CMM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance
- Managing Director
- Managing Director / Ronkonkoma
As Managing Director, Alan Weinberg, Esq. is responsible for managing all business operations of the firm including revenue management and efficiency programs. He collaborates with CMM attorneys, management, and clients on developing, negotiating, and implementing pricing arrangements, retainers, and client budgets. Leveraging the knowledge he gained as a practicing attorney and business owner, Alan also works with the firm's Directors and Managers to develop and implement their budgets while providing profitability and financial analysis of the firm's operations.
Alan approaches his work with a blend of practical business experience and legal skill. After graduating from Columbia Law School, Alan started his legal career at a large New York City law firm. As a corporate attorney, Alan has negotiated and closed a wide range of complex matters including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, financings, intellectual property licensing, commercial property sales, and leases. Realizing his passion for business, Alan left that firm and joined and ultimately sold a successful business in the pet supplies market. After selling his business, he put his M&A experience to work as a Vice President at Protegrity Advisors before joining CMM as an attorney and then the Director of Finance.
As Director of Finance, Alan helped the firm increase its profitability by implementing intake and budgeting procedures that drastically improved efficiency. As Managing Director, he uses his business knowledge and skills to further these goals, as well as to create synergies with other business units and strategic partners.
Education
Brandeis University, B.A., magna cum laude
Columbia University School of Law, J.D. (Editor, Columbia Journal of Transnational Law)
Job Titles:
- Associate Member, Long Island Builders Institute ( LIBI )
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Westbury
Arthur Yermash is a corporate lawyer who provides practical, business-focused guidance to clients. Since launching his career at CMM over a decade ago, Arthur has directly supported the General Counsel and full legal and business teams for a national retailer, serving as their go-to resource and primary outside counsel on an extraordinarily wide range of business and employment matters. He has also represented Long Island and NYC companies in countless business-related matters and transactions from the routine to the complex, with a particular emphasis on guiding businesses through labor and employment issues from an employer perspective. These roles have enabled Arthur to develop deep experience advising corporate clients on all aspects of their businesses.
Arthur chairs the firm's Cannabis Law practice group, providing critical guidance for cannabis businesses, entrepreneurs, and service providers on a wide range of matters in this emerging market. His work with cannabis businesses includes entity formation and industry-specific agreements, regulatory compliance and licensing, as well as commercial leasing matters and M&A.
As employment counsel, Arthur has successfully defended employers in hundreds of investigations before regulatory and government agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. and N.Y.S. Departments of Labor, the N.Y.S. Attorney General's Office, state and county Human Rights Divisions and Commissions, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He also counsels clients on critical employment practices and policies regarding hiring, termination, payment of wages, paid and unpaid leave, training, and benefits programs.
Arthur also leads the firm's robust commercial leasing practice. Arthur developed the strategy for the renegotiation of nearly 1,000 commercial leases nationwide for a major retailer at breakneck speed in the early days of the pandemic, a critical hands-on role that ultimately saved the client significant money and gave them the ability to adapt their business plan for unprecedented circumstances. This tenant-side work, coupled with his experience negotiating a wide range of commercial leasing transactions on behalf of landlords, enables Arthur to negotiate creative and effective solutions to lease disputes. His leasing work spans office leases, ground leases, master leases, subleases, triple-net leases, and sale-leaseback throughout Long Island, New York City, and throughout the country.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner / Ronkonkoma
- Senior Partner, Featured in LIBN Who 's Who 2022 Women in Professional Services
Christine Malafi chairs the Corporate Department at CMM, which Forbes has recognized as a Top Corporate Law Firm in America.
Christine has led the CMM legal team in closing countless M&A deals worth billions of dollars. She has vast experience advising on both buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions in a variety of industries, including technology, manufacturing, education, healthcare, and professional service sectors. Christine is particularly adept at working closely and strategically with clients' other professional advisors, including accountants, bankers, and M&A advisors, as well as forging those critical relationships for clients based on the deep network of relationships she has cultivated over years in the business.
Christine's practice also includes advising clients on business divorce matters and a wide variety of both routine and complex corporate transactions. She serves in a general counsel role for many of the firm's corporate clients. Clients also turn to Christine for guidance on employment issues including payment of wages, overtime, paid and unpaid leave, hiring, and termination; drafting customized policies, procedures, handbooks, and training programs, including sexual harassment prevention; and conducting internal investigations in connection with discrimination, harassment, compensation, overtime, and other issues. She defends employers in investigations by regulatory and government agencies including the NYDOL, the USDOL, the New York State Attorney General's Office, the EEOC, and state and county Human Rights agencies.
Prior to joining the firm, Christine was senior corporate counsel to Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc., where she handled a variety of national and international corporate and business matters, including business expansion and acquisitions. Prior to that, in 2004, she was appointed as the Suffolk County Attorney, serving as the chief legal officer of the County for eight years. In that role, Christine supervised a team of over 65 attorneys and 50 support staff and managed a budget of $15 million. The first woman and youngest person ever to serve in the position, Christine focused on streamlining processes, obtaining jury verdicts in favor of the County, making fewer settlements, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and protecting children from harm.
Christine has the unique perspective of being a corporate lawyer who spent the first half of her career as a litigator with extensive experience in municipal, insurance coverage, and fraud issues. She brings her deep understanding of litigation and the court system to all aspects of her corporate work and uses this experience to help protect clients from a variety of critical angles.
Christine has taught both undergraduate and law school classes on litigation, legal research, and writing at Long Island University, C.W. Post, and Touro Law Center and has lectured extensively on labor and employment, municipal, and insurance coverage issues, as well as claim handling and defense.
Education
Dowling College, B.A.
Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, J.D., magna cum laude
Malafi interviewed for Newsday article "Hauppauge firm's largest shareholder seeks ‘poison pill' rollback" about proxy fights
Job Titles:
- Ambassador Network ( CAAAN )
Job Titles:
- Terminated Employee 's Stock Options Did Not Vest Upon Termination Complaint Dismissed
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Partner / Westbury
David Green represents all types of businesses and individuals in various areas of litigation. He achieves results for his clients by understanding that every situation is unique, and by utilizing all available legal strategies to help them navigate a complicated legal system. As a native New Yorker, he believes that supporting New York businesses and facilitating a robust business community is essential to the growth and advancement of Long Island.
Whether fighting for clients involved in business or personal disputes, David knows that each client is a real person coming to him with a real problem that needs to be efficiently solved or prevented. David's recent results include the recovery of over 100% of funds paid to a contractor for construction at a property which did not conform to the agreed upon specifications; the recovery of first-party benefits from an insurance company that had refused to cover an environmental claim; the complete dismissal of a lawsuit brought against a commercial client; and the complete protection of a magazine publisher from exposure to a copyright claim.
David has spent many years in courthouses fighting for his clients and developing a reputation as an attorney with knowledge, skill, talent, and who works incredibly hard. His experience counseling clients includes complex discovery, trials, appeals, securing settlements, and alternative dispute resolution. Prior to joining CMM, David worked for some of New York City's largest and most reputable injury litigation firms, helping victims of negligence litigate against large and powerful opponents. He successfully managed hundreds of cases from intake through inception, securing tens of millions of dollars for clients.
At CMM, David puts this hands-on experience to work representing all types of litigants in complex situations, having gained critical perspective into how such cases can be effectively resolved. His unique background allows him to successfully represent companies and individuals in a wide range of industries including technology, publishing, fashion, import/export, construction and development, education, transportation, and healthcare. His experience inside and outside the courtroom allows him to craft creative and effective solutions that help his clients save critical time and resources.
A member of CMM's leadership team, David leads training on various litigation topics as well as client relations. David is a key member of CMM's Westbury office, where he is based.
Education
University of Delaware, B.A.
University of Miami School of Law, J.D.
Job Titles:
- Officer of the Suffolk Academy of Law
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Ronkonkoma, Riverhead
"Don's ability to see where business needs intersect with legal compliance is well worth taking into your future and he can help cut the cord to the past," is how one client recently described corporate lawyer Donald J. Rassiger. Having worked in operations and production, as well as having served as Chief Legal Officer of four companies, Don understands how management thinks-a perspective he brings to all matters he handles. His understanding of the difference between business risk and legal risk enables him to find creative solutions that achieve his clients' desired results while complying with applicable laws, minimizing risk, and saving clients time and money.
Don handles a wide range of corporate matters and transactions, with a particular focus on the construction industry. Chair of our Construction practice group, Don has represented clients on all sides of the table including owners, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, construction managers, and program managers. In the past five years alone, he has negotiated well over $100 million in construction claims and change orders. In addition, Don routinely assists clients with the Minority and Women-Owned Business (MWBE) certification process with state and local agencies and municipalities.
Through his in-house roles, Don has significant experience in the insurance, bonds, corporate safety and risk management arenas, where he has handled day-to-day management of claims, incident investigation and reporting, policy and procedure, OSHA training, inspections, and compliance, and the drafting, administration, and implementation of environmental health and safety plans. His practice also includes the development of programs for employee background checks, drug and alcohol testing, and fitness for duty programs, whether for onboarding, periodic testing, or post-accident investigations.
Don's clients also benefit from his strong background in union negotiating: he has negotiated countless collective bargaining agreements and memoranda of understanding with union representatives. His work also includes the defense of employers in labor grievances and arbitrations, as well as the drafting and negotiation of project labor agreements for large construction projects in New York City and Long Island.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Council
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / Ronkonkoma
Jeffrey Basso represents business owners and partners, corporations, corporate officers, shareholders, and investors in a variety of litigation matters in state and federal court involving business and contractual disputes. An aggressive litigator, Jeff has vast experience prosecuting and defending matters on behalf of clients in actions involving employment contracts, non-compete agreements, trade secrets, fiduciary duty, breach of contract, hour and wage disputes, real estate transactions, investments, and construction matters.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner / Ronkonkoma
Joe Campolo has been getting things done in the business community for over 25 years and has become a recognized leader for tackling large projects and delivering results. From advising business owners and CEOs on legal and business strategies to running his own business, Joe is immersed in finding creative solutions to complex problems. His deep, inner knowledge of the business world allows him to understand the perspective of business owners as they think about growing and selling their businesses.
As a top business strategist, Joe is the go-to advisor for the who's who of Long Island business. A member of the prestigious Long Island Business Hall of Fame, Joe is described by the press as "fearless." Also recognized as a leading authority on negotiation, Joe enjoys an advantage in both complex transactions and litigation, and is routinely retained in "bet the company" legal matters by companies large and small. He is unique in his holistic approach to understanding all aspects of a client's business. His deep network of trusted advisors enables him to seamlessly provide critical services to high-net-worth clients, helping protect, manage, and grow their businesses and other most important assets.
Joe is the founder and Chairman of CMM Cares, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings the business community together to make a difference in the Long Island communities where we live and work. CMM Cares has made a life-changing impact on local individuals and families facing unexpected challenges by developing plans to ease their hardships and bring joy to their lives.
Joe served honorably in the United States Marine Corps. He is a member of St. George's Golf & Country Club in Stony Brook, and is an Executive Producer of "Tribute," an award-winning short film.
Education
Stony Brook University, B.A.
Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
Professional Certificates
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Executive Business Program
Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, Negotiation and Leadership Program
Job Titles:
- Associate / Ronkonkoma
- Member of the Litigation Team
Joseph Townsend is a member of the Litigation team at CMM. His practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation, as well as construction, municipal, and personal injury matters. Joe also works closely with the firm's Corporate Department, assisting with labor and employment investigations, shareholder disputes, and transactional matters.
Joe joined CMM as a Summer Associate in 2022. He continued to hone his research and drafting skills at the firm during his final year of law school, working closely with firm leadership on a variety of legal and business issues.
While a student at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, Joe was a member of Hofstra Law Review, where he served on the Managing Board as the Managing Editor of Articles for Volume 51. He also held several prestigious internships and externships, including an externship with the Honorable James M. Wicks in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Joe enjoys surfing, traveling, and attending New York Islanders games.
Education
Quinnipiac University, B.A., cum laude
Hofstra University, Maurice A. Deane School of Law, J.D., cum laude
Kathleen DiLieto, CPA is responsible for all accounting matters for the firm including financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, general accounting, cash and treasury management, internal control assessments, accounts receivable and accounts payable. Prior to joining CMM in 2022, Kathleen was Controller for a Long Island-based construction company and a garment manufacturing business.
Kathleen has over 20 years of accounting experience in both public accounting and private industry. She began her career at a public accounting firm focusing on audits, business consulting and tax preparation services before moving to in-house accounting roles in various industries, including healthcare, manufacturing and construction. Kathleen directs all functions of the accounting department at CMM and has worked to build a strong team and collaborative, productive work environment. Her public and private sector experience enables her to analyze issues from all critical angles and work with firm leadership to effectively plan for the future.
Education
St. Joseph's College, B.S.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Vice President
- Vice President / Ronkonkoma
As Vice President, Lauren Kanter-Lawrence, Esq. is responsible for the firm's recruitment, training, marketing and communications, and business development efforts, as well as participation in economic development initiatives.
A key aspect of her role involves creating and implementing programs that support the development and retention of the firm's professionals. Lauren spearheads all staffing and talent matters and works directly with the partners and firm leadership to understand and identify current talent capabilities and needs within those teams. She also creates and manages an individualized onboarding and retention plan for each hire, working closely with team members and their supervisors to ensure that all employees receive the proper training, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.
Drawing from her background as an attorney, Lauren also oversees CMM's in-house continuing legal education program. She also manages the firm's successful Summer Associate program, creating a deep pipeline of talent as the firm continues to grow.
In the areas of communications, marketing, and business development, Lauren draws on her six years as Director of Communications at the firm to oversee and implement a variety of initiatives that have helped CMM become such a well-known name. She also works closely with the Managing Partner on critical economic development initiatives to help Long Island grow.
Lauren joined the firm in 2008 as an Associate attorney and rose to Senior Associate, practicing in the areas of commercial litigation and corporate transactions.
Education
Cornell University, B.A., with Distinction
Pace University School of Law, J.D.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Attorney Spotlight
Marc Alessi advises small to mid-sized companies and the entrepreneurs that run them. His work includes counseling clients and negotiating on their behalf on a variety of transactional and business matters including financing, expansion plans, real estate, and issues facing emerging companies, with a particular focus on the technology and healthcare sectors.
Marc's advice to clients stems from his own experience navigating the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Long Island and New York State. He serves as the Executive Director of the Business Incubator Association of New York State, Inc. (BIANYS), a nonprofit trade association dedicated to the growth and development of startup and incubator-based enterprises throughout the state. Marc has helped launch and finance a number of early stage companies across a variety of industries, including biotechnology, IT, construction, and real estate. A founding member of the Hamptons Angel Network and former Executive Director of the Long Island Angel Network, Marc helped establish Accelerate Long Island, and currently serves as Chairman and Founding CEO of one of their portfolio companies, SynchroPET. The company has licensed patents from Brookhaven National Lab for a new way to build medical imaging.
Marc also serves as the Executive Director of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, which is being developed as a technology center housing a business incubator for fledgling companies engaged in scientific research, as well as a museum dedicated to educating the public about Long Island's rich scientific opportunities past, present, and future. The Shoreham site is home to the only remaining lab where famed inventor Nikola Tesla conducted research. The Center's vision is to educate visitors about the magnitude of Tesla's accomplishments on Long Island and their impact on modern-day life, as well as foster curiosity, experimentation, and lifelong learning. View a spotlight feature on the Tesla Science Center here.
Marc has a history of public service on Long Island and in New York State. While still a law student, he was appointed as the Downstate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the New York State Comptroller's Office, charged with ensuring that each level of government operated in accordance with state law. Marc was subsequently elected to the New York State Assembly in 2005 and served three terms representing the First Assembly District, which included the Towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, and Shelter Island. Marc naturally gravitated toward policy areas that would help create an incentive for investments in startup enterprises in New York State, serving as Chairman of the subcommittee on the emerging workforce as well as a member of the energy, labor, transportation, local government, agriculture, and aging committees and the subcommittee on alternative energy.
Education
State University of New York at Albany, B.A.
Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, J.D.
LI News Radio: Alessi discusses local and federal political races, startups on Long Island, and the housing market with Jay Oliver
Job Titles:
- Member of CMM 's Corporate
- Senior Associate / Ronkonkoma
Marc Saracino is a member of CMM's Corporate team, focusing on complex M&A transactions. His practice also encompasses private placements, commercial leasing, employment issues, and a variety of corporate transactions. He began his career at the international law firm Milbank LLP in Manhattan, focusing on structured and specialty finance and securitization.
Marc has experience negotiating corporate restructurings and DIP (debtor-in-possession) financings/exit financings as well as drafting a range of corporate documents including credit agreements, subordination agreements, note purchase agreements, indentures, and legal opinions. At Milbank, Marc played an integral role in a variety of deals representing lender syndicates and corporations, keeping deals moving by managing all deal documents and conducting due diligence. He also has experience in cross-border transactions, ensuring compliance under the Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering laws and Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations.
Born and raised on Long Island, Marc earned the distinction of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America before heading to Binghamton University, where he majored in Financial Economics and minored in Business. He then attended New York Law School, where he headed the Securities Arbitration Clinic, served on New York Law School Law Review, and ultimately graduated in the top five percent of his class.
Education
Binghamton University, B.S.
New York Law School, J.D. (magna cum laude; New York Law School Law Review)
Martin Glass focuses his practice on elder law, trusts, estate planning, planned giving, long-term care, special needs planning, and asset preservation. His experience includes drafting wills and trusts from the straightforward to the complex, as well as the complicated process of preparing and steering Medicaid applications through the appropriate government and social service agencies. Marty also advises clients on business succession and tax planning issues.
Marty began his professional career as a software engineer after completing his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. After 15 years, while working full-time as an engineer, Marty attended law school. He began his legal career as a patent attorney, but quickly moved to elder law and estate planning, where he has concentrated his practice ever since. Prior to joining CMM, Marty was associated with a prominent elder law and estate planning firm.
Education
State University of New York, Buffalo, B.S.E.E.
Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, J.D.
Job Titles:
- a Summer Associate
- Associate / Ronkonkoma
- Member of CMM 's Litigation Department
Meagan Nolan is a member of CMM's Litigation Department, working closely with our litigation team to handle an array of business disputes as well as construction and personal injury matters. A skilled researcher, Meagan plays a critical role in matters from the start, researching and assessing claims and drafting pleadings and motions. She also plays a hands-on role in discovery and document production, as well as preparing cases for trial.
Meagan joined CMM as a Summer Associate in 2021. In law school, she was a member of Hofstra Law Review and her note, "Food for Thought: Increasing Access to and Coverage of Eating Disorder Treatment in New York State by Amending the Definition of ‘Substance Use Disorder,'" was published.
Meagan worked as a legal assistant at a landlord/tenant firm throughout law school, where she worked on tax credit recertification cases and developed a working knowledge of housing subsidies and summary proceedings. She also interned with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York, where she observed the intersection of business and financial issues.
Meagan enjoys skiing, kayaking, and sailing, and sailed on the club team in college.
Education
Providence College, B.A., magna cum laude
Hofstra University, Maurice A. Deane School of Law, J.D., cum laude
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner and General Counsel / Ronkonkoma
Patrick McCormick has built a reputation as a strategic and talented appellate attorney over his three decades in the field. Representing clients in civil and criminal matters in both federal and state court, Patrick has argued numerous appeals, including three arguments at the New York State Court of Appeals, the state's highest Court. Under his leadership as practice chair, the firm's Appeals group has become a go-to Long Island appellate practice team for clients and trial lawyers alike.
Patrick is also a respected trial attorney, litigating all types of complex commercial and real estate matters. He counsels clients on issues including contract disputes, disputes over employment agreements and restrictive covenants, corporate and partnership dissolutions, trade secrets, insurance claims, real estate title claims, mortgage foreclosure, and lease disputes. Additionally, Patrick represents national commercial shopping centers, retailers, and publicly traded home builders in commercial and residential landlord-tenant matters including lease and contract drafting and review, eviction proceedings, rent collection, lease violations, security deposits, habitability issues, and environmental matters.
As Dean of the Suffolk Academy of Law, the educational arm of the Suffolk County Bar Association, Patrick spearheaded the continuing education of thousands of New York lawyers, requiring him to stay ahead of the latest legal updates, policy changes, and trends on a broad range of legal topics. He also serves on the Executive Committee and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Suffolk County Bar Association, among numerous other Task Force and committee roles. These roles have given Patrick the insight and experience to handle litigation and appeals on a wide range of matters, and his colleagues across the legal profession routinely turn to him for guidance.
Prior to entering private practice, Patrick served for four years as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx, where he prosecuted felony matters and appeals and conducted preliminary felony and homicide investigations at crime scenes.
Education
Fordham University, B.A.
St. John's University School of Law, J.D.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- a Summer Associate
- Senior Associate / Ronkonkoma
Richard A. DeMaio focuses on litigation in varied subject matter including contract issues, business disputes, environmental matters, and municipal matters in state and federal court. His municipal work includes Article 78 proceedings, zoning/land use matters, and defending municipalities. He also focuses on commercial landlord-tenant cases and a variety of appeals.
Richard works extensively on researching and drafting motions and appellate briefs in state and federal court. He has argued and won several appeals pertaining to land use/zoning, commercial, and general litigation. Richard also has experience in preparing cases for trial including assisting with trial strategy and drafting trial memoranda. His research and writing have led to many successful outcomes and creative litigation strategies for the firm's clients, particularly in the areas of municipal liability, commercial litigation, and environmental issues.
Richard joined CMM as a Summer Associate in 2016. While in law school, Richard worked at the New York State Division of Human Rights, interned for Judge Arthur Spatt of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and served as Notes Editor for Hofstra Law Review.
Education
Hofstra University Honors College, B.A., magna cum laude
Hofstra University, Maurice A. Deane School of Law, J.D., cum laude
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner / Riverhead, Ronkonkoma