SCHWARTZ SLADKUS REICH GREENBERG ATLAS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New York
Alejandra Lara is an associate in the firm's Health Care Department. Prior to joining the firm, Alejandra worked as a litigation associate.
Alejandra received her law degree in 2020 from Fordham University School of Law where she was a Merit Scholar. Ms. Lara received her undergraduate degree from Emory University in 2016 where she was in the Deans List.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Alex Glassman concentrates his practice in all areas of commercial and civil litigation as well as family law.
Prior to joining SSRGA, Alex served as an associate attorney with the General Liability practice group at the Law Firm of Luks, Santaniello, Petrillo, Cohen & Peterfriend, defending individuals and corporations against claims of medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, wrongful death, negligent security, and breach of contract.
Alex began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Rachelle L. Harz, J.S.C., of the New Jersey Superior Court, Bergen County. Alex assisted Judge Harz in all aspects of case management, litigation, and motion practice for both her Multi-County Litigation and bi-weekly motion calendar.
Alex earned a Bachelor of Arts from Penn St. University (2015), with a concentration in sports journalism. He obtained his Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School, graduating cum laude (2021). While attending Rutgers Law School, Alex served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal and interned for the Honorable Susan D. Wigenton, U.S.D.J, of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Alex is admitted in the following states: New Jersey (2021), New York (2022), Florida (2022). Alex is also admitted in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (2022).
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Allen M. Turek, a partner in SSRGA's real estate practice, has practiced in all areas of real estate law with a concentration in cooperatives and condominiums. His experience encompasses sponsors of cooperative/condominium conversions, the representation of boards of directors and managers of cooperatives and condominiums, timeshares, shopping center syndications, hotels, acquisitions and sales, loan workouts, transactional real estate, new construction development, construction law, foreclosures and rehabilitating troubled cooperatives and condominiums. Allen is an accomplished litigator, having appeared as special counsel in complicated bankruptcy cases involving real estate. He also pioneered the use of bankruptcy filings on behalf of financially troubled cooperatives. Allen has successfully represented clients who have sued their insurance carriers to compel them to extend liability coverage when such coverage was originally denied by the insurance carrier.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New York
Andrea M. Trochez is an associate in the firm's Health Care Department. She concentrates on representing health care providers throughout New York and New Jersey to seek continuity of payment and reimbursement through general civil litigation, estate litigation and administration and various other means.
Ms. Trochez worked with our firm as a full-time paralegal in the Health Care department while she attended law school. Ms. Trochez is admitted to the bar in the State of New York (2016) and the State of New Jersey (2015). She is a graduate of Marist College (B.S., 2009) and New York Law School (J.D., 2015). She was the recipient of the Professor Joseph T. Arenson Award for Excellence in Wills and Decedents' Estates from New York Law School.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Astra M. Tudisco is a Partner to the firm's Real Estate Department with over 25 years of experience as a transactional attorney.
Her real estate practice encompasses transactional issues in New York and throughout the US, representing parties in acquisitions, sales, mortgage financing, as well as residential and commercial leasing. She represents numerous commercial developers and sponsors of cooperative and condominium offering plans in residential and commercial projects throughout New York City. Her practice also includes the drafting, revision and submission of offering plans, amendments and unit sales. She also represents boards of cooperative and condominium buildings in connection with the day to day operations of their properties, including legal documentation, tenant matters, financing and negotiating construction contracts.
Astra earned her J.D. from The Fordham University School of Law in 1989, and graduated cum laude from New York State University at Albany in 1986.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Brett D. Nussbaum is a partner of the firm in the Health Care Department. He practices in the areas of guardianship, self-pay, Medicaid, and estate collection litigation.
Mr. Nussbaum represents nursing homes throughout New York State, advising them in all areas of reimbursement related issues. He has extensive experience in representing nursing homes in Mental Hygiene Law Article 81 Guardianship proceedings in an effort to obtain Medicaid eligibility for their residents. Mr. Nussbaum also advises and represents hospitals in an effort to solve complex discharge planning problems. He has brought actions in New York State Supreme Court and Surrogate's Court to solve clients' accounts receivables troubles.
Mr. Nussbaum is recognized in New York State in the elder law and guardianship field. He has given numerous lectures to Nursing Home and Hospital Associations in an effort to have these entities streamline their nursing home admissions process and limit their potential liability from non-paying individuals. Mr. Nussbaum, for the past several years, has been a mentor in the New York Law School Elder Law Clinic.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Nussbaum began his career as a prosecutor in the Bronx County District Attorney's office and later was a partner in a Long Island law firm.
He is admitted to practice in New York State as well as the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Elder Law Section, and Guardianship Committee. He also is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Mr. Nussbaum is a graduate of Cornell University (B.S, 1987) and of Hofstra University School of Law (J.D. 1990).
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Associate / New York
- Associate in
Daniel Ash is an associate in SSRGA's litigation department focusing on complex commercial and real estate litigation. Daniel was formerly an associate at Amini LLC, where he represented clients in a broad range of complex commercial disputes.
Daniel graduated from Fordham University School of Law in May 2021, receiving the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award at graduation. While in law school, Daniel was a member of the Federal Litigation Clinic, where he represented clients in both civil and criminal matters. Daniel also served as an Associate Editor for the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal and was a member of the Trial Advocacy Team.
Prior to attending law school, Daniel worked as a Legislative Assistant for the New York State Assembly.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
David M. Alin, is a partner of the firm's real estate practice. Mr. Alin has extensive experience in many disciplines within commercial real estate, including acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing and lending transactions on behalf of borrowers. His real estate practice is both national and local in scope.
Mr. Alin's experience includes representing owners, investors and developers in acquisitions and dispositions of office buildings and other commercial properties such as shopping malls, restaurants, athletic facilities and manufacturing plants. He has negotiated office, retail, commercial, agricultural and solar leases, both from the landlord and tenant side. In addition, Mr. Alin has deep experience representing real estate companies, funds and other entities as borrowers in various types of financings, including CMBS loans.
Prior to joining SSRGA, Mr. Alin was a partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. and previously worked at Proskauer Rose LLP. Mr. Alin was also a partner at Rosenthal & Schanfield, PC, and prior to that worked at Laser, Schostok, Kolman & Frank, both Chicago based law firms.
Mr. Alin is admitted to practice law in New York and Illinois (inactive status). He received his Bachelor of Arts from Duke University and his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Debra M. Schoenberg is a partner to the firm. She represents clients in general and real estate related litigation, with a focus on cooperative and condominium litigation.
Ms. Schoenberg also provides general counseling to cooperatives and condominium boards, managing agents, and various others with interests in real property. Ms. Schoenberg is an experienced litigator of cases involving a broad range of real estate and general commercial matters at the trial and appellate levels, as well as in arbitration and mediation forums. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Schoenberg was an associate at Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP.
Ms. Schoenberg's reported cases include Ahead Realty LLC and PJ Associates Inc. v. India House, Inc., et al. (Appellate Division affirmed dismissal of complaint by licensee and its affiliate under food services agreement against licensor and licensor's board members for tortious interference with contract, unfair competition, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, declaratory judgement, injunctive relief and breach of contract and denial licensee's motion for preliminary injunction to toll time to cure default under said agreement); PJ Associates Inc. v. India House, Inc. (Appellate Division affirmed dismissal of licensee's complaint and licensor under food services agreement to reform contract between the parties on the grounds that there was no mutual mistake or fraud); Constantiner v. Sovereign Apartments, Inc., et al. (Appellate Division affirmed granting of a protective order prohibiting destructive testing and creating artificial conditions for sound testing in connection with a noise dispute between neighboring shareholders in a cooperative apartment building); In re Reiner Kaiser v. Station Square Inn Apartments Corp. (Appellate Division affirmed denial of sponsor's motion to permanently stay arbitration between sponsor and apartment corporation on the grounds that matters relating to shared expenses of the property and accounting issues fall within the board arbitration clause in the possessory agreement between the parties).
Ms. Schoenberg received her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from the State University at Albany in 1996 with a major in political science, and her law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2000. While at Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Schoenberg served as an Articles Editor of the Brooklyn Law Review and served as an intern for the Honorable Frederic Block, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Ms. Schoenberg is admitted to the bar of the State of New York and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Matrimonial Committees of the Nassau County Bar Association
- Partner / New York
Dina has 28 years of experience as an attorney and mediator in her own boutique law practice focusing exclusively on Divorce, Family Law, and Mediation. She is a tenacious advocate and problem solver for her clients both inside and outside the courtroom. Clients choose Dina to be their lawyer because she is solution-based, keeps her focus on their objectives and attempts to avoid protracted and unnecessary litigation.
Dina combines her extensive knowledge of the law and experience as a litigator with her training as a mediator to help craft innovative approaches and solutions to bring the parties to resolution without the cost, time, and emotional toll of lengthy litigation.
Dina is a member of the matrimonial committees of the Nassau County Bar Association, the Family Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, and the National Association of Divorce Professionals (NADP). Dina serves as a co-director of the Special Needs Chapter of the NADP and volunteers as an Executive Board member of The Nicholas Center and as a Board member of the Art Guild, both not-for-profit organizations located in Port Washington, New York.
For eight years, she also exercised her advocacy experience as a representative for the citizens of Port Washington and Manhasset as Councilwoman for the Town of North Hempstead.
Dina received a bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Fordham University in 1989 with a major in psychology, and her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 1992.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Partner / New York
Eli D. Greenberg is a founding partner of the firm. He advises clients on corporate and business matters. His clients include commercial businesses and entrepreneurs, healthcare providers and not-for-profit organizations. Services to all clients include counsel on the purchase of sale of ownership interests and assets, joint ventures, corporate compliance, partnership agreements and disputes, regulatory compliance, and contract issues.
His healthcare clients include nursing homes, home healthcare agencies, assisted living facilities, and physicians. Specific areas of advice to healthcare clients include government and third party reimbursement disputes, obtaining state and federal licensing, negotiating provider agreements, compliance with HIPAA and anti-kickback and anti-referral prohibitions, and tax-exempt bonds.
His not-for-profit clients include schools, advocacy groups, healthcare providers, private foundations, social services, organizations, publishers, and religious organizations. Specific services to not-for-profits include obtaining tax-exempt status, obtaining real estate tax exemption, and compliance with regulatory requirements. He also assists organizations with applications to, and resolving issues with, the Charities Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office.
Mr. Greenberg has been a lecturer at New York University. A member of the boards of numerous community organizations, Mr. Greenberg is extensively involved in pro-bono matters.
Mr. Greenberg, a magna cum laude graduate of New York University, was a University Scholar and a recipient of the Founders' Day Award. He earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1985.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel
- Senior Counsel / New York
Eric M. Sable is senior counsel at the firm. He concentrates his practice on real estate litigation with an emphasis on landlord/tenant, cooperatives and condominiums.
Job Titles:
- Associate / New York
- First - Year Associate
Jacqueline Bartha joins SSRGA to become a first-year associate in the firm's litigation and transactions practices. Ms. Bartha recently received her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law. Most recently, Ms. Bartha interned with The Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Practice, where she assisted Legal Aid attorneys with discovery preparation and a motion for class certification. She also engaged in legislative advocacy to advance systemic reform of the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Ms. Bartha previously interned with The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and The New York City Department of Social Services.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- in - House Counsel
- Partner / New York
Mr. Roth is a partner at the firm and has private practice experience as well as in-house experience as General Counsel for a privately held company. Mr. Roth's practice focuses on trusts and estates, unclaimed property compliance and asset recovery, and commercial and corporate transactions.
As in-house counsel Mr. Roth regularly counseled his clients on all general corporate matters, including personnel, regulatory compliance and contractual issues. Mr. Roth provided counsel during the sale of a private equity firm-owned portfolio company. Mr. Roth also counseled on multiple aspects of the acquisition and integration of two of the company's largest competitors by performing legal and operational due diligence and implementing best practices across all business segments.
Mr. Roth has been recognized in Court as an expert in genealogical research and has provided expert testimony in kinship hearings.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Partner / New York
Jason B. Atlas is a founding partner of the firm. He specializes in the counseling and representation of nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities, home health care agencies and other manner of health care providers. Mr. Atlas' practice focuses on the management and resolution of receivables, trial and appellate litigation, Medicaid and Medicaid appeals via Administrative Fair Hearings and Article 78 proceedings, Medicare, private insurance, managed care, discharge planning, and regulatory, financial and contractual matters.
Mr. Atlas regularly advises and guides both not-for-profit and proprietary health care facilities and entities to structure and streamline procedures and address and resolve all manner of complex issues that present in the operations of health care clients. He is a frequent lecturer to nursing home and hospital associations as well as private concerns and organizations.
Mr. Atlas is admitted to practice in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as the United States District Courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Mr. Atlas graduated from New York University (B.A. 1993) and from Hofstra University School of Law (J.D. 1996).
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Associate / New York
- Associate in
Jeffrey Gibilaro is an associate in SSRGA's transactional department. Jeff's practice involves the representation of clients in connection with the acquisition and sale of residential and commercial properties with a focus on cooperative and condominium apartments. His practice includes counseling borrowers in real estate financing transactions and assisting with commercial refinances. In addition, Jeff counsels transfer agents and acts as a transfer agent for numerous cooperative apartment corporations. Jeff also advises the firm's cooperative and condominium board members on issues of meeting protocols and the drafting of corporate resolutions and governing documents.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Member of the Board of Directors for the Catalog for Giving
- Partner / New York
Jeffrey M. Schwartz is a founding partner and the managing partner of the firm. Having practiced since 1986 in the real estate area, Mr. Schwartz has extensive experience in transactional work. His real estate practice includes the leasing, financing, acquisition and sale of commercial property, as well as the operation, development, conversion and sale of residential properties. He is also counsel to a significant number of cooperative and condominium buildings throughout the metropolitan area.
In terms of specific transactions, Mr. Schwartz regularly represents sellers and purchasers of commercial properties in the New York metropolitan area and developers in the conversion of occupied, rehabilitated and ground up development sites to condominium ownership. Some of the representative transactions on which he has worked include:
• representation of sellers of industrial sites in the Bronx and Long Island City
• representation of landlords and tenants in leasing transactions in numerous New York City office buildings
• representation of a major advertising agency in the leasing and acquisition of over 100,000 square feet at Columbus Circle
• representation of purchaser of the residential portion (30 floors) of the Woolworth Building
• representation of owners in the conversion of AIR buildings in Soho to condominium ownership
• representation of various New York City Cooperative Corporations in connection with the sale of their retail space, acquisition of fee interests following ground lease expirations, conversions to condominium form of ownership and the sale of shares allocated to areas within the building
• representation of developers in connection with the purchase of transferable development rights (TDR's)
• representation of major retailer in connection with 100,000 plus square foot lease on Fifth Avenue
• representation of sellers and purchasers of office buildings and multi-family dwellings throughout the United States.
Mr. Schwartz has chaired the New York County Lawyer's Associations' symposium on Commercial Leasing and presents annually on Purchase and Sale of Real Estate in New York. He is a member of the Tulane Law School Intersession Faculty where he teaches annually and is also a guest lecturer at the New York University School of Real Estate. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association's Committee on Cooperatives and Condominiums.
Mr. Schwartz is also a current member of the Board of Directors for The Catalog for Giving of New York City.
Mr. Schwartz graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton and cum laude from Tulane Law School. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1987.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Contributor to the Cooperator, Habitat Magazine
- Partner / New York
Jeffrey S. Reich, a founding partner of the firm, concentrates on the practice of real estate law. He represents a diverse group of clients, including real estate developers, lenders, investors, and cooperative and condominium boards.
Mr. Reich is a contributor to The Cooperator, Habitat Magazine and other publications of interest to the New York real estate and co-op and condo communities. In addition, he is a frequent lecturer on a range of topics concerning cooperative and condominium law, speaking to the legal community, real estate professionals, and individual unit owners.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New York
Jennifer Barash is an associate in the firm's real estate department. Her practice area focuses on representing developers, purchasers, sellers and investors in a variety of commercial and residential real estate transactions, including the sale, acquisition, financing and development of commercial, residential and mixed-use properties.
Jennifer has represented both lenders and borrows in the acquisition and financing of commercial, multi-family and hotel properties.
Jennifer received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2009 and received her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 2004.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New York
Jennifer Mikhaylov is an associate in the firm's Trusts and Estates department, where she concentrates her practice on estate and tax planning, as well as estate and trust administration. Prior to joining the firm, Jennifer was an associate at a boutique law firm and focused on domestic and international trust and estate planning for businesses and high-net worth individuals and their families.
Jennifer graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2023 as a New York Pro Bono Scholar. She is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Jeremy A. Knapp is a partner in the firm's Health Care Department. He concentrates on representing health care providers throughout New York State to seek continuity of payment and reimbursement through litigation, guardianship, and other means.
Prior to joining SSRGA, Mr. Knapp worked for the New York City Human Resources Administration practicing Medicaid law, liens and recovery, guardianship, and child support litigation on behalf of the agency. Mr. Knapp is admitted to practice law in New York and Massachusetts as well as in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. He is a graduate of the State University of New York College at Brockport (B.S., 2002) and Syracuse University College of Law (J.D., 2005).
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel
- Senior Counsel / New York
Jessica R. Furgiuele is senior counsel at the firm. Ms. Furgiuele's practice focuses on representing developers, purchasers, sellers and investors in a variety of commercial and residential real estate transactions, including the sale, acquisition, financing and development of commercial and residential properties.
Ms. Furgiuele received her law degree in 2012 from Fordham Law School, where she served as a Staff Member for the Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law and received the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award for her participation in the Housing Rights Clinic. Ms. Furgiuele received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 2008.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Joel Feldman has been practicing law in Boca Raton for over 40 years.
He is an honors graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, with a degree in Government. He got his law degree from Duke University. Joel is currently of counsel in the firm's family law practice.
Joel's practice is almost exclusively in the area of family law. He is certified in collaborative law and has served as mediator in divorce cases, arbitrator in attorney fee disputes and has testified as an expert in the areas of family law charging liens and attorney's fees. He is rated "AV" and "Preeminent in Family Law", continues to be rated "Super Lawyer" in the area of family law, and has been named among the top one percent of family lawyers in South Florida by the Top Attorneys and Accountants Association of South Florida. He is also a member of the National Association of Family Courts & Conciliation, which focuses on divorce resolution as a means to allay the impact of divorce on children, and the Florida Association of Collaborative Professionals.
Joel was a founding member of Johnson, Ritchey & Feldman, P.A.. The firm focused on all aspects of family law, including dissolutions of marriage, post-divorce modifications and enforcement, relocation of parents and their children, preparation and negotiation of premarital and post marital agreements, and collaborative family law.
Prior to creating this partnership, Joel was a partner in Feldman & Schneiderman, which began in 1999 when he and his then-law partner purchased a building on Camino Gardens Boulevard. Joel sold that building as part of his merger with Johnson & Ritchey.
Joel has an extensive background in community activism and charitable work. He served two terms as President of Florence Fuller Child Development Centers in Boca Raton, served as Vice-Chairperson of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County and has received multiple Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards from the Florida Supreme Court and from the Palm Beach County Legal Aid Society. He currently is a member of the Board of Governors of Georgetown University Alumni Association and travels frequently to Washington, DC for University tasks and events. He is also a member of the DC Bar. He and his wife are active supporters of the Florida Atlantic University Athletic Department and FAU Foundation.
Joel has been married for 31 years to Cheryl Wilke, a labor and employment attorney. They have no children but are the proud parents of 4 cats and 2 dogs.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Senior Associate / Florida
Jonathan Mann is an associate in the firm's appellate department. Prior to joining SSRGA, Mann was a Senior Associate at Bresky Law in Boca Raton, FL. Mann worked as a judicial staff attorney to the Honorable George A. Shahood at Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeal. In this role, Mann managed civil and criminal appeals and gained extensive experience in the appellate process and procedural rules.
In addition to his appellate experience, Mann gained significant trial-level experience working as a judicial staff attorney to U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann E. Vitunac at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He managed an active case docket with a variety of federal civil and criminal cases, analyzed arguments and researched issues of law and drafted orders for the court.
Mann applies the immeasurable insight he gained as a staff attorney to judges in the state appellate and federal district courts to every case. He has taken cases through the entire appeal process, from the notice of appeal to briefing, oral argument and post-appellate proceedings in the trial court following a favorable appellate court result.
Mann is board certified by the Florida Bar in Appellate Practice. Certification is the Florida Bar's highest level of evaluation of competency and experience within an area of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. Mann is a member of the South Palm Beach County Bar Association, where he formerly served on the Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Section.
Mann also is a member of the Bar of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Mann has volunteered substantial time and effort to pro bono appeals for the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County and has been recognized by the Supreme Court of Florida for his pro bono work. Mann received his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, graduating cum laude and Order of the Coif. He graduated from the University of Michigan, with distinction, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature. Mann is admitted to practice in the state courts of Michigan, Florida and Illinois. He is also admitted to practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the American Bar Association
- Partner / New York
Kelly A. Kulak is a partner in the firm's Real Estate Department. Her practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition, financing, development, leasing, and sale of commercial property, including office buildings, hotels, mixed use properties and shopping centers.
Her practice is diverse, extending from the creation of condominiums to the sale, acquisition, development, financing, and refinancing of office buildings, residential buildings, mixed-use properties, and hotels in Manhattan and the surrounding Tri-State Area, and retail and office leasing for building owners and tenants. Ms. Kulak also has experience counseling clients in loan work-outs and restructurings.
Prior to joining the Firm, Kelly was of Counsel at Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP, and an associate at Morrison Cohen LLP and Cole Schotz P.C.; where she obtained extensive experience representing developers, building owners, and national big box retailers in acquisitions, ground leases and sales.
Ms. Kulak is a member of the American Bar Association. Ms Kulak has been selected to Super Lawyers from 2013 through 2021.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New York
Kristen A. Watts is an associate in the firm's real estate department. Ms. Watts has expertise in residential and commercial real estate transactions including the sale, purchase, and leasing of commercial and residential properties.
Ms. Watts is a graduate of University of Miami (BS. Ed., 2014), Brooklyn Law School (J.D. 2017) and is currently pursuing an LL.M. in Real Estate at Fordham University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and New Jersey.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Associate / New York
- Associate in
Madison Kelley is an associate in SSRGA's litigation department, where she concentrates her practice on commercial and real estate litigation. Madison is a versatile litigator who represents clients in a wide array of business and commercial disputes.
Madison received her law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2020, where she competed in the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition and served as a member of the Brooklyn Law School Moot Court Honor Society Executive Board. Madison received her undergraduate degree in business administration from Loyola University Maryland in 2016.
Madison is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and New Jersey, the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York, and the District of New Jersey.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner / New York
- Partner of the Firm, Concentrates Her Practice in the Areas of Condominium and Cooperative Law and Real Estate Transactions.
Margery N. Weinstein, a partner of the firm, concentrates her practice in the areas of condominium and cooperative law and real estate transactions.
Ms. Weinstein handles a wide variety of issues related to condominium associations and cooperative corporations. She counsels boards in connection with general corporate governance issues, owner and resident disputes, underlying mortgage financings, leasing of commercial space, construction contracts, access and easement agreements with neighboring buildings, the issuance and sale of previously unissued shares, and the licensing of roof areas, hallways and other common space.
Her transactional practice is focused on assisting high net-worth individuals, both foreign and domestic, in the acquisition, sale and financing of exceptional residences in New York City, its suburbs, and the Hamptons. She also represents parties involved in the transfer of commercial properties and mixed-use buildings, advises landlords, tenants, and subtenants in residential and commercial leasing transactions, and counsels individuals entering into construction and architect agreements. A number of Ms. Weinstein's significant residential transactions have been featured in The New York Times, Crain's New York, The Real Deal and The East Hampton Star, without attribution, in order to protect the confidentiality of her clients.
Ms. Weinstein has held leadership positions at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, recently serving as Chair of the Association's Committee on Cooperative and Condominium Law as well as Chair of a subcommittee that rewrote the cooperative apartment contract of sale form used throughout the State of New York. She frequently speaks to the legal community at the Association on topics concerning condominium and cooperative law, the fiduciary obligations of board members, and residential conveyances.
Ms. Weinstein is the author of a number of articles published in The New York State Bar Association Journal, The Cooperator and Habitat Magazine. She has been selected, annually, as a "New York Super Lawyer" starting in 2012, and has been listed in "Best Lawyers in America" and "Best Lawyers in New York" each year since 2021 to the present.
Prior to joining the firm as a partner, Ms. Weinstein was a partner at Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer LLP and counsel in the real estate group at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. She is a graduate of The New York University School of Law and of Tufts University, from which she received her degree summa cum laude and where she was elected to the honorary fraternity Phi Beta Kappa.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Partner
- Member of the Association of the Bar
- Partner / New York
Mark C. Silverstein is a partner of the firm. He serves as general counsel to corporations, limited liability companies and other business entities. His clients include a variety of small and medium-sized closely held and family-owned businesses.
As general counsel, Mr. Silverstein advises businesses and business owners on choice of entity, financing, employment and other legal matters that arise on an ongoing basis. In addition, he handles transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions and private placement offerings. Mr. Silverstein also works on commercial litigations applying his background in commercial law and contracts to the analysis of disputed issues and the negotiation and drafting of settlement agreements.
Admitted to the bar in 1984, Mr. Silverstein is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the New York State and American Bar Associations. Mr. Silverstein graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Binghamton (B.S. 1980) and cum laude from New York University School of Law (J.D. 1983). He was awarded the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates, and served as an editor of the Journal of International Law and Politics.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New York
Mark Yosef is an associate in the firm's Health Care Department. Prior to joining the firm, Mark worked in commercial and residential real estate litigation and as an agency attorney for New York City.
Mark is a graduate of New York University (B.A.) and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (J.D.)
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Matthew Kesten is a partner in the firm's matrimonial department with over 38 years of experience representing individuals in all phases of domestic relations matters, including negotiation of pre and post-nuptial agreements and efforts to effectuate an amicable resolution of disputed matrimonial matters. Mr. Kesten is also an experienced litigator and trial attorney, having handled all phases of divorce actions and family court proceedings in which he has helped clients receive equitable distribution of assets, custody of and parenting time with minor children of a marriage or relationship, awards of spousal maintenance and child support, and awards of counsel fees when representing a less-monied spouse or parent.
During his many years of practice, Mr. Kesten has also acquired significant experience in handling and litigating commercial disputes and real-estate related disputes for owners of commercial and residential properties, management companies, and brokerage firms, including landlord-tenant disputes, management issues, and brokerage commission claims. He has also represented lenders and borrowers to arrange mortgage and loan workouts, handled the foreclosure of mortgages and liens, and letter of credit disputes.
Mr. Kesten is admitted to practice law in New York (since 1985), Florida (since 1999), before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York (since 1985) and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (since 1996).
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Special Counsel
- Special Counsel / New York
Matthew N. Tobias is special counsel in the firm's litigation group. He is a veteran civil litigator with over two decades of experience handling a wide variety of real estate and general commercial litigation, including contract and lease disputes, mortgage lien priority disputes, disputes concerning real property and mortgage title defects, disputes concerning the governance and operation of condominiums and cooperatives, disputes concerning access to neighboring properties, construction litigation, and landlord/tenant disputes. Mr. Tobias has a track record of achieving successful results at both the trial and appellate court levels.
In addition, Mr. Tobias has served as general counsel for many condominiums and cooperatives throughout the city, providing guidance on matters of corporate governance, the operations and management of residential buildings, and resident issues. Mr. Tobias previously served for many years on the Board of Directors of his own cooperative, including as President. Thus, he has a keen understanding of the issues involved in managing a cooperative and considers these issues from the perspectives of both an attorney and a Board member.
Mr. Tobias graduated from Cornell University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Communication. He received his Juris Doctor from Fordham University in 2000, where he was a member of the Fordham Law Review.
Representative matters that Mr. Tobias has handled include:
bio
Melissa Rocco is a 2023 graduate of New York Law School who served as President of The Latin American Law Students Association, and Entertainment Chair of The Media, Entertainment, & Fashion Law Association. Ms. Rocco graduated with a certificate from The Center for Real Estate Studies, and at her commencement ceremony she was awarded The Dean's Leadership Award for the Class of 2023.
Ms. Rocco has experience in several types of law including corporate law, real estate, wills, trusts and estates, in-house counsel, sports law, and entertainment law.
Ms. Rocco earned her bachelor's (2019) and master's (2020) degrees from St. John's University in a five-year combined degree program for International Communications, with a focus in Public Relations and Advertising.
Ms. Rocco joins SSRGA to become a first-year associate focusing on trusts & estates. Ms. Rocco is delighted to be working with such professional and highly driven attorneys.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New York
Michael S. Beck is an associate in the firm's litigation group. Michael is an experienced litigator, whose practice focuses primarily on complex commercial and civil litigation in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels. Michael has represented public and private companies, private equity and other investment firms, and high net worth individuals in a wide variety of litigation issues, including real estate matters, contract and business disputes, securities, antitrust, torts and professional malpractice.
Prior to joining SSRGA, Michael was an associate at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP in New York. He also interned for The Honorable Richard M. Berman in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Michael's representative matters from his prior firm include:
• Representing an institution of higher education in a breach of contract involving the opposing party's backing out of a deal to purchase a commercial building in Manhattan after the outset of the pandemic.
• Defending an international businessman in a dispute regarding an alleged oral partnership relating to an arbitrage for private airplanes. After a two-day bench trial and post-trial briefing in the Southern District of New York, Michael's team secured a final judgment in favor of client, rejecting plaintiff's alleged partnership claims.
• Representing member of a closely-held corporation in a dispute over its ownership.
• Representing a lender in a breach of contract dispute with The Royal Bank of Scotland relating to Liverpool Football Club, which was sold to a group led by the owner of the Boston Red Sox
• Defending Teva Pharmaceuticals and its individual directors and officers in defense of one of the largest securities class actions as well as the more than 20 related direct actions, filed on behalf of more than 75 opt-out plaintiffs.
• Defending Teva Pharmaceuticals and its US subsidiary, Actavis, in defending a number of antitrust class actions.
• Representing real estate brokerage in defense of alleged copyright infringement cases related to real estate listings by its agents.
• Representing Hudson Realty Capital in a case involving misconduct in a planned 1,000-acre real estate development in Apex, North Carolina. After filing a complaint seeking redress for defendants' misconduct, Michael's team successfully defeated defendants' motion to move the case to North Carolina, and defendants' motion to dismiss in its entirety.
• Representing an overseas financial institution seeking to enforce the contractual obligations of the servicer in connection with the institution's majority participations in a series of secured loans.
Michael received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 2012 and his Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2015, where he was the Executive Editor of the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal.
He is admitted to practice in the States of New York and New Jersey, and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York as well as the District of New Jersey.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner / New York
Ms. Stern is a former Chair of the Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, and is a member of that Section's Executive Committee. Ms. Stern also Chairs the Committee's Housing Task Force, and Task Force creating a scholarship fund in memory of the Association's deceased former President, Lorraine Power Tharp, and is a member of the Executive Committee's Task Force regarding attorney escrow accounts and a member (and former Co-Chair) of the Section's committee on Not For Profit Entities and Concerns.
Ms. Stern is a former member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York's delegation to the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association, and she is a past Chair of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York's Committee on Real Property Law, as well as a former Secretary of the Association's Committee on Cooperatives and Condominiums.
Ms. Stern was an Adjunct Professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law from 2007 through 2014, where she taught a Real Estate Contract Drafting course. She has lectured for the New York State Bar Association, Practicing Law Institute, the Real Estate Institute of New York University, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and authored numerous articles on a variety of real estate related topics.
Monica Offredi concentrates her practice in all areas of marital and family law, including divorce, distribution of marital assets and liabilities, alimony, child custody (called "timesharing" in Florida), parenting, child support, modifications and enforcement, pre/postnuptial agreements, paternity actions, stepparent adoptions, parental relocation, domestic violence actions, dependency actions and many other family law matters. Monica has extensive experience litigating high-conflict divorces with high-net worth clients with complex financial assets and investments. Monica also handles general civil litigation matters, including partition actions and real property disputes.
In addition, Monica frequently serves as a Guardian ad Litem appointed by the Court in contested matters to advocate for the best interest of the child. She has extensive training and experience handing cases where there have been allegations of abuse, neglect, substance abuse or domestic violence.
Immediately prior to joining SSRGA, Monica served as an associate attorney with the Family & Marital practice group at a statewide litigation firm based in Fort Lauderdale. She also owned and operated her own family law firm for over two years.
Monica began her legal career as an Assistant Regional Counsel for the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel in Broward County, Florida, Dependency Division.
Monica earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Florida International University where she was consistently on the Dean's List. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from Florida Coastal School of Law, where she received the Pro Bono Honors Award. Monica is admitted to practice law in the State of Florida and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Monica is fluent in Spanish.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel
- Senior Counsel / New York
Parag Parekh is senior counsel in the firm's real estate department. Parag represents developers, purchasers, sellers and investors in a variety of commercial and residential real estate transactions, including the development, sale, financing, refinancing, acquisition and leasing of commercial and residential properties, and counsels clients on the registration requirements of the New York State Department of Law, including the preparation and submission of offering plans, amendments and related regulatory filings. Additionally, Parag represents organizations and individuals in preparing and negotiating construction contracts and license agreements. Parag also provides general counseling to the boards and managing agents of the firm's cooperative and condominium clients and prepares corporate and related governing documents on behalf of the cooperative and condominium boards.
Parag is a graduate of Adelphi University (B.A., Psychology, 2006), Pace Law School (J.D. 2009) and Georgetown University Law Center (LL.M., Taxation, 2010) and was admitted to the Bar in Connecticut in 2009 and New York in 2010.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate / New York
Parker Procida is an associate in the firm's Real Estate Department, where she works on both litigation and transactional matters.
Parker received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, where she was a member of the Varsity Field Hockey team. She also received a Masters degree from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Parker is a recent graduate of Fordham University School of Law, where she was an Associate Editor for the Moot Court Board and an Associate Editor for Fordham's Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal.
SSRGA zealously represented our building in several major litigations and obtained a phenomenal result every time. I was kept informed every step of the way and was involved in all decision making which created an effective collaborative approach. SSRGA has the kinds of lawyers everyone needs.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / Florida
Job Titles:
- Senior Counsel / New York
Job Titles:
- Associate / New York / Health Care
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / New York