MELTZER LIPPE - Key Persons
Adam Wald is an Associate in the firm's Construction Practice Group. In his practice, Adam assists clients through all phases of transactions and commercial disputes - handling matters centered on breach of contract, business torts, public and private improvement contracts, and compliance with state, federal and municipal environmental regulations. His clients include businesses, contractors, and institutional lenders entering into commercial mortgage backed securities transactions.
Adam received his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law and his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While in law school, Adam served as Editor-in-Chief of the Boston University Journal of Science & Technology Law and was a member of the BU/MIT Technology Law Clinic, where he provided legal support to student innovators and start-ups in a range of litigation, compliance and transactional matters regarding data privacy and intellectual property.
Adam has served as special assistant and scheduler to a New York State Senator Todd Kaminsky, where he assisted constituents with matters related to education, financial services and healthcare. He has further held internships with United States Senator Charles Schumer and United States Congresswoman Kathleen Rice as well as in the Nassau County District Attorney's Special Operations, Narcotics and Gangs Bureau.
Ana Getiashvili is Counsel to the firm's Litigation and Labor & Employment Practice Groups. Ana assists employers on issues such as discrimination and sexual harassment investigations, employee leave, worker classification and compensation practices, Form I-9 compliance and background checks. She drafts and prepares employment contracts and employer policies and handbooks. Ana also assists in commercial litigation matters.
Andrew L. Baron is a Partner in the firm's Trusts & Estates and Business & Real Estate Taxation Practice Groups. Andrew's practice encompasses all phases of estate, income and international tax planning, business succession planning and estate and trust administration.
Andrew brings over ten years of experience when counseling his clients regarding their estate planning and the gift, estate, generation-skipping transfer and income tax considerations of their plans while keeping their non-tax objectives a top priority. Often, this involves complex planning utilizing trusts, freeze partnerships and other sophisticated techniques.
Andrew's practice also includes working with closely held business owners in all phases of their activities, advising executors, trustees, and beneficiaries in all aspects of estate and trust administration, and handling Surrogate's Court proceedings throughout the New York metropolitan area.
Andrew also regularly advises Meltzer Lippe's international clients on a broad range or matters including the creation and administration of foreign trusts, structuring of foreign investments in the U.S., reporting requirements of foreign individuals and companies and cross-border estate planning. Andrew received his J.D. from Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. Prior to joining Meltzer Lippe, Andrew practiced as a trusts and estates attorney at large law firms in Northern New Jersey and New York City.
Andrew, originally from Rockland County, now lives on Long Island with his wife, Stephanie, a Speech Language Pathologist, and their two children. Andrew is an avid golfer and also enjoys skiing and spending time with his family.
Asish "Ash" Nelluvely is Counsel to the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group. Ash is a seasoned employment attorney who has successfully represented employers in a variety of actions, including wage and hour, employment discrimination, and FMLA claims, in both State and Federal courts. Ash has also defended employers in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other fair employment practice agencies in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Co - Chair of Meltzer Lippe 's Trusts & Estates Practice Group Will Be a Speaker at the Trust & Am.
- Co - Chair of Meltzer Lippe 's Trusts & Estates Practice Group Will Be a Speaker at the Yeshiva U.
- Co - Chair of Meltzer Lippe 's Trusts & Estates Practice Group Will Be a Speaker at Webinar 1 of.
- Legal Advisor
- Member of Trusts & Estates Magazine
Avi provides creative and sophisticated domestic and international tax, estate planning, and asset preservation counsel to CEOs of major corporations, ultra high net worth individuals, multinational businesses, and large charitable organizations. He has also successfully represented many clients, including individuals, trusts and estates, businesses and charitable organizations with IRS and state tax audits.
His practice places special emphasis on domestic and international tax and trust planning, "big picture" philosophy, family business succession planning and effectively dealing with estate disputes. His diverse client base is located in New York City, Long Island and in many other states and countries. Over the years, Avi's practice has continued to rapidly expand into several additional complex and sophisticated areas including, but not limited to: international tax and wealth preservation planning; family business succession planning; tax and estate controversies; corporate and partnership business structuring; and income tax planning for closely held businesses and real estate clients, all of which require an individually tailored philosophy and customized documentations.
Avi serves as legal advisor to many prominent charitable organizations and has developed a niche practice in the complicated area of charitable planning and the structuring and operations of nonprofit organizations under federal and state laws dealing with complex issues including, lobbying, advocacy, unrelated business income tax, joint ventures, avoiding excise taxes and foreign and philanthropic charities. Avi is also co-founder of STEP Long Island and has a substantial international tax and estate planning practice.
Over the last few years Avi has been pursuing a national platform advocating all estate planning attorneys to better understand their client's unique situations to create individually tailored plans to mitigate the potential for and effects of estate litigations, in addition to avoiding costly income and estate taxes.
Avi is also a member of Trusts & Estates Magazine editorial and advisory board, where he is Chair of The Modern Practice Committee. He is also an Adjunct Tax Professor at Hofstra University School of Law(and formerly with the Baruch MBA Program). He is an ACTEC Fellow and is recognized in Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.
Avi Z. Kestenbaum, Co-Chair of Meltzer Lippe's Trusts & Estates practice group will be a speaker at the Trust &am...
Job Titles:
- School of Law: Former Chair and Executive Board Member of the Alumni Ass'N Former Co - Chair Long Island Club
Christine K. Kitson is Counsel to the firm's Trusts & Estates, Business & Real Estate Taxation, and Private Wealth & Taxation Practice Groups. Christine leads the firm's Estate Administration Group where she utilizes her extensive experience to guide and counsel families during the estate administration process.
Christine understands the impact of losing a loved one and incorporates delicacy and client care into her estate administration practice. She represents executors and administrators with probate and administration proceedings, preparing federal and state estate tax returns, and settling estates through either informal or formal accountings. Christine counsels trustees in their administration of trusts, including amending and decanting of irrevocable trusts and accounting proceedings. She handles proceedings in Surrogate's Courts throughout Long Island and New York City. She also advises clients with respect to various tax elections and post-death estate and tax planning steps.
Christine also drafts complex wills, various types of trusts, and other documents to help clients achieve their estate planning goals. In addition to tax planning, Christine tailors each client's estate plan for his/her specific needs and goals, including planning for minor children, second marriages, and family members with disabilities and/or special needs, lifetime gifting and preparation of gift tax returns, and business succession planning.
Christine has lectured at the National Business Institute, Inc. on federal estate tax and has been published in Trusts & Estates magazine on estate planning.
Prior to joining the firm, Christine obtained estate administration and estate planning experience as an associate at Humes and Wagner, LLP. Christine also gained experience in trust administration prior to law school while working as a Senior Trust Administrator at Investors Bank and Trust Company, Inc., in Boston.
Christine graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in English and Art History. Christine earned her law degree, with honors, at Suffolk University Law School where she was editor of the Transnational Law Review.
A native Long Islander, Christine lives in Long Beach with her husband, a FDNY firefighter, and their two young children. She enjoys working out in her beach garage gym, playing beach volleyball and boogie boarding, and spending time with her family.
Christopher J. Clarke is an Associate in the firm's Litigation Practice Group. Chris concentrates his practice on all aspects of commercial and general litigation including business divorce, breach of contract actions, claims of fraud, and other business tort actions. He also has experience handling trust and estate litigation matters, including contested probate proceedings, fiduciary accountings, discovery and turnover proceedings, and other litigation related to estates and trusts. This experience has provided Chris with a unique perspective on how to find the best solution for his clients.
Chris received his law degree from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center and his undergraduate degree from Skidmore College. Chris is admitted to practice in the State of New York, as well as the United States District Court in and for the Eastern District of New York and Southern District of New York.
Chris serves on boards of several not-for-profit corporations including, South Shore Child Guidance Center where he serves as Vice President of the board; Nassau Suffolk Law Services where he serves on both the board and advisory council; and We Care Fund of the Nassau County Bar Association, where he serves as a member of the advisory board. Previously, Chris served as a member of the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association and member of the board of the Lutheran Church of the Epiphany, Hempstead.
Christopher P. Hampton is a Partner in the firm's Labor & Employment and Social Media, Software & Privacy Practice Groups. Chris dedicates his practice to representing employers and management in variety of labor and employment matters.
Chris concentrates his practice on employment discrimination litigation, wage and hour compliance and litigation, and other traditional labor and employment law matters. He practices at the federal and state levels, where he has gained a plethora of experience handling employment and public discrimination matters, wage and hour litigation matters, and employment regulatory and compliance matters. He also has a breadth of experience handling general commercial litigation suits, including breach of contract actions, claims of fraud, and other business tort actions. This dual experience has led Chris to have a unique understanding of how a client's business outlook and "bottom line" can potentially impact its litigation and compliance needs.
Prior to coming on board with Meltzer Lippe, Chris worked at Nixon Peabody LLP. He also served as a summer judicial intern with the Honorable Sandra J. Feuerstein, District Judge, Eastern District of New York while attending the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University. Chris earned his law degree from Hofstra University, where he graduated cum laude with a GPA of 3.7. Chris received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University.
He lives in Mineola with his wife Cascille, children Jack and Lana, and dog Corey. He is an avid softball player, voracious reader, and loves the Mets.
Daniel F. Carrascal is an Associate in the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group. Danny brings a wealth of practical and substantive experience in traditional labor law as well employment litigation. Prior to joining Meltzer Lippe, Danny worked at a labor and employment firm where he primarily focused on the defense of wage and hour allegations and discrimination claims. Danny has also advised business owners and human resources professionals in drafting employee handbooks and employment-related documents and agreements. Danny has extensive experience in presenting sexual harassment prevention training mandated by New York State and City to employees and managers in English and Spanish.
David I. Schaffer is a Partner in the firm's Corporate/Business and Real Estate Practice Groups, representing public and private companies. He advises the firm's business clients, both public and private, start-up and established, including hi-tech and bio-tech companies, and drafts complex operating agreements, partnership agreements and shareholder agreements. He also handles various public and private offerings and acquisitions. He handles venture capital investments for major venture capital funds. He also represents major commercial landlords on Long Island.
David began his career at the Wall Street firm of Shearman & Sterling, where he concentrated in complex secured and unsecured financing and leasing transactions for Citibank, then the firm's principal client. Prior to joining Meltzer Lippe, David was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Avis, Inc. for 15 years, then Vice President and General Counsel of U.S. Surgical Corporation. As General Counsel of Avis, David worked on mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and divestitures. He negotiated and did the legal work for numerous joint ventures, both in the United States and foreign countries. In the area of franchising, David supervised Avis' relationships with its extensive network of licensees within the U.S. and worldwide.
Over his corporate career, David advised six different CEOs. He has also dealt closely with many of the country's major law firms, which enables him to combine a dedication to high quality legal work with an understanding of the cost-benefit considerations important to clients.
While in corporate practice, David supervised major governmental antitrust and securities investigations. He has handled major bank financings, and in the securities field, has prepared '33 and '34 Act filings, participated in public offerings and private placements and advised on Rule 144, insider trading, 16(b) and 13D matters. He is also a Designated Advisor for Disclosure (DAD), for a client listed on the OTCQX.
David has been a trustee and is past president of the Nassau County Legal Aid Society and a former Director and General Counsel of the Long Island Capital Alliance. He is a member of various bar associations, is listed in Who's Who in America, has an "AV Preeminent Rating" from his peers and lectures before business and bar association groups. David also serves as Village Justice for the Village of Great Neck Estates.
David lives in Great Neck with his wife, Lois, has one surviving child Eric Schaffer, and six grandchildren. He is an avid tennis player and jogger. David has completed four New York Marathons and he is a rabid New York Giants fan.
, is a Partner in the firm's Corporate/Business, Real Estate and Crisis Management, Investigations & Constitutional Law Practice Groups. David brings a unique skill set to his practice. Part corporate lawyer, part real estate lawyer and both an outside and an in-house counsel, he's essentially a business lawyer and a trusted advisor and sounding board on major decisions and judgment calls for his clients.
David's practice encompasses complex business combination transactions, structuring and drafting joint ventures, tender offers, SEC compliance filings and proxy statements. He represents issuers in private offerings and buyers and sellers of businesses, and has extensive experience in loan originations and acquisitions, UCC foreclosures and drafting employment, shareholder and other general corporate agreements.
David S. Koffler is a Partner in the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. David's practice encompasses all areas of real estate transactions. The scope of his work includes purchases and sales, commercial leasing, architect and construction agreements, commercial mortgages and loan agreements, condemnation, tax deferred exchanges and use and occupancy agreements.
Elliot Dizon Worledge is an Associate in the firm's Trusts & Estates, Private Wealth & Taxation and Tax Exempt Organizations Practice Groups.
Her practice is concentrated on assisting high-net worth families with estate and gift tax planning. Elliot is experienced in drafting custom estate planning documents for each client, including wills, revocable trusts, residence trusts, life insurance trusts, irrevocable family trusts, and operating agreements. Elliot is also a co-author to "Unequal Inheritances: A Final Parental Communication" published in the Trusts and Estates Magazine this February 2021.
Elliot received her J.D., cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School, and her B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy, Politics, and Law from SUNY Binghamton. During law school, Elliot clerked for Cahill & Cahill focusing on trusts and estates litigation matters in New York City, and for Meltzer Lippe focusing on estate and gift tax planning and drafting. She also served as an editor for the Brooklyn Journal of International Law, and as the Social and Publicity Chair of the Asian Pacific-American Law Student Association. Elliot is currently admitted to the Appellate Division, Second Department in the State of New York.
Elliot was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and is fluent in Tagalog. During her free time, she enjoys propagating and tending to her 80+ houseplants, sampling different tea flavors, and reading David Sedaris books with her partner Greg and dear cat Toto.
Gary M. Meltzer is the Chair of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. Gary's practice is a national commercial transactional practice with an emphasis on selling, buying, leasing and finance.
Gary's practice includes all aspects of commercial real estate acquisitions and dispositions, including 1031 exchanges, loan assumptions and defeasances. He has prepared tenancy in common agreements, partnership and operating agreements and created complex organizational structures and has experience in representing owners of shopping centers, multi-family developments, office buildings, golf course and residential communities and industrial and warehouse developments. He also represents landlords and tenants in drafting and negotiating commercial leases. Gary represents lenders and borrowers in all facets of real estate lending and borrowing, including multi-state portfolio financings on the lending and borrowing sides, originating CMBS, life insurance company and bank loans as well as drafting and negotiating participation and intercreditor agreements between lenders and drafting and negotiating forbearance agreements between lenders and borrowers.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Director of the Notre Dame Tax
Jerry is the Director of the Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute and is on the Tax Management Advisory Board. Jerry is a Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estates Council and the American College of Tax Council. He is also a member of the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame. He has published numerous articles, Tax Management Portfolios, and co-authored a law school casebook on federal income taxation, now in its fourth edition.
Gerald C. Waters, Jr. is a Partner in the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group where he represents employers in a diverse field of labor and employment as well as franchise matters.
He has represented employers and municipalities before federal, state and local tribunals including the EEOC, NYSDHR and New York State Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board.
Gerald has also successfully represented employers during federal, state and administrative trials as well as at mediation. He has been named by Super Lawyers, to its list of "Rising Stars" as one of the top up-and-coming litigators in the New York Metropolitan area for 2013, 2015-2021 and was recognized as a Super Lawyer in the New York Metropolitan area for 2022.
Prior to joining the firm, Gerald was employed by a national labor and employment law firm where he represented clients in a myriad of fields including the construction, health care and insurance industries in wage and hour, restrictive covenant and employment discrimination matters.
Previously, Gerald served as a Deputy County Attorney in the Nassau County Attorney's Office, Labor Bureau where he focused on employment related matters. As a Deputy County Attorney, he represented the County of Nassau and all of its departments, against claims by both County of Nassau employees as well as the general public. In addition to successfully representing the County of Nassau before administrative tribunals and in federal and state courts, Gerald played a critical role in defending the County during one of the County's largest federal class action trials. Gerald's efforts resulted in the Nassau County Attorney issuing him an award for his dedicated and successful litigation service.
Gerald received his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from Touro Law School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts, American History, cum laude, from the New York State University at Albany.
Gerald is admitted to practice in New York State as well as the E.D.N.Y., S.D.N.Y. and W.D.N.Y. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Huntington YMCA and is an active participant in the Huntington Lawyers' Club.
Ira R. Halperin is Chair of the firm's Corporate/Business Practice Group and is a Partner in the Crisis Management, Investigations & Constitutional Law Practice Group. Before becoming an attorney, Ira spent 15 years in private practice as a CPA, a designation for which he is still licensed. Throughout Ira's 25 year career as an attorney he has served companies and businesses from a unique professional perspective, helping clients, thrive, grow and avoid or overcome the legal and business challenges they face. Understanding the big picture and being able to communicate it in terms that clients fully comprehend enhances his practice and the value he gives to every client on every matter.
He is known for his responsiveness and attention to detail in advising buyers, sellers, investors, boards of directors, audit committees and financial advisors in structuring, negotiating and completing complex purchases and sales of businesses.
He guides corporations in public offerings, private placements, corporate financings, venture capital investments, restructurings and other commercial transactions. He also represents underwriters and issuers in public and private offerings of equity securities as well as institutional lenders and borrowers in connection with bank financing for business enterprises.
Ira has been retained throughout his career on general corporate and securities matters including organization of new business ventures, '33 and '34 Securities Acts matters, corporate governance, executive employment agreements and confidentiality and non-competition agreements.
Before joining the firm, Ira was Counsel in the New York office of Weil, Gotshal. Ira is committed to Long Island business and serves as General Counsel to and on the Executive Committee of the Long Island Software & Technology Network (LISTnet) and as a member of the Nassau County Bar Association.
Ira has regularly been named by Long Island Business News as one of Long Island's top lawyers in its "Who's Who in Law" and "Who's Who in Corporate Law" and has been consistently selected as a "New York Super Lawyer" in the area of Business/Corporate and M &A.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Co - Chair of the United Way of Miami - Dade 's Professional Advisors Committee
Jennifer M. Einersen is an Associate in the firm's Trusts & Estates, Private Wealth & Taxation and Tax Exempt Organizations Practice Groups. Jennifer represents high-net worth individuals and families on wealth transfer planning, including estate planning, estate and trust administration, estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax planning, and charitable giving.
Jennifer began her law practice in the Trusts and Estates group of Carter Ledyard & Millburn, LLP in New York City. In 2016, Jennifer relocated to Miami, Florida and joined Nostro Jones, P.A., a boutique trusts and estates firm. Most recently Jennifer was a member of the Tax, Trusts and Estates Department of Bilzin Sumberg in Miami, Florida.
Jennifer received an Advanced Professional Certificate in Estate Planning from New York University School of Law in 2015. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law in 2012. She received her B.S. in Finance from Georgetown University in 2007. Jennifer is admitted to practice in Florida, New York and New Jersey.
Jennifer is the Co-Chair of the United Way of Miami-Dade's Professional Advisors Committee and is a member of the board of the Coral Gables/South Dade Estate Planning Council. She also served as the Past Secretary of the Miami Board of Common Threads, a nonprofit that provides children and families cooking and nutrition education to encourage healthy habits that contribute to wellness.
Jennifer was born and raised in Westchester County, New York and now lives in Miami with her family.
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- Counsel to the Firm 's Business & Real Estate Taxation, Trusts & Estates, Tax Exempt Organiza.
Jerome M. Hesch is Counsel to the firm's Business & Real Estate Taxation, Trusts & Estates, Tax Exempt Organizations and Private Wealth & Taxation Practice Groups. Prior to joining the firm, Jerry served as an income tax and estate planning consultant for lawyers and other tax planning professionals throughout the country. Jerry was a consultant for Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP, Dorot & Bensimon PL, Jeffrey M. Verdon Law Group and Oshins & Associates LLC.
Jodi Lipka is Counsel to the firm's Trusts & Estates Practice Group. Jodi counsels high net worth foreign and domestic individuals with respect to all aspects of estate, gift, and charitable planning. Jodi drafts sophisticated wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, and charitable trusts.
John P. Proszak is a Partner in the firm's Trusts & Estates, Business & Real Estate Taxation and Private Wealth & Taxation Practice Groups. John has over 30 years experience in the trusts and estates field. Prior to joining Meltzer Lippe, John practiced law at the New York City law firm of Herrick, Feinstein LLP, where he engaged in estate administration and sophisticated estate planning for high net worth individuals, including chief executives of major corporations. In addition to meeting with clients to formulate their estate plan, John also drafts complex wills, trusts, and other documents in order to achieve their goals.
John is an expert in all phases of estate administration, including probate, the preparation of estate tax and fiduciary income tax returns, and the settlement and accountings of estates, including contested proceedings. John is very adept at counseling families during estate administration, which he knows can be a stressful time for the surviving family members. He also represents clients in complex federal estate and gift tax audits with the Internal Revenue Service.
John obtained his law degree at Brooklyn Law School and then received an LL.M. degree with honors in Taxation from New York University. He has edited and authored several articles on estate planning and administration for Matthew Bender publications. John has also taught estate administration as an adjunct instructor at Adelphi University's paralegal program.
A lifelong Long Islander, John makes his home in Merrick with his wife, Ellen, and children, Laura and Michael. John and Ellen are active in community affairs, especially with respect to special education programs for children with disabilities.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Partner
- Co - Chair of the Firm 's Labor & Employment Practice Group Will Be a Speaker at the 2022 New Y.
- Co - Chair of the Firm 's Labor & Employment Practice Group Will Present at the National Busine.
- Law School for Vermont HR Professionals
Jonathan D. Farrell is Chair of the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group. Jonathan is Counsel to manufacturing, service, commercial, and management companies, professional practices, non-profit organizations, private educational institutions and insurance companies. An employment and labor relations specialist, Jonathan regularly practices before the National Labor Relations Board, federal and state courts, and federal and state human rights' agencies. He counsels employers on a variety of labor and employment-related laws including the NLRA, OSHA, EEOC, ADA, FMLA and ERISA. He also litigates in these areas.
Jonathan is proud of the many recognitions he has received from members of the Bar and professional community. He is particularly proud to be Vice-Chairman of the Nassau County Human Rights Commission, as Jonathan is provided a unique insight into how administrative complaints are resolved.
He has been selected as a "New York Super Lawyer" for 2010 and 2013 - 2021, in the area of labor and employment law. Only five percent (5%) of New York-metro attorneys have been named to this prestigious list. Jonathan has also earned an "AV" rating from his peers in both skills and ethics, the highest legal rating awarded by the legal rating publisher Martindale-Hubbell. Only two percent (2%) of New York metro attorneys have earned an "AV" rating. Finally, Jonathan was named as one of Long Island's Leading Labor and Employment Law Attorneys by The Long Island Business News for 2007, 2009-2014, 2016-2020.
Jonathan regularly practices and defends employers before the National Labor Relations Board. He has been counsel to employers in well over three hundred unfair labor practice investigations. Unlike most labor and employment attorneys, Jonathan has litigated several unfair labor practice trials before administrative law judges of the National Labor Relations Board as well as Section 10(j) proceedings of the National Labor Relations Act in federal court. Even rarer, Jonathan has been successful and victorious against the Board. Jonathan represents employers in unfair labor practice investigations and trials, representation hearings and compliance proceedings.
Jonathan has been involved in approximately fourty-five unionization campaigns for various companies. In all but five campaigns, Jonathan has been involved in the employees elected to remain union free. Jonathan also represents unionized employers in their arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association and New York State Employment Relations Board, assists unionized employers during their collective bargaining negotiations, or conducts the negotiations for them, and advises unionized employers on a daily basis regarding contract interpretation, union issues, and union grievances.
Because of Jonathan's experience in traditional labor law, he has developed an expertise in the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act and represents employers in connection with withdrawal liability assessments.
Jonathan has represented employers in over one hundred different withdrawal liability disputes and/or transactions including drafting and effectuating Section 4024 ERISA transactions as well as litigating withdrawal liability assessments before the American Arbitration Association's and if necessary, Federal Court. Very few management attorneys in the Metropolitan Tri-State area can even claim to have as much experience representing employers in connection with withdrawal liability cases and transactions.
Jonathan has successfully represented various employers in over five hundred wage and hour investigations at the state and federal level in connection with minimum wage, overtime and prevailing wage actions. Jonathan has represented employers before the United States Department of Labor, New York State Department of Labor; Bureau of Public Work and Attorney General's Office, General Labor Bureau.
Jonathan is panel counsel to insurance companies in the areas of Employment Practice Liabilities Insurance and Directors & Officers Insurance.
Jonathan is admitted to practice before the federal and state courts of New York. Upon graduation from Hofstra University's School of Law, Jonathan received the University's "Award for Excellence" in the field of Labor and Employment Law and the Industrial Relations Research Management "Award for Excellence" in Industrial and Labor Relations.
Joseph Katz is Counsel to the firm's Trusts & Estates, Business & Real Estate Taxation and Private Wealth & Taxation Practice Groups. He has more than 30 years of experience in the practice of the law of trusts and estates. Joe is an expert in general estate planning, personal tax planning, tax planning for life insurance and charitable trusts, estate tax motivated partnership, and asset planning, protection and restructuring. His practice embraces all aspects of estate planning with an emphasis on the development of sophisticated plans for high net worth individuals. It includes the preparation of complex wills, trust agreements, partnership agreements, shareholder agreements and related instruments.
Joe is an expert in probate law, estate administration, estate and gift tax law and procedure, and post mortem estate planning for estates of all sizes, including very large estates. Joe has also represented numerous major financial institutions in estate and trust administration matters, including estate tax and gift tax audits and general counseling of clients in all phases of the administration of decedents' estates.As global business increases and the firm's practice grows, Joe's estate planning practice has grown to now encompass doing estate planning for U.S. citizens living abroad or having foreign trusts or corporations, as well as advising foreign nationals on estate tax aspects of their U.S. assets.
Joe has lectured extensively on trusts and estates matters in the United States, Europe and in Israel. From 1978 through 1980, Joe was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York Law School.
While a student at the New York University School of Law, Joe was a staff member and later an editor of the Law Review. He spent his first two years after law school at the Appeals Division of the Legal Aid Society of New York City, and eventually moved his practice to Meltzer Lippe after spending 16 years at a large, prestigious, Park Avenue law firm, where he was a partner concentrating in estate planning and estate administration.
Joy Spence is an Associate in the firm's Business & Real Estate Taxation, Trusts & Estates, Tax Exempt Organizations and Private Wealth & Taxation Practice Groups. She focuses her practice primarily on tax law, wealth management, and trusts and estates. Joy regularly assists clients in developing tailored plans to maximize asset protection and wealth preservation, while minimizing tax exposure. She also counsels individuals and families on developing tax-efficient structures and intra-generational wealth transfer strategies for estate, charitable, and business succession planning needs.
Additionally, her practice includes advising clients on estate, gift, generation-skipping transfers and income tax matters, and assisting business owners in effectively passing their ownership interests from one generation to the next. She earned a B.S. in Communications from Appalachian State University; a J.D. from Florida International University College of Law, and an LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law.
Justin Schwamb is an Associate in the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group. Justin represents employers in a broad array of labor and employment matters including but not limited to drafting employee handbooks and employment-related documents and agreements.
Kelly Fitzgerald is an Associate in the firm's Corporate/Business, Crisis Management, Investigations & Constitutional Law and Litigation Practice Groups. Kelly assists clients on a variety of corporate matters, including drafting limited liability company operating agreements, stockholder agreements and partnership agreements, SEC compliance filings, and merger and acquisition documents. In addition, she has experience preparing terms and conditions, privacy policies, and end-user license agreements for mobile applications and websites.
Kelly received her J.D., cum laude, from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. During law school, she was the Managing Editor of Staff for the Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal and a member of the Hofstra Law Moot Court Board.
Prior to law school Kelly earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Syracuse University.
Kimberly A. (Oringer) Ahrens is an Associate in the firm's Litigation Practice Group. Kimberly concentrates her practice on all aspects of commercial and general litigation, including real estate litigation, breach of contract, corporate and partnership disputes, and employment disputes. She has experience with a variety of real estate matters in federal and state court including quiet title actions, municipal and zoning actions, eminent domain, landlord/tenant and eviction proceedings. Her experience, together with her creative and solution-based approach to resolving issues, is what makes her successful in representing her clients.
Kimberly is admitted to practice in the State of New York, as well as the United States District Court in and for the Eastern District of New York and Southern District of New York. Prior to joining the firm, Kimberly began her career with a real estate firm located on the east end of Long Island, where she was part of the ligation practice team who handled a variety of residential, commercial, and agricultural land use disputes involving multi-million dollar transactions and properties.
Kimberly comes from a family of attorneys and received her law degree from the Maurice A. Deane College of Law at Hofstra University. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she received a bachelor of science in Human and Organizational Development as well as a degree in classical guitar.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Moderate NYSBA Elder Law & Special Needs Section Spring UnProgram 2023 - "Article 81 V Article 17 - a"
- Partner in the Firm 's Elder Law Litigation Practice Group Will Be a Speaker at the New York State .
- Partner in the Firm 's Mental Health, Guardianship & Elder Law Litigation Practice Group Will B.
Laura M. Brancato is a Partner in the firm's Mental Health, Guardianship & Elder Law Litigation Practice Group who devotes her practice to complex guardianship and elder law litigation including Article 81 and 17A guardianship proceedings, Article 9 proceedings under the Mental Hygiene Law, Power of Attorney litigation and related Supreme Court fiduciary litigation. Laura also handles Surrogate's Court litigation including contested wills, turnover proceedings, judicial accountings and related litigation.
She has extensive experience litigating in New York State Supreme Court, Surrogate's Court and at all levels of administrative hearings on behalf of her clients. Laura's practice group covers a broad range of mental hygiene law issues associated with cognitive impairment, mental and behavioral health, and substance use disorder.
Laura is an active member of the Part 36 Fiduciary Appointment list and is regularly appointed by Judges throughout the downstate area in Article 81 proceedings, especially in those cases that pertaining to a mental health diagnosis.
As a compliment to her practice, Laura serves as Co-Chair of the Guardianship Committee of the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and Vice-Chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Mental Health Committee. Laura was recently appointed to the New York State Task Force on Mental Health and Trauma Impacted Representation. As a task force member, Laura participates in legislative initiatives to improve access to and delivery of vital mental health services.
Laura frequently lectures on a wide variety of topics and has been a featured speaker throughout New York State. Most recently, Laura presented at the Alzheimer's Foundation of America Educating America Tour, the New York State Women's Bar Association, the Estate Planning Counsel of New York, the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar and the Meltzer Lippe Annual Taxation Seminar.
Laura is also an author on topics related to adult guardianship proceedings, special needs planning, mental health law and related topics. Her written work has been featured in Trusts & Estate Magazine, the New York State Bar Association Publication on Elder Law and Special Needs Planning in addition to the New York State Bar Association Elder Law Journal.
Prior to working in Guardianship and Elder Law, Laura held a position as an Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County. There she tried numerous cases in the Gam/Major Case Unit of the office. Laura received her undergraduate degree Loyola University in Maryland where she studied political science and business. She received her J.D. from St. John's University School of Law, where she held an executive board position on the Moot Court Honor Society.
Laura lives in Westchester, New York with her three children. She is an active member of her community and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Flint Park Conservancy.
Laura M. Brancato, Partner in the firm's Elder Law Litigation Practice Group will be moderating an upcoming program a...
Lew served as President of the Harvard Law School Association of Long Island and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Huntington Hospital.
Lisa Fenech is an Associate in the firm's Trusts & Estates, Trust & Estate Litigation and Mental Health, Guardianship & Elder Law Litigation Practice Groups. Lisa's practice focuses on estate and trust litigation, probate, and estate administration. This includes contested and uncontested probate and administration proceedings, contested estate and trust accounting proceedings, discovery and turnover proceedings and various other complex disputes between beneficiaries and fiduciaries. Lisa is also regularly appointed by the Surrogate's Court as a Guardian Ad Litem to represent individuals who cannot protect their own rights and interests.
Lisa currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of the Nassau County Women's Bar Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the Nassau County Women's Bar Association. The Nassau County Women's Bar Foundation raises funds to support breast cancer research and services for women afflicted with breast cancer, and awards scholarships to female law students residing in Nassau County who demonstrate a need for support. In addition, Lisa is an active member of the Nassau County Bar Association Surrogate's Court Committee and the New York State Bar Association Trusts and Estates Law Section, where she serves as Chair of the Sponsorship Committee.
Prior to joining the firm, Lisa was an Associate in the Trusts and Estates Department of a Long Island firm, where she was a member of the Estate Litigation Practice Group.
Lisa lives in Farmingdale, New York and enjoys traveling, running and reading in her free time.
Loretta M. Gastwirth is a Partner in the firm's Litigation, Labor & Employment, Construction and Social Media, Software & Privacy Practice Groups and Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. Her practice involves commercial, contract, insurance, intellectual property, trade secrets, securities, employment, business ownership, construction and Indian Gaming law litigation, arbitration, mediation and appeals. Long Island Business News has recognized Loretta as one of the Top 50 Business Women on Long Island in 2005 and 2013 and "Who's Who" in Women Professional Services in 2010 and 2021. In 2018, Loretta was honored by the Long Island Press as a Long Island Power Woman in Business.
Loretta has become well known for her work in mediation and arbitration - i.e., alternative dispute resolution (ADR). She serves as an arbitrator and mediator on the prestigious Commercial, Construction and Employment panels of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the ICDR (the AAA's International Centre for Dispute Resolution). Loretta is also a Mediator for the New York State Supreme Court, New York, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Queens County Commercial Divisions, and the Nassau County Bar Association Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators. Loretta has served as an arbitrator or mediator in over 150 cases including acting as a Chairperson of a number of three member panels and serving as an emergency arbitrator.
Loretta has provided continuing education lectures to attorneys on mediation and arbitration. Loretta's "inside" experience as an arbitrator and mediator has enabled her to provide invaluable insight to her clients who are involved in arbitration and mediation. Loretta has arbitrated and mediated cases on behalf of her clients in many venues and before many domestic tribunals, most often the AAA and FINRA, as well as international tribunals.
Loretta started her career at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett litigating large securities fraud matters. She moved to a premiere entertainment litigation firm, representing such clients as Mick Jagger, Luther Vandross and Leona Helmsley, and later left Manhattan to join Meltzer Lippe in 1993. Loretta was a Notes and Comments editor for the Cardozo Law Review, graduated magna cum laude from both the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and University of Albany - State University of New York, School of Business and clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Jerry Buchmeyer in Dallas, Texas, who was voted Best District Court Judge by the American Law Journal her clerkship year.
Loretta's commercial litigation often involves high technology and intellectual property cases, including a large international telecommunications arbitration representing the government of Taiwan, software infringement, development and implementation cases for private as well as publicly traded companies and copyright and trademark infringement and unfair competition cases for Ross Perot, book publishers, the manufacturer of Red Stripe Beer, an airplane motor parts manufacturer and distributor of commercial washers and dryers. She has also developed an expertise in Indian Gaming law representing a developer and manager of an Indian casino in actions involving a Native American tribe and a major gaming company and a number of important Indian gaming law decisions were issued in her cases.
Her commercial litigation experience is varied, encompassing actions involving breach of contract, trade secrets, construction matters, insurance, zoning law, equipment leasing, securities, licensing disputes, partnership, member and shareholder disputes, derivative and dissolution actions and proceedings, petroleum pollution, wetlands issues, employment matters and intellectual property litigation. The firm's clients are often confronted with employment issues and Loretta has counseled and successfully defended them before agencies, courts, arbitration panels and mediators. She is experienced in matters involving defamation claims, trade secrets, covenants not to compete or solicit, qui tam whistleblower cases, discrimination claims and claims involving highly compensated employees.
Loretta is the Co-chair of the Domestic Arbitration Committee of the New York State Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section, a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation and a member of the American Bar Association and Nassau County Bar Association where she is a former chair of the ADR Committee and currently serves on the Advisory Council for its Mediation and Arbitration Panels. She is also the former chair of the Executive Committee of the Cardozo Alumni Association, consisting of over 14,000 alumni and former Co-Chair of the Cardozo Long Island Alumni Club. She enjoys playing golf with the LPGA Amateur Golf Association of Long Island. Loretta has been a featured presenter or organizer of many programs relating to ADR. She is also the author of "Words of Wisdom: Getting the Best Results in the ADR Process", "Despite ADR Consent, IP Cases End Up In Court," "Beware of Ideas," "Preventing Inevitable Disclosure of Internet Company Trade Secrets," "The Benefits of Arbitration are Many; Shouldn't be Dismissed," "To ADR or Not to ADR: That is the Question," and "ADR vs. Litigation: A Guide for Business."
Brooklyn born Loretta, and her husband, Lenny, a tax accountant and Bronx native, live in East Hills where they have volunteered a great deal of time to school, community affairs, local charities and sports programs. Lenny and Loretta are proud parents of their sons, Paul and Brian Rogofsky, graduates of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the New York State Bar Association Trusts
- Partner in the Firm 's Trust & Estate Litigation Practice Group Will Be a Speaker at the New Yor.
Lori A. Sullivan is a Partner in the firm's Trusts & Estates and Trust & Estate Litigation Practice Groups. Lori practices in the areas of estate planning, estate administration and estate litigation, including contested probate proceedings, contested accounting proceedings, discovery proceedings, inter vivos trust litigation and will construction proceedings.
Prior to joining the firm, Lori was Counsel to a New York City law firm and previously served as the Principal Law Clerk to the Honorable Edward W. McCarty III, Surrogate of Nassau County. Lori also served as a Court Attorney-Referee in the Nassau County Surrogate's Court under the Honorable John B. Riordan. As the Principal Law Clerk and a Court-Attorney Referee, Lori presided over non-jury hearings, rendered rulings at depositions, conferenced cases, mediated cases to settlement, assisted the Surrogate at trial and prepared decisions, orders, stipulations, trial memoranda and jury instructions. Lori also practiced at a number of well-respected trusts and estates firms, where she was responsible for the administration of estates and trusts of high-net worth individuals.
Lori received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Adelphi University, where she received the Presidential Scholarship, and her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, where she was the recipient of the Fortunoff Scholarship and was named salutatorian of her law school class. While in law school, Lori was a member of the Law Review and served as a Notes and Comments Editor.
Lori is a member of the New York State Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section and served as a Vice-Chair of the Estate Planning Committee. Lori is a member of the Surrogate's Court Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association and served as a Co-Vice-Chair and Co-Chair of the Committee. She has frequently lectured on estate litigation, estate administration and related topics for the New York State Bar Association, Nassau County Bar Association, Suffolk County Bar Association, New York County Lawyers Association, Hofstra University School of Law and local civic organizations. Lori has served as moderator of a number of continuing legal education programs, including the popular "Evening with the Surrogates" programs in 2014 and 2016. Lori also served as a Co-Chair of the 2014 New York State Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section Annual Meeting entitled "Til' Death Do us Part: Updates on Marriage, Domestic Relationships and Estate Law". Lori has co-authored two articles for the New York State Bar Association Journal entitled "Enforceability of a Personal Guaranty Clause: Attorney Fee Arrangements in the Surrogate's Court" (Sept. 2015) and "Proving Diminished Mental Capacity Post Death" (January 2017).
Lori regularly serves as a guardian ad litem in proceedings in the Queens County and Nassau County Surrogate's Courts.
Louis Wollin is Counsel to the firm's Private Wealth & Taxation, Trusts & Estates, Business & Real Estate Taxation and Tax Exempt Organizations Practice Groups. Lou has extensive experience working with clients in structuring estate plans to minimize gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax consequences and to help clients achieve their charitable goals.
Planning has included preparation of irrevocable trusts to facilitate gifting of assets, optimizing the tax benefits of transfers to trusts and restructuring trusts when circumstances warrant. Estate and gift tax planning also includes preparing operating agreements for limited liability companies to allow clients to gift membership interests at substantial discounts. Mr. Wollin provides ongoing advice to ensure that each client's subsequent actions are consistent with applicable requirements.
Manny A. Frade is Chair of the firm's Construction Practice Group. He represents a wide array of clients in the construction industry, including material suppliers, general contractors, subcontractors and owners. He has represented contractors in many aspects of construction, including landscaping, concrete (both supply and installation), exterior restoration, demolition, excavation, scaffolding, fuel supply, and tile installation.
Manny has successfully litigated a wide range of claims from standard lien foreclosure actions to complex delay claims as well as defending his clients against claims by unions and employees. He is experienced in and litigated matters in both State and Federal Courts in New York as well as mediation and arbitration. He has litigated matters involving both private construction projects as well as public improvement (government) projects.
In an attempt to avoid potential litigation and to protect his clients to the greatest extent possible, using his litigation experience, Manny assists clients in drafting and negotiating contracts.
He also assists clients through the public bidding process (including bid disputes) and the prequalification and certification process required by various governmental agencies, including prequalification through the New York City School Construction Authority and MBE certification through the New York State Empire State Development. He also advises his clients on issues of integrity, reporting and wage and benefit compliance in connection with public improvement projects and has negotiated monitoring/compliance agreements required by some agencies prior to award.
In this world of ever-changing and hyper-technical laws, rules and contractual provisions, Manny uses a common sense and practical approach to get results for his clients and has found that this approach tends to be the most effective and efficient method.
Maria Karelas is an Associate in the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. She has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate law. Her practice primarily focuses on representing purchasers and sellers of condominium and cooperative apartments, single and multi-family homes, and commercial properties. She also represents cooperative boards.
Maria has over 20 years of experience in conducting pre-contract due diligence, negotiating and preparing contracts and tenants-in-common agreements and handling closings in connection with the sale, acquisition and financing of all types of residential and commercial properties.
Maria also has significant experience in commercial and residential leasing, including reviewing and negotiating residential, retail and commercial leases.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of the Firm 's Trusts & Estates Practice Group and Andrew L. Baron, Partner in the Firm.