Alumni | CLASS NOTES

ClassNotes

Hon. Louis R. Rosenthal, former acting New York State Supreme Court justice and deputy supervising judge in Kings County Criminal Court, was honored by the New York State Fraternal Order of Police in October for his years of public service. He is also a past president of the Brooklyn Law School Alumni Association.

Jeffrey D. Forchelli, a member of Brooklyn Law School’s Board of Trustees and the chair and co-managing partner of Forchelli Deegan Terrana, was selected to the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers list. Forchelli chairs the firm’s land use and zoning practice group and co-chairs its real estate practice group. He was also selected by his peers for inclusion in the 30th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for land use and zoning law, as he has been annually since 2018.

Paul Kerzner was honored for a lifetime of community service in Ridgewood, Queens, by the Ridgewood Property Owners & Civic Association. He served for more than 50 years on Community Board 5, including the neighborhoods of Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, and Ridgewood.

Howard Kopel, who has served as the Nassau County Legislature’s deputy presiding officer since 2018, was sworn in as the presiding officer on Jan. 5. The owner of a national title insurance and settlement business in Valley Stream, N.Y., Kopel began his political career in 2010. In November, he was re-elected to his eighth term representing the 7th Legislative District, including the Five Towns area.

Mark A. Harmon joins Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi as of counsel in the firm’s litigation group. He brings experience representing stock transfer agents, including advising clients with respect to compliance with securities laws, defending claims in judicial proceedings, and appearing before the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Hon. John M. Leventhal, former associate justice of New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, was honored by the New York State Fraternal Order of Police in October for his years of public service.

Hon. Donald S. Kurtz, a recently retired New York State Supreme Court justice in Kings County, joined National Arbitration and Mediation as a neutral. He spent 18 years presiding over the jury coordinating and city trial readiness parts of the court, where he oversaw the entire roster of trial-ready civil cases and successfully negotiated and settled tens of thousands of cases.

RoseAnn Branda was named to the New York Super Lawyers list in October, an honor she has received each year since 2007. Branda is an executive partner and director of the family and matrimonial law department of Brooklyn-based Abrams Fensterman.

Stacy J. Kanter was elected as a director of Oppenheimer Holdings, the New York-based investment banking company, in October. Kanter practiced law for more than 30 years with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where she was a partner from 1993 until December 2018 and head of the firm’s global capital markets practice from 2009 until December 2018. She was of counsel from January 2019 until May 2019.

Hon. Bernard J. Graham celebrated his induction as a Kings County Surrogate Court judge at Brooklyn Law School in January. Previously, Graham served as a New York State judge for 17 years, first as an elected Civil Court judge, then as a Family Court judge, and finally as a New York State Supreme Court justice.

Irene Moshouris was appointed to the board of directors and audit committee of Summit Materials, a Denver-based market-leading producer of aggregates and cement. Moshouris was previously senior vice president and treasurer at United Rentals for 17 years, before retiring in 2023. During her tenure, she played a key executive role helping to complete approximately 25 acquisitions that transformed the company into a leading mega-cap industrials entity. Previously, she served in finance management roles with Avon Products and GTE Corp.

New York State Chief Deputy Inspector General Lynn Tabbott has retired from the Offices of the Inspector General. She spent more than 20 years as a prosecutor, having worked in the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and Kings County District Attorney’s Office. In addition to her experience as a public servant, Tabbott worked in the private sector practicing family law and criminal defense. She also served as a local court justice where she presided over criminal and civil matters. Read the full article.

Ethan Gerber was named to the New York Super Lawyers list in October. Gerber is an executive partner at Abrams Fensterman, where he is the director of the transportation industry and alternative insurance departments.

Debra Leone was named staff attorney and associate general counsel at Hudson Valley Credit Union, where she is responsible for overseeing the credit union’s legal strategies, including the development and implementation of new legal practices, risk evaluation, and regulatory support to the credit union’s compliance team.

Andrew Silverstein has joined Greenberg Traurig as shareholder in the New York office of the firm after more than two decades on the banking and restructuring team at Seward & Kissel. His practice focuses primarily on corporate finance, structured finance, and asset securitization.

Andrea Bonina, a partner in the Brooklyn-based firm Bonina & Bonina, was given the Distinguished Service Award at the Brooklyn Bar Association Awards in October.

David M. Grill was named to the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers list for construction law in September. Grill is a partner at Rivkin Radler and dedicates his practice to representing the interests of major real estate owners, developers, and contractors in complex commercial, construction, surety, lien law, and property litigation.

Alison Radecki joined Norton Rose Fulbright in its New York office as partner, bringing more than two decades of experience helping issuers and not-for-profit institutions access the municipal bond market in the healthcare, cultural institution, higher education, and charter school arenas.

Michael Schwab was elevated to partner at Moritt Hock & Hamroff, where he focuses on all facets of intellectual property and licensing matters. He specializes in trademark and copyright counseling, litigation, and counseling on regulatory and other issues in the beverage, alcohol, dietary supplement, and food industries.

Hon. Joseph A. Capella was appointed as the new administrative judge for civil matters in New York State Supreme Court, Bronx County. Previously, he presided in the court’s medical malpractice part.

Julie F. Kay, human rights attorney, activist, and author, appeared on MSNBC on Jan. 22 to discuss abortion on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Kay is co-author along with Kathryn Kolbert of the book Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom.

Kenneth C. Murphy was named to the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers list in September. Murphy is a partner at Rivkin Radler, where his primary practice areas are civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense.

Joseph Brasile joins Akerman in its New York office as a partner in the firm’s real estate practice. Brasile focuses his practice on complex commercial real estate transactions for owners, developers, institutional and private lenders, borrowers, landlords, and tenants.

Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme was elevated to co-chair of the intellectual property (IP) group at Pryor Cashman. She is also co-chair of the fashion group and a member of the litigation and media and entertainment groups.

Vikram “Vik” Masson, a discovery attorney, was named partner at Redgrave, where he will lead and develop its review offering, Redgrave Review and Analytics.

Steven Meiner was elected as Miami Beach’s mayor in November, after serving as the city’s Group 4 commissioner since 2019. Meiner previously spent 20 years as an attorney. Since moving to Miami Beach in 2007, he was a civil law enforcement attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to that, he practiced law in New York City, managing complex financial litigation cases for Dewey Ballantine and Mayer Brown.

Robert Auritt was named to the Hollywood Reporter’s Power Lawyers 2023: New York’s Top 25 Entertainment Attorneys list. Auritt is a partner at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard, practicing at the intersection of the sports, entertainment, and technology industries. He has more than 25 years of experience working on a wide array of business transactions inside major sports, esports, music, and media organizations, as well as in law firms.

Javier Bucobo was appointed vice president of regulatory and market affairs for Avangrid, the U.S. subsidiary of Iberdrola, a multinational electric utility company based in Spain. Bucobo oversees market strategy and community engagement in all Avangrid’s U.S. markets.

Renee Turner Gregory was honored at the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association’s membership party in December. A longtime staffer at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Gregory was preparing to retire from her position as chief diversity officer when the award was presented.

Charles N. Curlett, Jr., was appointed chief operating officer of the investment research and publishing firm MarketWise in November. Previously, he was the founder and managing member of the law firm Curlett, where he served as outside general counsel to Porter & Co.

Robert M. Hirsh has joined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in bankruptcy and restructuring, based in the New York office. Hirsh focuses his practice on debtor-in-possession financing, exit financing, and distressed and special situation financing with substantial experience in Chapter 11 proceedings.

Jenifer B. Minsky was promoted to special counsel at Peckar & Abramson, where she regularly assists contractors in managing significant construction contract risks. She has extensive experience reviewing contracts and litigating construction disputes, and is recognized by Best Lawyers.

Russell M. Wolfson joined Venable as a partner in the firm’s construction law group in its New York office. He advises on commercial real estate projects, with a heavy emphasis on construction and development, and pairs his skills as a seasoned litigator with his transactional experience.

Johanna Schmitt, who specializes in intellectual property, has joined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in the New York office, focusing on trademark, trade dress, domain name, copyright, false advertising, licensing, and contract issues.

Joshua S. Bauchner joined Mandelbaum Barrett as chair of its expanded cannabis and psychedelics practice group and a partner in its litigation practice group in October, based in the Roseland, N.J., office. He counsels investors, entrepreneurs, growers, distributors, and retailers on the growing body of legal, regulatory, and business issues impacting the production, sale, and use of controlled substances such as cannabis and psychedelics.

Jill Goffer joined Meister Seelig & Fein as partner in the firm’s matrimonial and family law group in January, bringing experience in high-net-worth cases.

Jaime Lathrop was given a certificate of appreciation after he gave a lecture titled, “The Do’s and Don’ts of Letters of Engagement” at a continuing legal education meeting of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association held in November. Lathrop, a trustee at the Brooklyn Bar Association who is known for his commitment to the rights of individuals and small businesses, emphasized the importance of clear communication between lawyers and clients during the discussion, the Brooklyn Eagle reported.

Sarah Mack joined Pacifica Law Group as a partner in the Seattle-based firm’s school districts practice group in October. Mack previously spent five years as in-house general counsel for Everett Public Schools, where she provided legal advice and assistance to administrators, the superintendent, and the school board regarding legal affairs, risk management, contracts, and board policies and procedures.

Grace Bonilla, who was named president and CEO of United Way of New York City in 2022, was inducted into the City Limits’ Gala Hall of Fame in October. She has spent her career working to meet the needs of the city’s most vulnerable residents, via both the government and nonprofit sectors. Previously, she served as senior vice president for Latin America at Covenant House International.

Christopher Gorman joined Rosenberg & Estis as a member of its litigation department in November. Gorman concentrates his practice on all phases of complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts with a focus on foreclosure actions.

Douglas W. Atkins, a partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana who concentrates his practice in the specialty area of property tax refund and reduction, commonly known as tax certiorari, was selected to the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers list.

Bain Robert Loucks was named partner by Hudson Valley law firm Feldman, Kleidman, Collins & Sappe. Loucks specializes in medical malpractice and personal injury cases.

Jennifer Marines, vice chair of Morrison Foerster, was recognized as one of the 15 Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers of 2023 by Turnarounds & Workouts, a news magazine for corporate restructuring professionals.

Paul Reinitz was named one of the 50 most influential people in IP for 2023 by Managing IP. Reinitz is director of advocacy and U.S. legal operations counsel at Getty Images, which has been “something of a trailblazer in seeking to hold generative artificial intelligence platforms accountable for misappropriating copyrighted works of others,” the publication notes.

Rachel Rhein Zarghami was promoted from private client attorney to principal at Cummings & Lockwood in January. Based in the firm’s Stamford, Conn., office, she focuses her practice on estate and tax planning.

James Attonito joined Arnold & Porter as a partner in the corporate and finance group in its New York office. He advises public and private company clients operating in the food and beverage, manufacturing, technology, healthcare, and real estate industries on corporate transactional matters.

Daniel Finnegan was promoted to partner at Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, which he joined in 2020. Finnegan will continue to focus on intellectual property matters, specifically patent prosecution.

Excylyn J. Hardin-Smith was elevated to principal at Fish & Richardson, where she concentrates her practice on patent litigation and trade secret misappropriation. She has experience in the fields of financial services, computer software, and health and life sciences, and maintains an active pro bono practice focused on criminal justice, employment law, and civil rights.

Kathryn Lundy joined Venable in its New York office as a partner in its labor and employment group, bringing experience as a litigator and management-side labor and employer attorney who litigates high-stakes disputes, including sexual harassment and discrimination, wage and hour violations, breach of contract, and restrictive covenants.

Lauren N. Spitser was named partner in Riker Danzig’s trusts and estates group in January, after serving as counsel at the Morristown, N.J.-based firm since 2019. She focuses her practice on all aspects of estate planning, estate administration, and related tax issues.

Jackie A. Wells has joined McGuire Woods as part of the firm’s securities enforcement and regulatory counseling practice. She joined the firm after serving as a director in the enforcement department of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Wells counsels companies and individuals in the financial services sector, including broker-dealers and investment advisers, in securities regulatory compliance and enforcement matters.

Benjamin Battles was appointed as Vermont Superior Court Judge by Governor Phil Scott in November.

Nicole S. Forchelli, a partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana who concentrates her practice in tax certiorari and municipal law, was selected to the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers list. Currently, her tax certiorari practice includes representing two national Fortune 500 companies, and other large-scale commercial clients. Prior to joining the firm, she was a trial attorney in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

Valerie Ben-Or was named of counsel in February at Greenberg Traurig, where she is a transactional attorney representing corporations and investment management firms on a wide range of corporate matters and transactions. She focuses on mergers, acquisitions, venture capital transactions, strategic investments and divestments, equity financing, corporate restructurings, and general corporate matters. Previously, she was counsel at Hughes Hubbard & Reed.

Jeremy Finkelstein has joined Dorsey & Whitney as a partner in the finance and restructuring group in New York City. Finkelstein focuses his practice on representing corporate trust and banking institutions as indenture trustees and agents in connection with domestic and cross-border debt capital markets transactions.

Oksana Lashko joined Morrison Foerster as a partner in its business restructuring and insolvency group in the transactions department, based in the New York office. Lashko brings over 15 years of corporate restructuring and bankruptcy experience to the firm, representing debtors, creditors, official and ad hoc committees, and other significant parties-in-interest in a broad range of matters, including Chapter 11 cases, out-of-court restructurings, cross-border insolvency matters, bankruptcy-related acquisitions, and insolvency-sensitive transactions and investments.

Melissa Rivero has authored a new novel, Flores and Miss Paula, in which she captures the friction and love between Flores, a young Peruvian woman, and her mother, Miss Paula. It has landed on several lists of must-read books for the end of 2023, was featured in Shondaland.com, and was a recommended book by the Washington Post, Today, Sunset Magazine, Country Living, and Good Housekeeping. Her first book, The Affairs of the Falcóns, won the 2019 New American Voices Award.

Andrew T. Hambelton was appointed co-practice group leader of the general litigation group at Blank Rome in January. Hambelton joined Blank Rome in 2010 as a litigation associate and was elevated to partner in 2019. He concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts nationwide and before arbitration panels.

Adam Kalish was named president of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association in October. Kalish operates his own practice, the Law Firm of Adam Kalish, where he focuses on commercial litigation and real estate law. He is also recognized for his dedication to pro bono work.

Evan Katin-Borland was promoted to partner at Kreindler & Kreindler in September. Katin-Borland, who has practiced aviation law with the firm since 2012, specializes in litigating complex products liability cases and has been a driving force in litigation arising from the airplane crash of UPS Flight 1354, as well as the crash of a TMB 900 private aircraft that claimed the lives of prominent Rochester real estate developer Larry Glazer and his wife and fellow entrepreneur Jane Glazer.

Christopher R. O’Brien was promoted to director at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox, where he is a member of the firm’s electronics practice group and focuses on intellectual property law, including patent litigation.

Steven Silverberg, a litigator who focuses on federal court matters as counsel at Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney, was named a Rising Star by the New York Law Journal in October. The award honors the region’s most promising lawyers under 40.

Sparkle L. Sooknanan was nominated by President Joe Biden as a judicial nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She has been the principal deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division since 2023. She previously served as a deputy associate attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice from 2021 to 2023, after first working in the department as an appellate attorney in the civil division from 2012 to 2013. From 2014 to 2021, Sooknanan worked in private practice at Jones Day, becoming a partner at the firm in 2020. Prior to that, she served as a law clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2013 to 2014, for Judge Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2011 to 2012, and for Judge Eric N. Vitaliano on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York from 2010 to 2011. Read the full article.

Lisa M. Casa, a partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana in the firm’s employment and labor practice group, was selected for the first time to the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers list. She concentrates her practice in the areas of employment and labor law, sexual harassment and discrimination law, overtime and failure to pay wages law, union/management issues, and litigation.

Paul Cossu, a partner in Pryor Cashman’s art law group, joined the Law School as an adjunct professor in the Spring 2024 semester, teaching the Art Law Seminar.

Ashley Iodice was named a Rising Star by the New York Law Journal in October. Iodice is chief of staff for the New York City Law Department as well as a board member of the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association and a member of the Caribbean American Lawyers Association.

Noah Levine was appointed director of Iron Road Partners, a regulatory consulting firm based in New York, in January. Previously, Levine was a managing director and senior compliance counsel for global alternative investment manager Angelo, Gordon & Co., where he was responsible for its real estate private equity, net lease, and direct lending business line.

Eleonora Yonge, who is vice president and assistant general counsel at financial advisor firm LPL Financial, was selected as its 2024 fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. As a fellow, she will learn about the essential role those with diverse backgrounds play in contributing to corporate success, experience unique professional and personal development opportunities, and gain relationship-building resources and leadership training.

Xiu Ming “Lily” Gao was elevated to special counsel at Duane Morris, where she focuses her practice in community development finance, tax credit investing, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions.

Nidhi M. Geevarghese became a partner at O’Melveny in December 2023. Her practice focuses on debt financing matters on behalf of clients, including private equity sponsors, banks, public and private borrowers, and investment funds, among others.

Elizabeth Guidi joined Kilpatrick as a partner and a member of its expanded employee benefits and tax team in the firm’s corporate, finance, and real estate department. Guidi focuses her practice on the U.S. tax aspects of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions and private equity fund formation. She was previously a partner at Dechert.

Wendy LaManque was appointed to Pryor Cashman’s labor and employment group. She joined the firm from the American Guild of Musical Artists, where she was counsel and director of organizational compliance. LaManque focuses her practice on collective bargaining, discrimination and harassment, labor management relations, and general advisory services with a particular focus on healthcare professionals. Throughout her career, LaManque has also provided representation and advice to labor organizations, individual employees, and employers across various industries, including live entertainment, air travel, healthcare, public housing, and the U.S. Postal Service.

Matthew Marcus was elevated to counsel at Pryor Cashman, where as a member of the family law group, his practice focuses on litigating and untangling complex matrimonial disputes involving equitable distribution, custody, visitation, child support, and spousal support.

Danielle Molinaro was appointed to the board of directors of Friends of the Heights, the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective serving Boston College student-athletes. Molinaro, who is also a 2010 graduate of Boston College, currently serves as vice president of business and legal affairs at Excel Sports Management and has more than a decade of experience as a sports and entertainment attorney, negotiating “off the field” endorsement, marketing, and content deals for athletes.

Jennifer Montoya has joined matrimonial boutique law firm Krauss Shaknes Tallentire & Messeri as an associate in New York. A certified divorce financial analyst and trained mediator, Montoya has focused her practice exclusively on matrimonial and family law matters for more than 10 years. In Law School, she was a member of the Uncontested Divorce Project for Battered Women and Indigent Clients.

Kevin Cooper was named partner at Carella Byrne Cecchi Brody Agnello in January. He represents consumers and investors in complex commercial litigation, with a particular focus on representing institutional and individual investors in securities class actions.

Jacqueline N. Roman joined Goldberg Segalla’s commercial litigation and arbitration group as an associate in Garden City, N.Y. Previously with Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas in New York, Roman is an experienced litigator representing a range of clients in business and commercial matters, including high-value real estate and complex commercial disputes involving breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud.

David Craft joined the real estate practice group of Albany, N.Y.-based Whiteman Osterman & Hanna in September as an associate representing public, not-for-profit, and private entities in real estate and development, with an emphasis on acquisition, financing, development, leasing, and disposition of commercial and corporate real property, including the preparation and negotiations of all transactional documents.

Joshua Greenberg was elevated to counsel at Pryor Cashman, where he is a member of the media and entertainment group and the digital media, media and entertainment transactions and financing, film, TV and podcast, and trademark practices. He focuses on intellectual property, business, and commercial transactional law in the digital media, entertainment, and technology industries.

Jill Martin Diaz (previously Jill Rudge) was named the first executive director of the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (VAAP) in Burlington, Vt. VAAP is a statewide organization that recruits, trains, and mentors lawyers and lay advocates to provide humanitarian status seekers in Vermont with no-cost legal services and support. Previously, Martin Diaz taught doctrinal and clinical immigration law at Vermont Law and Graduate School and directed the school’s Center for Justice Reform Clinic. The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association recognized Martin Diaz’s achievements by honoring them as one of 2023’s Top 40 Lawyers Under 40.

Ariela Moskowitz, an associate at entertainment law firm Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver & Thompson, appeared on the Jason Ingber Podcast episode “Revealing Dirty Secrets of Netflix,” offering her perspective on the Hollywood strikes, who the real industry players are, and the future of Hollywood.

Nicole Khalouian was named associate at Stinson, where she is part of the litigation associates group in the firm’s New York office. Previously, Khalouian served as a commercial litigation associate at a New York City law firm in addition to serving as a law clerk for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division.

Clint Carlisle joined the Delaware-based law firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell’s bankruptcy and restructuring practice as an associate in October. His practice includes Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings representing creditors and other parties in interest.

Madison Smiley joined the music copyright firm Alter, Kendrick & Baron as an associate in September. She focuses on major music acquisition deals and other complex transactions. She had previously launched her legal career at Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Jared Gershowitz was named assistant corporation counsel (ACC) as part of the new class of ACCs announced by New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix in September. The class was recruited from 32 different law schools across the country. Gershowitz will specialize in tort law in providing legal representation to the city.

Siya Saggi joined Goldberg Segalla’s workers’ compensation group in New York, where she focuses her practice on representing employers, insurers, and third-party administrators in all aspects of workers’ compensation claims.

Hayley Bork, who was Class of 2023 valedictorian, is clerking for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. This coming fall, she will be clerking for a district judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Amanda D’Aniello was named assistant corporation counsel (ACC) as part of the new class of ACCs announced by New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix in September. The class was recruited from 32 different law schools across the country. D’Aniello will specialize in tort law in providing legal representation to the city.

Daniel Gavin was appointed assistant district attorney (ADA) in September and was one of 40 new ADAs named by Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.

Jason R. Isaacs was appointed assistant district attorney (ADA) in September and was one of 40 new ADAs named by Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.

Julia Lee has joined McLaughlin & Stern as an associate in the firm’s expanding trusts and estates practice based in the New York City office.

Alexandra Maron was named assistant corporation counsel (ACC) as part of the new class of ACCs announced by New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix in September. The class was recruited from 32 different law schools across the country. Maron will specialize in tort law and in providing legal representation to the city.

Andrew Wilson was appointed assistant district attorney (ADA) in September and was one of 40 new ADAs named by Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.

YourClassNetwork