BORTSTEIN LEGAL GROUP - Key Persons
Alan Clarke has extensive experience negotiating complex commercial and technology transactions both as an in-house and law firm attorney. Throughout his legal career, Alan has excelled advising clients in a broad array of industries on matters related to technology, outsourcing, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, data security, equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution, and corporate governance.
In the technology space, Alan has negotiated and structured a variety of major software licenses, patent licenses, and agreements related to software-as-a-service (SaaS), managed services, professional services, and maintenance and support agreements with major technology vendors both nationally and internationally. Alan works closely with clients to deliver practical and effective legal solutions to complex business problems and has delivered numerous seminars on risk management and contract negotiation.
Alan earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he served on the Civil-Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, and earned his Bachelor of Arts from Morehouse College. Prior to joining BLG, Alan served as the Senior Associate Director of Technology Transactions and as an Associate Attorney in Harvard University's Office of the General Counsel and Office of Technology Development, respectively. Alan began his law career at Choate, Hall & Stewart, LLP in Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked in the Business & Technology and Private Equity departments. He also previously served as an associate at Foley & Lardner LLP.
Anna Costanza Casonato combines determination with excellent problem-solving and analysis skills to advise clients on contractual and regulatory matters. Anna has proven excellent interpersonal skills through various client and people-focused experiences.
Anna studied International Relations at King's College London, taking part in Model United Nations events in New York and at Yale University. Anna studied for the the Graduate Diploma in Law and the LPC at BPP University, London.
During her work experiences she has applied legal expertise to review and draft NDAs, SPAs, DPAs, Supply and Service Agreements. She has commercial law experience and has worked on both contentious and non-contentious matters. She has undertaken tasks from assisting clients with debt financing to managing the data room and documents during asset sale transactions.
Additionally, Anna has conducted regulatory compliance for FinTech companies. During her work experiences, she has been involved with clients from a wide range of industry sectors and multi-jurisdictional transactions.
Anna is fluent in English and Italian, speaks Spanish to an advanced level and is competent in French.
Anna is an accomplished equestrian and has represented Italy in internal showjumping competitions.
Aya Itani is an attorney who specializes in commercial real estate, technology, and other commercial and corporate services transactions.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Partner
Beth Anisman is Managing Partner and the co-founder of Bortstein Legal Group.
Prior to founding BLG, Beth served as the Global Chief Administrative Officer for Legal, Compliance and Audit at Lehman Brothers, following which she served as the Chief Operating Officer for Americas Legal at Barclays Capital. Before assuming her administrative position at Lehman Brothers, she was Senior Real Estate Counsel at Lehman Brothers, which she joined from the Real Estate group at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
In addition to several other philanthropic activities, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services, where she currently co-chairs the Real Estate Committee, and is the former President of the Board of the Shield Institute.
Beth received her JD from the Northwestern University School of Law School, and her BA from Barnard College.
Beth Anisman is Managing Partner and the co-founder of Bortstein Legal Group. In addition to several other philanthropic activities, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Society for Computers
Christian Brundell is a data privacy and technology lawyer with a combination of compliance advisory and transactional expertise, often acting in tandem with in-house teams to provide specialist input on data protection and privacy issues arising in the digital age.
Starting his professional career as a regulatory lawyer at a private equity house with over a billion pounds in assets under management, Christian gained early sector-agnostic experience in data protection and privacy work in addition to advising on financial regulation compliance. Moving into private practice he went on to specialise in non-contentious data privacy, subsequently working on a wide array of compliance projects and transactional matters, including on a global level for some of the world's largest and most well-recognised brands.
During his career Christian has worked with clients operating in virtually all sectors including financial services, technology, consumer brands and products, recruitment, energy and industrial manufacturing. Within that time, he has advised clients on everything from highly publicised professional sports deals and pensions mergers to the use of data in corporate investigations and drone-captured imagery. He has a particular interest in technology-based products and services, data sharing and commoditization. Given his academic background, he also enjoys helping clients with a transatlantic presence.
Christian is a member of the Society for Computers and Law and the International Association of Privacy Professionals. A dual-qualified lawyer, he was first licensed to practise law at the Supreme Court of Tennessee before being admitted to the State Bar of Texas and subsequently being added to the roll as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. He has received degrees from the University of Nottingham School of Law (LL.B) and the University of Texas, School of Law (LLM) in Austin before completing the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law.
Employment History
Bortstein Legal Group, February 2024 to present
Christopher Brence has more than 25 years of experience providing strategic contract negotiation and legal counsel to global technology and financial services firms, including Citigroup, BNY Mellon, and Intel Corporation.
David Cummings is a commercial lawyer with extensive experience representing both vendors and customers in technology service, outsourcing, partnership and procurement arrangements. His practical approach to transactions has been honed by providing legal services in both outside counsel and inside counsel capacities to clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies, to high growth companies, to early-stage startups.
David has advised clients on projects across a broad array of industries, including the technology, financial services, wealth and investment management, digital media and cable television areas. This variety has led him to counsel clients on transactions involving various technology and business models, such as SaaS, IaaS, artificial intelligence and content licensing.
David often deals with IT service, cloud service, reseller, integration, and technology partnership transactions.
David began his career at the Canadian law firm of Gowling Lafleur Henderson (now Gowling WLG), after which time he worked in New York City at the law firms of Schulte Roth & Zabel and Greenberg Traurig. He moved back to Toronto in 2013 to work with the entertainment firm of Stohn Hay Cafazzo Dembroski Richmond LLP. Immediately prior to joining BLG, David had his own legal practice in Toronto, where he focused on technology law.
*David provides legal services through DLC Professional Corporation, based in Ontario, Canada, working in coordination with Bortstein Legal Group to provide cross-border legal services. He is admitted to the bar in New York and Ontario, Canada.
Elissa Feit is a seasoned commercial real estate attorney with extensive knowledge and experience in a wide variety of commercial real estate matters, including property management, retail leasing, acquisitions and sales of commercial cooperatives, condominiums, and retail and office buildings. She has represented landlords and tenants in numerous complex matters, including leasing transactions with national retailers, publicly traded big box retailers, national banks, and major drug chains and specialty chains operating in both free standing buildings and major shopping centers. Elissa has also represented purchasers and sellers in acquisitions and financings of multi-million dollar retail and office properties.
In addition to her career as a law firm attorney, Elissa has worked as in-house counsel to a publicly traded telecommunications company, where she represented the company in a variety of leasing and other premises related matters, and as an in-house attorney at a major bank, where she represented their interests in all premises related agreements, including leases, subleases, licenses and vendor contracts, and retail branch leases.
Elissa received her law degree from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and received her B.A. in economics from Brooklyn College, summa cum laude.
Employment History
Bortstein Legal Group 2016 - Present
James has extensive experience advising clients on a wide variety of technology, procurement and governance matters.
Jemille Gibson is a solicitor advising on commercial contracts and data protection matters.
Judith Clarke is a seasoned attorney with expertise drafting and negotiating a wide variety of technology and commercial agreements, including SaaS, software licensing, app development, master services agreements, outsourcing agreements, terms and conditions, professional services agreements, distribution agreements, and non-disclosure agreements. Having worked as in-house counsel for the majority of her career, Judy has extensive experience advising her clients on contract interpretation, liability issues, data security and privacy, termination rights, fee disputes and audits, and in collaborating cross-functionally with various corporate departments to achieve her clients' goals.
Prior to joining BLG, Judy worked at Canon U.S.A. as Senior Counsel and Adecco Group as Managing Counsel. Judy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Touro Law, where she was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Contracts. Judy has a M.S. in Technical Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a B.A. in English with Honors from Vassar College.
Julian Conway is a lawyer with a broad range of experience advising on commercial contracts, data protection and intellectual property matters.
Julien Criard is a solicitor with extensive experience advising on commercial, technology and procurement matters.
Larry Bortstein is a recognized leader in creating practical solutions for clients' contractual challenges in the areas of information technology, intellectual property licensing, and other commercial transactions.
Maria Mora is an accomplished attorney with extensive knowledge in telecommunications, technology, and commercial transactions.
Matt Johnson is an accomplished technology, outsourcing, and commercial transactions attorney who is recognized for providing comprehensive strategic, legal, and commercial advice to his clients.
Matthew Eichel is an attorney focused on commercial real estate, corporate services and technology transactions.
Matthew's career spans significant experience representing landlords and tenants, including several national retail and financial services companies, in connection with the negotiation, drafting, and review of retail, office, and warehouse leases and related agreements (including, but not limited to, subleases, lease amendments, surrender agreements, estoppel certificates, and subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreements). In addition to his commercial leasing experience, Matthew has assisted clients with various design and construction matters, property management agreements, and corporate services contracts, as well as technology transactions such as software licensing and cloud services agreements, and data privacy and security assessments.
Matthew earned his Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he was a Dean's Distinguished Scholar and served as an Articles Editor on the Cardozo Law Review. Matthew earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Colgate University.
Job Titles:
- Head of Real Estate Practice
Meredith Clair is a seasoned real estate and commercial contracts lawyer with a proven track record of implementing practical solutions for clients.
Philip Gilman is a versatile IP, technology and patent attorney with extensive experience at top NYC law firms and Fortune 500 companies.