he has put Ferro in touch with Latino business and community leaders to help provide scholarships. "He has reached out," Ramirez said.

Ferro acknowledged he has gotten some clients as a result of his charity work with the Latino community, but he added he could have gotten even more through advertising. "My motive is simple," Ferro said. "We have a large Latino client base. It just feels right to give back."