SHEBITZ BERMAN & DELFORTE P.C. - Key Persons
Frederick J. Berman has been admitted to the bar of the State of New York and its federal courts since 1977 and heads the firm's practice in the areas of commercial litigation and corporate transactions. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Berman was a partner at Fieldman, Berman & Hay and Wood, Lucksinger & Epstein.
Mr. Berman has litigated in state and federal courts throughout the United States and has handled domestic and international arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association and the International Chamber of Commerce. He also has successfully used alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation and structured negotiation. Mr. Berman has litigated matters involving a broad spectrum of commercial issues, including matters involving: accounting actions, business valuation construction and engineering contracts, creditors' rights, bankruptcy and workouts, corporate acquisitions and divestitures, relationships among principals in closely held corporations, and not-for-profit corporations, employment disputes, environmental law, fraud and fraudulent conveyances, letters of credit and financing arrangements, license agreements, patents and trademarks, commodity transactions, products liability, probate proceedings, regulatory and administrative issues, RICO, stock grants and stock options, sales and services contracts and workers' compensation.
Mr. Berman also has represented clients in diverse commercial and corporate transactions, including: patent, know-how and trademark licensing agreements, stockholder and partnership agreements, employment agreements, agreements relating to equipment purchases and industrial services, engineering, procurement and construction contracts, acquisition and construction contracts relating to construction and renovation of industrial facilities, facility operating agreements, leases and formation of joint ventures, partnerships and closely held corporations.
Jacob S. Claveloux is an Associate of the firm. He is involved in all aspects of the firm's practice areas, including its litigation, transactional and advisory work in the firm's education, employment, labor, and not-for-profit corporation law practices. Mr. Claveloux works with the firm's partners providing general counsel to institutional clients (K-12 schools, colleges, non-profit entities) and in litigation matters, including the courts and administrative agencies.
Mary Bianco is an Associate of the firm. She supports the firm's general counsel responsibilities to educational institutions of all types, including private day and residential schools for children with disabilities, charter schools serving pre-k to grade 12, proprietary schools, and colleges. Ms. Bianco providing advice and counsel on education matters, corporate governance, compliance, employment, labor, policy and litigation matters.
Ms. Bianco attended Brooklyn Law School where she was an active member of Lawyers without Borders, served as a research assistant reviewing legislation aimed at helping survivors of trafficking, and received the Pro Bono Service Award for performing over 500 hours of pro bono work performed during her time in law school.
After earning her J.D. in 2021, Ms. Bianco worked for Catholic Charities Community Legal Services in their Immigration department. There she represented clients in immigration court defending their asylum, U-Visa, T-Visa and Special Immigration Juvenile Visa applications. In 2023, she joined CSM Legal, P.C. litigating wage and hour matters on behalf of employees deprived of proper payment by their employers.
Ms. Bianco is admitted to practice law in the Courts of New York State, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. She is also a member of the New York Bar Association.
Matthew J. Delforte is a partner at the firm and leads the firm's education law practice. His primary practice areas include education law and constitutional law. Mr. Delforte represents public and private schools and colleges and universities in all areas of education law. He has worked on the creation of colleges, business and trade schools, private schools for grades pre-kindergarten through twelve, and schools for children with disabilities. Mr. Delforte represents numerous charter schools in New York City, has worked extensively on the charter school authorization and renewal processes, and has worked regularly with charter school advocacy organizations on major policy and legal issues shaping the field. He is widely recognized as one of the leading practitioners in the charter school field. Mr. Delforte also focuses much of his practice on representing children with disabilities, creating and representing the schools they attend, and seeking state funding for those schools as well. He represents Early Intervention, SEIT, and related services provider agencies in addressing audit, compliance, corporate and contract issues. Other areas of major focus include federal Title I and Title III funding; the creation of policies, procedures, bylaws, and best practices for public and private schools and their boards of trustees or directors.
Mr. Delforte served as a Special Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School where he taught Legal Issues in Public Education from 2011 through 2014, and as an adjunct professor at both the College of St. Rose and Fordham University's Graduate School of Education for many years, where he also taught courses in education law. Mr. Delforte serves on the Hofstra University Special Education Advisory Board, and is a regular presenter at conferences on education law in the New York City area. A sample of presentations include: Charters, Nonpublic Schools & Special Education: An Attempt at De-mystifying the many Mysteries, New York State Bar Association, New York, N.Y., November 2013; Hot Topics in Charter School Law, Center for Educational Innovation - Public Education Association (CEI-PEA), New York, N.Y., April 2010; Autism Symposium Key Note Panelist, Hofstra University, September 2008; Special Education Law Update, Hofstra University, September 2008; Hot Topics in School Law, New York State Education Department, Albany, N.Y., November 2003, 2004 and 2005; The Effects of Education Law on Including Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hofstra University, November 2005; Bullying and Social Aggression in New York, New York, N.Y., October 2005; Section 504 vs. The IDEA, White Plains, N.Y., September 2005; New Developments in Special Education Law, Uniondale, N.Y., June 2005; Special Education Law Update, New York, NY, May 2004; Standards of Behavior for Student Athletes and Enforcement, New York, N.Y., September 2003.
Mr. Delforte earned his J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law, and his undergraduate degree from St. Bonaventure University. He is admitted to practice law in the Courts of New York State, the United States Supreme Court, and in the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He is also a member of state and local bar associations, and the New York State Association of School Attorneys.