LAW FIRM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the ATTORNEYS & STAFF
- of Counsel
ERIC P. WAINER has been of counsel to the firm since May of 2009. He was admitted to the bar in New York in 1979 and the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York that same year. He attended George Washington University (B.A. 1975) and Brooklyn Law School (J.D. 1978). He was a law clerk to the Honorable Jeremiah Berk, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Southern District of New York 1980-1981.
Mr. Wainer has represented numerous institutional and individual clients including banks, finance companies, trustees, debtors, creditors' committees, liquidating trusts and unsecured creditors in chapter 11 reorganizations, chapter 7 liquidations and chapter 13 cases. Mr. Wainer has extensive experience litigating in the United States Bankruptcy Courts and New York State Courts including foreclosure, debt recovery, fraudulent conveyance and preference actions. In addition to bankruptcy/creditors rights and litigation his practice encompasses loan workouts, restructurings, distressed asset transactions and complex commercial litigation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ATTORNEYS & STAFF
- of Counsel
GERALD N. DAFFNER has been of counsel to the firm since 2000. He was admitted to the bar in New York, 1959; United States Supreme Court, 1962; United States Tax Court, 1960. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Finance and Commerce (B.S. Econ. 1956); Union University, Albany Law School (LL.B., 1959), Law Review and New York University Graduate School of Law (LL.M Taxation, 1960). Mr. Daffner is a member of the Suffolk County and New York County Bar Associations.
Mr. Daffner's practice areas include estate planning and administration, taxation- individual and corporate (including mergers and acquisitions), real estate and commercial litigation matters. He has extensive experience in litigation in the US Tax Court and was employed as a trial and tax attorney for the Chief Counsel's office of the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the ATTORNEYS & STAFF
JAMES E. TIERNEY, admitted to the bar in 2003, New York and 2001, Connecticut; Education: Providence College (B.A., 1998); Hofstra University School of Law (J.D., 2001). Mr. Tierney joined the firm in January of 2013 as a senior associate, representing the Firm's diverse group of lending institutions in the closing of all forms of commercial loan transactions, as well as representing the Firm's clients in commercial selling and purchasing transactions. Mr. Tierney has been practicing real estate law throughout his career, representing lending institutions, purchasers, and sellers. Mr. Tierney spent several years as in-house counsel to a title agency, providing analysis and resolution of complex commercial and transactional and title related issues, and also as vice president and counsel for the agency's busy settlement practice. Mr. Tierney spent the past several years in private practice, where in addition to representing clients in real estate transactions, he represented clients in estate administration and litigation proceedings, commercial and residential landlords in landlord-tenant actions, and clients in various other transactional and litigation matters.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the ATTORNEYS & STAFF
MICHAEL F. KENNEDY, admitted to bar, 1990, New York and U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York; Education: Boston College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1985); Duke University School of Law (J.D., 1988). Member: New York State and American Bar Associations. Mr. Kennedy is primarily engaged in the practice of commercial lending, real estate and corporate finance, debt restructuring, foreclosure and bankruptcy.
Mr. Kennedy has spent over 23 years of his professional career with Lawrence and Walsh, P.C. He spends much of his time with the Firm representing numerous banks, lending institutions, hedge funds and venture capital firms in negotiating, structuring and closing conventional commercial loans, Small Business Administration 7(a) and 504 loan transactions, USDA loans, Industrial Development Agency transactions, construction financings, asset-based facilities, affordable housing and related subsidy grants and equity investment transactions. He also regularly assists those same clients in debt restructuring, workouts, foreclosure and bankruptcy. Our corporate clients are from a broad range of industries including manufacturing, business service, professionals, not for-profit organizations, real estate developers, restaurant laws, pharmaceuticals and health care organizations.
Mr. Kennedy's frequent representation of lending institutions was recognized by the Long Island Development Corporation with its invitation to sit on the Advisory Board and Lender Outreach Committee of the LIDC for over 8 years and his selection in 2005 as the LIDC Attorney of the Year. Mr. Kennedy is a member of NAGGL and regularly attends its meetings and those of America East and keeps up to date on changes with the SBA and the SBA's SOPs.
Mr. Kennedy also attended NADCO's intensive three-day training course to become certified by the SBA to represent Certified Development Corporations in connection with 504 loan transactions.
Mr. Kennedy lives in Brightwaters, New York, together with his wife Jacqueline and his four daughters. Mr. Kennedy and his wife are involved in a number of local community and charitable organizations, including Mr. Kennedy's involvement as a member of the board of the National Early Childhood Cancer Foundation. Mr. Kennedy, an avid golfer, is a member of the Fishers Island Club and the Southward Ho Country Club.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ATTORNEYS & STAFF
- Paralegal
RACHELLE MURACA has been with the Firm for over twenty-five years as a commercial lending paralegal. She assists the Firm's many institutional lending clients in the closing of conventional commercial and SBA loan transactions. She is regularly praised by clients for her in depth knowledge of the commercial loan closing process and her organized and thorough approach in closing a commercial loan file.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ATTORNEYS & STAFF
- of Counsel
- New Jersey Counsel
RUSSELL M. WOODS is New Jersey counsel to the firm located at the Cranford office. He was admitted to the bar in New Jersey in 1982, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in 1983, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1984 and the United States Supreme Court in 1984. Mr. Woods received a B.S. degree from Mount Saint Mary's College in 1969, an M.A. degree from Seton Hall University in 1974 and a J.D. degree from the University of Santa Clara in 1981. He is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Mr. Woods served as counsel to the Superior Court of New Jersey, Union County and appellate law secretary to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey. He has been in private practice since 1983. His practice areas include complex commercial litigation of a diverse nature and corporate, finance, real estate and partnership matters.