R5 The Best Bar None

Legal Eagles

The area’s top lawyers in 21 legal specialties

 

Everybody loves to knock lawyers.

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The gentlemen of the bar are the butts of countless jokes (“Why won’t sharks attack lawyers?” “Professional courtesy.”) Until, of course, you need to revise your will, set up a business partnership, establish a trust for the grandkids, buy your dream house, or contest a tax audit. Facing these important life events, finding a lawyer you can trust to successfully navigate the legal maze is no laughing matter, it’s an absolute necessity.

But where to look? In Westchester alone there are some 8,990 lawyers (with more than 5,000 additional in Fairfield), according to local bar associations and attorney registration offices. Fortunately, we had help evaluating local legal eagles from Woodward/White Inc., the publishers of The Best Lawyers in America 2005-2006. The Aiken, SC-based company annually surveys some 17,000 attorneys nationwide, asking them what other lawyers they would recommend to a close friend or relative who needed counsel in various legal categories, ranging from bankruptcy and business litigation to trusts and estates and worker’s compensation. Here are their top picks in 21 categories.

Now for some fine print. No listing of this sort is absolutely definitive, and there are many fine lawyers whose names do not appear (surveys of this sort tend to reward visibility or popularity over sheer legal ability). Our listing is meant as a place to start as the search for appropriate legal counsel. Of course, consumers should contact their state bar for verification and information prior to securing the legal services of any attorney.

 

 

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Our Legal Eagles

 

Westchester

 

Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law

 

Lawrence R. Reich

Reich, Reich & Reich, P.C. 

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The Northcourt Building

175 Main St., Suite 300, White Plains

(914) 949-2126

College Attended: Franklin & Marshall College, 1962  

Law School: NYU, 1965

Years in Practice: 39

 

Q: Why did you choose this area of law?

 

A: “It’s what my father did; I joined his practice in 1980. It’s a third generation firm as my kids—a son and a daughter—have joined as well. I enjoy my field because being a bankruptcy lawyer helps people in dramatic ways. They come in depressed about the future, anxious, and having a difficult time functioning in their every day personal and business lives. The process helps relieve their concerns by making them feel better about themselves. A ‘fresh start’ is worth a great deal.”    

 

Per Hour Billing: $325 (negotiated flat fees for many cases) 

 

Business Litigation

 

David Boies 

Boies, Schiller & Flexner

333 Main St., Armonk

(914) 749-8200

College Attended: University of Redlands  (did not graduate). “I went to law school without ever graduating from college. In those days you could do that.”

Law School: Yale Law School, 1966

Years in Practice: 38

Per Hour Billing: $750

(See accompanying feature.)

 

Henry G. Miller

Clark, Gagliardi & Miller

Inns of Court Building

99 Court St., White Plains

(914) 946-8900

College Attended: St John’s College, 1952  

Law School: St. John’s Law School, 1959

Years in Practice: 45

 

Q: Why did you choose to become a lawyer?

 

A:“I’ve always been comfortable talking in front of people.”

 

Per Hour Billing: $450 or $500 (a majority of cases are on contingency basis)

 

Construction Law

 

Thomas H. Welby

Welby, Brady & Greenblatt

Westchester Financial Center

11 Martine Ave.

White Plains

(914) 428-2100; www.wbgllp.com

College Attended:  Manhattan College, 1971

Law School: Pace Law, 1985

Years in Practice: 19

 

Q: What would be your advice for someone going into the law profession?

 

A:“A person should work for a couple of years between college and law school. They’ll reference that real-life work experience as a lawyer. I have three engineering degrees, plus a business administration degree. I was an engineer and contractor for 17 years before becoming a lawyer. That experience is invaluable. Now I represent those that design or build residential, commercial, institutional projects.”

 

Per Hour Billing: $275 to $350 

 

Corporate, M&A, and Securities Law

 

Harris Markhoff

Danziger & Markhoff 

Centroplex, Suite 900

123 Main St., White Plains (914) 948-1556

College Attended:  Columbia College, 1960

Law School: Columbia Law School, 1963

Years in Practice: 41

 

Q: What do you like best about being a lawyer?

 

A:“I enjoy working with people and solving their problems. I do estate planning in addition to corporate law, aiding dysfunctional families with wills and businesses when the owner dies and one child is in the business and the other is not. My firm does a lot of pension and profit-sharing plans and partnership agreements for doctors, dentists, and law and accounting firms.

“Believe it or not, business breakups are usually tougher breaks than family ones. Neither is fun of course.”  

 

Per Hour Billing: $375 per hour

 

Criminal Defense

 

Luis Andrew Penichet 

140 Grand St., Suite 401

White Plains

(914) 997-7600

College Attended:  Fordham University, 1976

Law School: Fordham Law, 1979

Years in Practice: 26

 

Q: What would you say to someone critical of criminal defenders? 

 

A:“My function is to safeguard that every defendant receives due process and all his rights in the process. The same people who say, ‘How can you defend criminals?’, may one day require a criminal defender’s services. In fact, I find many vocal critics have family members that require the services of a criminal defense attorney.” (Luis Penichet also practices family law.)

 

Per Hour Billing: $400

 

Andrew A. Rubin

Mancuso, Rubin & Fufidio

One North Broadway, Suite 1502

White Plains (914) 761-9200

College Attended: University of Massachusetts at    Amherst, 1970

Law School: Fordham Law, 1973 

Years in Practice: 31

 

Q: You’ve been on both sides of the criminal justice system (1973 to 1988 DA office of Westchester County under Carl Vergari). Which do you find more interesting?

 

A:“Regardless of which side you’re working for, the object is to achieve justice. You’re just approaching the same issue from a different angle. As a prosecutor, however, you’re working for governmental bodies rather than individuals, so it’s a bit impersonal. 

“Not all people charged with crimes are evil. Like many things in life, it’s not black-and-white but shades of gray. Some defendants are innocent, some overcharged, others are kids having done something stupid, some have mental incapacities. Defense attorneys must look out for these people. The bill of rights was written to protect individuals from the government; a defense attorney intercedes between the government and the individual. 

“People don’t appreciate those rights until they or someone close to them needs a defense attorney.”

 

Per Hour Billing: A flat rate depending upon individual facts and circumstances of case and complexity of charges.

 

Environmental Law

 

Joel H. Sachs

Keane & Beane

445 Hamilton Ave.

White Plains

(914) 946-4777

College Attended: Cornell University, 1963

Law School: University of Pennsylvania, 1966; Master’s in Law, NYU Law, 1970

Years in Practice: 38

 

Q: What is significant about environmental law?

 

A:“Environmental law intersects with almost all facets of the law—there are numerous environmental regulations at every level that have to be complied to. In Westchester County, there are lots of organizations that express diligent interest regarding development and its impact on the environment—that keeps lawyers like me busy. We’ve been busy, in fact, since April 1, 1970, the first Earth Day, when public awareness of the environment really got underway.” (Joel Sachs is also an adjunct professor at Pace Law School, town attorney of Bedford, and special attorney of Sleepy Hollow.)

 

Per Hour Billing: $350 to $400

 

Family Law (a.k.a. Matrimonial Law)

 

Sylvia Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt & Genovese, LLP

570 Taxter Rd. , Elmsford

(914) 345-5800

College Attended: SUNY Buffalo, 1975 

Law School: Brooklyn Law, 1981; LLM in Taxation, NYU Law, 1982

Years in Practice: 22

 

Q: What is one of your recent memorable cases?

 

A:“Of all the types of cases I handle, custody is most emotionally charged and therefore usually the most difficult. I had one custody case where I represented a parent who prevailed in a proceeding seeking full custody of his children. In the appellate process, the decision was affirmed. It was an emotionally charged trial that resulted in a transfer of custody in the children’s best interest. It was significant because the children’s emotional development and relationship with both parents would be better served with the change of custody. One benefit of practicing matrimonial law is the emotional reward of knowing one has affected children’s lives in a positive manner.”    

 

Per Hour Billing: $350

 

Joel C. Bender

Bender, Jenson Brennan, & Silverstein 

120 Bloomingdale Rd., Suite 104

White Plains

(914) 997-1100

College Attended: Cornell University, 1961

Law School: NYU Law, 1964

Years in Practice: 40

 

Q: Why did you choose family law?

 

A:“Originally I pursued a law degree to improve my chances in the business world, but I gave law a try and liked it. I first tried general law and sports law, but family law got me into the courtroom. There’s a certain energy and expertise required to handle it. I’ve run three marathons, but trying a case is more taxing than any of them.”

 

Per Hour Billing: $500

 

 

Henry S. Berman

Berman, Bavero, Frucco & Gouz

123 Main St., Suite 1700

White Plains

(914) 997-7100

College Attended: Queens College, 1964

Law School: St. John’s Law, 1967; Master’s in Law, NYU Law, 1968

Years in Practice: 37

 

Q: What’s the toughest aspect of family law?

 

A: “You’re dealing with economic issues within an overlay of emotion, fear, and uncertainty where both sides may not want the same thing, e.g., one  wants divorce, the other doesn’t. Sometimes clients will do things that make them feel good but are not necessarily the right thing to do. A lawyer needs patience—we become mini psychiatrists.

“I deal with it by not taking my job home. I learned a long time ago my client’s problem is just that—it’s not mine. My wife is a partner, and in the car on the way home we may discuss cases, but, once we get home, we stop talking about our work.”

 

Per Hour Billing: $395

 

Peter O. Bodnar

Bodnar & Milone

Courthouse Square

140 Grand St. , White Plains (914) 997-2500

College Attended: NYU, 1966 

Law School: Fordham Law, 1970

Years in Practice: 34 years

 

Q: What are the best and worst aspects of practicing family law?

 

A:“The best and worst things are related, if not one and the same. I sometimes have to deal with bitterly contested custody litigation where, in the heat of battle, people tend to forget that their children’s interests should be paramount. But the best thing is, in those negative conditions, a family lawyer has the opportunity to provide a meaningful level of assistance and make things better. It’s truly a challenging part of the job.”

 

Per Hour Billing: $425

 

Terri Weiss

Marino & Weiss PC

162 Grand St., White Plains

(914) 761-0640

College Attended: Georgetown University, 1978    

Law School: Georgetown Law, 1981

Years in Practice: 23 total; 15 family law

 

Q: What’s the most satisfying part of your job?

 

A: “There are three things actually. One: Once in a while, people reconcile, and it’s nice to see people work out their problems. I don’t get paid of course, but it’s still nice.

“Two: I like it when people are smart about the divorce proceedings and aren’t nasty, and they think ahead to college graduations, births of grandchildren and the like.

“Three: When children are in a dangerous situation and their health and safety are being compromised, it’s extremely gratifying to be able to accomplish the mission of putting them in a safe environment.”

 

Per Hour Billing: $400 to $425  (approximate)

 

Healthcare Law

 

James G. Eberz

Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz

1311 Mamaroneck Ave.

White Plains

(914) 517-5000

College Attended: Marquette University, 1965

Law School: Fordham Law School, 1968

Years in Practice: 36

 

Q: What would surprise people about healthcare law?

 

A: “Most people aren’t aware of and don’t appreciate the tremendous complexity of the current regulatory environment. Since the age of regulation began in the 1970s with the Federal Stark Law, the system of healthcare in this country has become quite complex and makes for a daunting task for lawyers like me. Yet I enjoy taking a complex plan and making it work for a client in a simple way.”

 

Per Hour Billing: $325 to $475 (unless on contingency basis)

 

Labor and Employment Law

 

Patrick L. Vaccaro

Jackson Lewis

One North Bdwy., 15th Floor

White Plains

(914) 328-0404

Undergrad: NYU, 1961

Law School: NYU Law, 1964, Master’s in Labor Law (LLM), NYU, 1969

Years in Practice: 38

 

Q: What case are you most proud of?

 

A: “In the late 1960s and mid 1970s, I represented school districts throughout New York State and New Jersey, helping to develop contracts between the districts and their teachers and support staff. It was a pioneering time, as it was the first time municipalities had to deal with unionized employees. Negoti-ating first contracts is especially vital as it establishes a foundation for years to come. If you give away too much, it’s hard to fix.”

 

Per Hour Billing: $400

 

Legal Malpractice Law

 

David J. Meiselman

Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz

1311 Mamaroneck Ave.

White Plains

(914)-517-5000

College Attended: Brooklyn College, 1970

Law School: NYU Law,

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