Southfields Lawyers

Manuel Portela Manuel@portelalaw.com Law School: The Washington College of Law at American University, Degree: JD 1990 Undergraduate School: Fordham University, 1986 Foreign Language: Spanish Manuel Portela Esq. is the founding partner of The Portela Law Firm, P.C. He specializes in Criminal Defense, Immigration, Family Law and Personal Injury. After graduating from Fordham University and American University Washington College of Law, Mr. Portela accepted an appointment as an Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney‘s Office in New York. During his tenure as an Assistant District Attorney, he received extensive training and instruction in the Criminal Court...

Michael spent over 24 years in the Westchester County District Attorney's Office. During his time there he tried over 45 felony trials to verdict. Michael also supervised 3 separate geographical areas of Westchester County for the DA's Office, gaining valuable knowledge and relationships with judges, court clerks and law enforcement personnel which he can now use to his client's benefit. Michael was also the DWI Coordinator for the District Attorney's Office for 12 years making him responsible for training and keeping all Assistant District Attorneys and law enforcement personnel current on the latest DWI laws and procedures...

Cindy N. Brown practices in the areas of criminal defense, civil litigation, family law, and landlord/tenant, defending the interests of the everyday man. While she feels strongly about the work that she does for all her clients, she is especially passionate about fathers, and their ability to maintain meaningful relationships with their children after divorce or failed relationships. All too often, the end of romantic relationships result in diminished contact with children through no fault of the fathers, and once the matter has made its way into the Family Court system, many fathers feel as though the odds are stacked...

At Lynch Schwab, we handle all legal matters in every county in New York State, and can appear throughout all of Connecticut. We provide clients with thorough, cost conscious and effective representation. All of our attorneys have previously trained at large litigation law firms, and are dedicated to providing the same services which a large firm can provide, but with the small firm personal client relationship. Our Firm handles all aspects of the legal practice, representing major insurers, municipalities, small businesses, large businesses and individuals. We also represent clients on non-litigation matters, such as real estate closings, commercial and business...

Laurence Deutsch has a proven record of success in medical malpractice trials for over 20 years. He has achieved some of the leading verdicts in counties throughout New York State. Mr. Deutsch has been included in the Verdicts and Settlements Hall of Fame by the New York Law Journal. Mr. Deutsch carries the highest attorney rating (“10.0”) from the Avvo rating service. He has been awarded “Super Lawyer” designation by the Thompson Reuters rating agency. Mr. Deutsch has also obtained the highest rating of “Preeminent” from the Martindale-Hubbell rating agency. Mr. Deutsch is the author of leading publications on trial practice and...

Stewart McMillan, Esq. is a former New York State Prosecutor duly licenced to practice criminal law in both the States of New York and Connecticut since 1995 and 1996, respectively. Mr. McMillan's main office is located in Larchmont, New York in Westchester County. He also has branch offices in Manhattan County in New York City and in Stamford, Connecticut. Over the years Mr. McMillan has represented the accused in all of the New York City Courts as well as in Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Nassau and Suffolk Counties and in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

With a dramatic rise in alcohol awareness...

I have practiced law for 24 years and have focused on trademark law since 1995. I have been associated with a highly regarded boutique law firm in Manhattan where I serviced many well known organizations, assisting in the building of their brands. In addition to practicing in New York State Courts, I am admitted to the United States Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts. I also practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office and the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. This area of the law is dynamic, it continues to grow and change...

A graduate of Quinnipiac University School of Law in Hamden, Connecticut, the founding attorney at The Law Office of Keith R. Murphy is a highly trained and dedicated legal professional. He works tirelessly as a Carmel DUI lawyer to ensure that his clients’ rights and freedoms are protected as thoroughly as possible. He is committed to excellence, diligence, and integrity, and does everything in his power to ensure that his clients receive attentive, personalized, and highly communicative legal assistance. To this end, he makes himself available to his clients 24/7 to answer any questions they may have. If you are...

I advocate for clients who want to take charge of their lives and resolve conflict using a common sense approach. During my more than 20 years of practice, I have handled hundreds of matrimonial and family law matters. While I have extensive litigation experience, I now focus my practice on mediation and collaborative law because most of my clients fell strongly that they want to stay out of court. I want to make a positive difference in the lives of clients going through stressful family transitions. I help mothers and fathers in developing parenting plans that are practical and that...

Ephraim Jacob (‘E.J.”) Fink has been litigating in the Connecticut and New York Courts since 2000. After representing hundreds of carriers and their policy holders as well as corporations, product manufacturers and healthcare facilities from negligence and contract claims, EJ practiced at a boutique in the areas of personal injury, family law/divorce, estate and trust litigation. EJ graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in journalism and thereafter obtained his JD at New England Law-Boston where his dean’s list grade average earned him an associate editor position on the New England Journal on Criminal...

Harvard Lawyer representing motorists daily at the Bronx Traffic Violations Bureau for over 17 years.

Edgar M. Rivera is an aggressive and zealous advocate for employees who have been subjected to harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wage-and-hour violations. Edgar has represented hundreds of employees in individual, multi-plaintiff, collective- and class action litigation before state and federal courts in New York, New Jersey and Florida.

LAURENCE S. MOY is Deputy Managing Partner, and has been practicing law almost exclusively in the area of representing individuals in employment matters since 1985. Mr. Moy co-chairs the firm’s Financial Services Industry Practice Group. He enjoys representing clients and groups of clients in these highly specialized fields by counseling them, as well as negotiating and litigating on their behalf.

Mr. Moy has extensive experience in arbitration before FINRA (and, previously, the NASD and the NYSE), the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), and JAMS, as well as trials, appeals, and other litigation experience before federal and state courts concerning employment and...

I am a former engineer and programmer turned lawyer helping clients in all aspects of intellectual property, technology & business law. Over the past 13 years I have represented and counseled clients in numerous patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret matters, including litigation, licensing, protecting technologies through patents, trademarks, copyrights and other methods, assessing risks for new product launches, assessing the strengths of IP portfolios, devising licensing strategies, helping with mergers and acquisitions, and many other.

Martin P. Skolnick is the founder and Managing Attorney of the Skolnick Legal Group. Martin represents general contractors, subcontractors, and owners in construction litigation and arbitration matters. Martin also counsels construction companies and their senior management teams with the numerous legal issues construction companies encounter on a daily basis, including change order disputes, contract disputes, construction lien preparation and filing, permit issues, and employee issues. Martin also has substantial experience handling a wide range of commercial, real estate, and personal injury matters.

Martin has a rare combination of skills, experience and incredible determination that enables him to obtain exceptional results for...

Philip Russoti at Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP oversees every case in their firm. It is important for him to be involved in every case and to give clients his utmost attention and effort.

Divorce Done Differently. Choose Vacca Family Law Group for Court-Free Creative Family Law Solutions. At Vacca Family Law Group, we focus on resolving family and divorce-related legal disputes through non-adversarial methods, avoiding the emotional and financial turmoil associated with courtroom proceedings. Our approach centers on mediation and collaboration, allowing our clients to maintain more control over the outcome of their cases and reach innovative solutions that are tailored to their family’s needs. As a leading family and divorce law firm in New York, we know that each family’s situation is unique. We have seen the damaging effects of traditional, litigated divorces and...

Deborah Hrbek has a niche practice with specific expertise in providing legal support to independent creative professionals in the art, entertainment and media industries. Essentially, Hrbek provides general counsel services to small businesses in the creative sector, on all sides of the table. She represents independent publishers as well as writers, photographers as well as photography agencies, visual artists and fine art galleries, indie record labels and professional musicians, makers and ceramics / stained glass studios, venues, promoters and performers and more. Most of our work involves the review, drafting and negotiation of contracts. We also help business partners form...

Joe Callahan began his career as a CPA with Deloitte in Manhattan and left there to work as a tax attorney. He's been with the law firm of Mackay, Caswell & Callahan since 1992 and is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut, together with the U.S. District Court and U.S. Tax Court.

Mackay, Caswell & Callahan, P.C handles various IRS and New York State tax controversies including IRS Audit Strategies and Defenses, Enforced Tax Collection (Notices of Levy & Notices of Lien), Offers in Compromise, Innocent & Injured Spouse Relief, Responsible Person Assessment Defense, Tax Court, IRS...

With over 20 years of experience, Dustin Bowman is committed to providing skilled and knowledgeable legal representation. His practice areas include Landlord Tenant, Real Estate, Construction, Consumer, Municipal Law, Government & Administrative, Divorce, Family, and Personal Injury Law matters. Whether in or out of the courtroom, Mr. Bowman is dedicated to both outstanding service and zealous advocacy. He has built a strong reputation as an effective and efficient attorney for New Yorkers with legal needs.

Mr. Bowman received his B.A. from the University of New Hampshire in 1995. He earned his J.D. from the Hamline University School of Law in 1998....

Adam Orlow is a personal injury lawyer and partner at The Orlow Firm. He has been practicing law as a personal injury lawyer since 1998. Adam Orlow has handled personal injury cases of all types including but not limited to construction accidents, car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, police misconduct, sexual abuse, premises liability including slip and fall accidents, nursing home abuse, lead poisoning and third party workers compensation.

Susan M. Maya graduated Magna Cum Laude from Quinnipiac University School of Law where she attended as a Dean’s Scholar. While at Quinnipiac she received seven outstanding academic achievement awards. Ms. Maya was an academic invitee on the Quinnipiac Law Review where she held the position of Associate Editor. Ms. Maya graduated Magna Cum Laude from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Ms. Maya practices in the areas of Trusts and Estates, Special Education Law, and Executive Compensation Law. She is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut. She lives with her family in Westport, CT.

Partner

David is a graduate of the State University of New York at Farmingdale and obtained his law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. He studied immigration in law school and was a two time participant in the immigration clinic. He also worked for a summer at the largest immigration firm in the country. Before joining Gottfried & Gottfried, LLP, David worked for a small personal injury firm on Long Island as a trial attorney. He is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Presentations / Conferences

David has been...

OSSAI MIAZAD is Partner and Co-Chair of the Discrimination and Retaliation Practice Group and is also active in the firm's Class & Collective Action Practice Group at Outten & Golden LLP in New York. She represents employees in class action and impact litigation aimed at eliminating systemic discrimination. She has experience litigating before federal and state courts and arbitration panels. Ms. Miazad currently serves as plaintiffs' counsel in numerous major class action lawsuits involving challenges to the use of credit and criminal history records for employment decisions, challenges to U.S. citizen and legal permanent resident requirements in contracting on behalf...

Craig E. Yaris is a Founding Partner at Holon Law Partners, with the experience and drive to handle all your Franchise, General Business, Corporate Formation, and Estate Planning needs. As a former small business owner and Chief Operating Officer of a franchisor himself, Mr. Yaris is passionate about promoting business growth. He has experience handling daily operations, employee disputes, and negotiations of pertinent contracts for a franchise company with 100 locations in five states, where he organized and conducted semi- annual meetings to educate and inform franchisees of best practices for improved growth. In addition, Mr. Yaris was responsible for the...

TAMMY MARZIGLIANO is a partner at Outten & Golden LLP in New York, where she represents employees in litigation and negotiation in all areas of employment law, including matters involving compensation (and bonus) disputes, contractual violations, and whistleblower and individual discrimination claims. Ms. Marzigliano is the Co-Chair of both Outten & Golden’s Financial Services Practice Group and its Whistleblower and Retaliation Practice Group. She is also a member of Outten & Golden’s Executive and Professionals Practice Group and former Co-Chair of its Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Practice Group. She has also been recognized by Best Lawyers...

Attorney Dennis Carrion, an NYC personal injury lawyer, serves victims in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, and the surrounding areas. He speaks English and Spanish fluently, and he can represent clients in both Florida and New York. He has successfully represented those hurt in bicycle accidents, dog bite accidents, construction accidents. Whether you were hurt in a Queens car accident or a Long Island personal injury case, he would be happy to speak with you in a free phone consultation. Also, note that all fees are on a contingency basis, so you pay unless you win. Cases are accepted on a...

Ms. Shkolnik is an associate with the firm’s Product Liability, Pharmaceutical Department. Prior to joining the Pharmaceutical Department, she focused on premise liability, products liability, labor law, intentional torts as well as civil suits involving victims of sexual assault and/or battery.

Rachel focuses on premise liability, products liability, labor law, intentional torts as well as civil suits involving victims of sexual assault and/or battery.

Mr. Phemister has been practicing law in New York since 1998. Since then, he has been fortunate enough to have handled several thousand cases and taken well over a hundred verdicts at trial.

Initially, his practice focused on personal injury but over the years, he began working on cases where people were claiming they were assaulted by the police, or wrongfully arrested and held against their will.

As time went on, Craig began seeing more and more of these cases until he had the eye-opening experience of seeing a judge in New York declare that a man who spent nearly 18 years...

Robert Gitelman is a partner in the firm’s Products Liability and Asbestos Department, based in our New York City Office. Mr. Gitelman was an integral part of the Environmental team that helped obtain a $52 million settlement for contamination of municipal water suppliers with MTBE by petroleum refiners and retailers. Mr. Gitelman also worked on the In Re: World Trade Center Disaster Site Litigation, which resulted in more than $850 million dollars in settlements of injuries sustained by rescue and recovery workers at Ground Zero from toxic contaminant exposures.

Prior becoming an attorney, Mr. Gitelman worked in various capacities in the...

Since beginning his career, Joseph has dedicated his practice to the representation of victims of medical malpractice. This includes the representation of children who have suffered birth injuries as well as families who have lost loved ones due to the negligence of physicians and medical facilities.

Since joining our office, Joseph has also applied this experience in our Pharmaceutical litigation department with the representation of clients injured by prescription medications.

As a skilled and dedicated personal injury attorney with experience in medical malpractice litigation, Joseph is one of the top associates on the team currently handling the representation of both families...

Joseph A. Gershman is a partner of Lax, Neville & Intelisano, LLP. His practice focuses on complex commercial, securities, real estate and bankruptcy litigation. Mr. Gershman is rated by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings as an AV Preeminent attorney, its highest designation, with his peers recognizing him as “an excellent lawyer” and “an outstanding litigator”. He is also a recipient of The Legal Aid Society’s 2013 Pro Bono Publico Award for outstanding service to the Society and its clients. Mr. Gershman has extensive experience within the areas of complex commercial, securities, real estate and bankruptcy litigation, as well as...

Matthew F. Schwartz graduated from the University of Virginia (B.A., 1988) and Fordham University School of Law (J.D., 1991), and is a member of the New York Bar. His legal practice encompasses all areas of civil litigation, with a focus on legal malpractice. Matthew's career began as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's office, where he gained extensive trial experience in various criminal matters. Afterward, he joined the law firm of Jones Hirsch Connors & Bull, establishing himself as a civil litigator specializing in professional liability, premises liability, surety and subrogation litigation, and securities litigation. From 1996 to 2005,...

Bill has 20+ years of litigation and law firm management experience. He is hardworking, efficient and detail oriented with strong leadership skills and a proven track record. He is extremely organized with a strong ability to multi-task. Bill works well in a team environment and is capable of handling complex matters and providing guidance to other team members to ensure that all matters are handled properly. EDUCATION Juris Doctor ...

Mesothelioma lawyer Robert I. Komitor is a partner at Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP, and serves as lead trial lawyer specializing in products liability, negligence, and personal injury cases involving mesothelioma, hazardous wastes, and pollution. Bob was named one of the nation's Best Lawyers, in the area of mass torts, in Gregory W. Smith and Steven W. Naifeh's The Best Lawyers in America 2005-2012 (Woodward/White). Bob has consistently won some of the highest damage awards in the nation. For three consecutive years, he made The National Law Journal's list of lawyers winning the highest verdicts. He was trial lawyer on the "New...

Ted advises small business owners, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and even other corporate attorneys on the intricacies of commercial tax law, from the time of a business’s formation through to investment exit. Ted has significant experience working with clients across a wide range of scales and industries to effectively achieve their tax structuring aims, including structuring tax-free corporate mergers and cross-border transactions. Early in an investment’s lifecycle, Ted can help you choose (and form) the ideal entity for your venture’s long-term success, balancing tax and administrative costs. And when the time comes to bring in new investors, to sell a portion of your...