Mack Press knows what it’s like to be the victim of a dog bite and what his clients go through because he had the same traumatic experience himself.
Press, a graduate of Wharton School (magna cum laude) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, is a seasoned trial lawyer with more than 30 years of litigation experience. Early in his career, he handled complex litigation at major New York law firms, including personal injury, insurance, and unfair competition cases.
In 2012, he launched The Mack Firm, where he litigated nationwide class action lawsuits and represented countless plaintiffs, including in high-profile cases against Samsung and Lance Armstrong.
His entire life changed in one day, when Press was attacked by a loose dog while he was out walking his chocolate lab, Lucky. The dog charged at Press — unprovoked — knocking him down and viciously biting Lucky near the jugular vein. For several minutes, Press shielded Lucky from the vicious dog’s attacks, suffering more than 20 bites to his face, head, arms, legs, losing a front tooth and exacerbating an earlier back injury. Lucky underwent successful emergency surgery and, today, he is a healthy and happy dog.
On April 17, 2025, around the same time of the attack, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled in Flanders v. Goodfellow that a dog owner can be held liable, even if the dog had never bitten anyone before, thereby throwing out the “one-free-bite” rule, which initially gave dogs and owners a free pass if it was the first time the dog bit someone and was not known to be dangerous.
“This decision now incentivizes owners to control their pets and not allow them to run freely and attack other animals or humans,” Press said. “The attacks can be traumatizing for these victims and can result in grave injuries, large medical bills, and loss of income, just like any other serious personal injury case.”
As someone who experienced a serious dog bite injury firsthand, he understands what victims go through and that is why we decided to start a new practice called The New York Dog Bite LawyerSM, which concentrates solely on representing victims of dog bites. He has already represented several clients who have suffered the emotional and physical toll of a dog attack.
In addition to his practice, Press is involved in animal advocacy. He is a dog lover and a supporter of many animal rescue organizations. His practice recently sponsored Dog Fest 2025, an organization whose mission is to enhance the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained service dogs and ongoing support, free of charge. As part of his animal advocacy, Mr. Press seeks to include “no kill” clauses in settlements and require training for aggressive dogs rather than euthanasia.
“I don’t believe that a dog should be put down just because it bit a person,” Mr. Press said. “Rather, the dog should undergo behavioral training so it doesn’t attack again. The dog’s aggression could be the result of the owner either not training the dog to act properly around people or teaching it to become hostile. Our trademarked motto says it all: ‘BLAME THE OWNER, NOT THE DOG!SM’”