MEMBERS OF FIRM
Cirino M. Bruno (Member) born Bronx, New York, November 22, 1948; admitted to bar, 1976, New Jersey and U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey; 1977, New York and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York; 1978, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York; 1982, U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. District Courts, Northern and Western Districts of New York; 1983, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; 1984, U.S. Tax Court. Education: American University (B.A., 1970); New York Law School (J.D., 1974). Member: Westchester County Bar Association; New York County Lawyers Association; Columbian Lawyers Association (First Judicial Department, Chairman of the Board); Federal Bar Council; Columbus Citizen Foundation, Inc.; National Italian American Bar Association (Past President). Practice Areas: Securities Law; Commodities Law; Criminal Trial Practice; Real Estate; Corporate Law.Email: Cirino M. Bruno
Melvyn J. Falis (Member) born New York, N.Y., April 9, 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, New York and U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; 1984, U.S. Tax Court. Education: City College of the City University of New York (B.A., 1961); Fordham University (LL.B., 1964). General Counsel, New York Mercantile Exchange, 1977-1982. Editor, Commodities Law Letter, 1983. Public Member, Board of Directors, New York Futures Exchange, 1996-1998; Vice Chairman, Arbitration Committee and Member Supervisory Committee, New York Futures Exchange. Public Member, Board of Directors, New York Mercantile Exchange; Public Member, Board of Directors, Commodity Floor Brokers and Traders Association. Member: New York State Bar Association (Committee on Commodities and Futures Law, 1983). Practice Areas: Commodities Law; Securities Law; Employment Law; Corporate Law.Email: Melvyn J. Falis
David A. Gehn (Member) born Queens, New York, September 23, 1965; admitted to bar, 1993, New York and U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Education: University of Maryland (B.A., 1988); New York Law School (J.D., 1992). Member, Journal of International and Comparative Law. Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award (Legal Research and Writing). General Counsel, Blue Stone Capital Partners, 1999-2000. Practice Areas: Securities Litigation; Broker-Dealer Arbitration; SEC Enforcement; Criminal Defense.Email: David A. Gehn
Robert L. Herskovits (Member) born Nyack, New York, November 30, 1971; admitted to bar, 1997, New York; 1998, U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; U.S. Court of Appeals, Second and Ninth Circuits and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Syracuse University (B.A., 1993); Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 1996). Arbitrator: National Association of Securities Dealers; National Futures Association. Member, Securities Industry Association (Legal and Compliance). Member: New York County Lawyers Association (Member, Committee on Securities and Exchanges, 1997). Practice Areas: Securities Litigation; Broker-Dealer Arbitration; Securities Regulation; Criminal Law.Email: Robert L. Herskovits
Martin H. Kaplan (Member) born Brooklyn, New York, April 23, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, New York and U.S. District Courts, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; 1977, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; 1980, U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York; 1981, U.S. Supreme Court; 1982, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York; 1983, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; 1984, U.S. Tax Court. Education: City College of the City University of New York (B.A., 1971); New York Law School (J.D., 1974). Member, Panel of Arbitrators, American Arbitration Association. Member: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York; New York State and American Bar Associations; New York County Lawyers Association; Federal Bar Council. Practice Areas: Securities Law; Commodities Law; White Collar Securities; Criminal Practice; Corporate Law.Email: Martin H. Kaplan
Lawrence G. Nusbaum, III (Member) born New York, N.Y., November 14, 1960; admitted to bar, 1987, New York. Education: Syracuse University (B.A., 1983); Washington University (J.D., 1986). Notes and Comments Editor, Journal of Urban and Contemporary Affairs. Author: "A Director's Duty to Disclose Preliminary Merger and Acquisition Negotiations," Washington & Lee School Law Review; "Poison Pills - A Cure or a Corporate Panacea," Suffolk University School of Law, Law Review; "Restrictions on Transfer of Cooperative Apartments-Tyrannical Reins or a Necessary Restraint," Washington University School of Law Journal of Urban and Contemporary Affairs. Languages: French. Practice Areas: Securities; Corporate Law; Banking Law; White Collar Crime; Mergers and Acquisitions; Venture Capital; SEC Enforcement.Email: Lawrence G. Nusbaum, III
SENIOR ATTORNEYS
Shirley Kaplan (Senior Attorney) born New York, New York, June 28, 1954; admitted to bar, 1985, New York. Education: Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (B.A., cum laude, 1976); Wurzmeiler School of Social Work (M.S.W., 1978); Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University (J.D., 1984). Certified Social Worker, New York State, 1979. Member: New York State Bar Association. Languages: Hebrew. Practice Areas: Securities Law; Commodities Law; Criminal Trial Practice; Real Estate; Corporate Law.
Brian D. Graifman (Senior Attorney) born New York, N.Y., 1955; admitted to bar, 1988, New York; U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and District of Connecticut, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second and Ninth Circuits. Education: Manhattan School of Music (B.M., 1978); New York Law School (J.D., with honors, 1988). Research Editor, New York Law Review, 1987-1988. Semi-Finalist, John Marshall, Benton National Moot Court Competition, Chicago, 1987. Best Team, Harlan Moot Court Competition, 1986. Law Clerk to the Honorable Roger J. Miner, U.S. Court of Appeals for The Second Circuit, 1988-1989. Co-Author: "Non-Customer 'Customers' & Compulsory NASD Arbitration," in Securities Arbitration (PLI, Aug. 2002). Author, "Federal Civil Practice: Pitfalls and Best Practices," in Legal Malpractice Techniques to Avoid Liability, PLI, June 1999. Listed in: Marquis Who's Who in the World; Who's Who in America; Who's Who in American Law. Principal, Caro & Graifman, P.C., 1994-1997. Associate, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, 1988-1992. Member: New York County Lawyers Association (Member, Appellate Courts Committee; Federal Courts Committee; Supreme Court Committee); New York Criminal and Civil Bar Association (Board member). Reported Cases: Denver Area Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc. vs. FCC, 518 US 727 (1996); Tropea vs. Tropea/Browner vs. Kenward, 87 N.Y.2d 727 (1996); Bensadoun v. Jobe-Riat, 316 F.3d 171 (2d Cir. 2003); Tristar Corp. vs. Freitas, 84 F.3d 550 (2d Cir. 1996). Practice Areas: Litigation; Securities Arbitration; Federal Courts.Email: Brian D. Graifman
ASSOCIATES
Robyn D. Roditi (Associate) born New York, New York, October 12, 1980; admitted to bar, 2006, New York. Education: Lehigh University (B.A., 2002); New York Law School (J.D., 2005). Practice Areas: Securities Litigation.Email: Robyn D. Roditi
Robert C. Bonelli (Associate) born Morristown, New Jersey, May 2, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, New York. Education: Bucknell University (B.S.B.A., 2003); Pace Law School (J.D., 2006).Email: Robert C. Bonelli
Andrew G. Russell (Associate) born New York, New York, July 4, 1961; admitted to bar, 1993, New Jersey; 1994, New York. Education: Colgate University (B.A., cum laude, 1983); Queen's University (M.B.A., 1988); Washington University School of Law (J.D., 1993). Member: New York State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Corporate; Securities.Email: Andrew G. Russell
Jason M. Weeks (Associate) born New York, November 25, 1975; admitted to bar, 2006, New York and Connecticut. Education: University of Massachusetts (B.A., International Business, 1998); New York Law School (J.D., 2006). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Securities.Email: Jason M. Weeks
OF COUNSEL
Bert L. Gusrae (Of Counsel) born New York, New York, May 24, 1936; admitted to bar, 1962, New York; 1963, U.S. District Courts, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; 1976, U.S. Supreme Court; 1980, U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York. Education: Brandeis University (B.A., 1957); Boston University (LL.B., 1961). Chief Attorney, Branch of Enforcement, New York Regional Office, Securities and Exchange Commission, 1962-1967. Allied Member, New York Stock Exchange, 1968-1969. Member, Panel of Arbitrators, New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Member, Panel of Arbitrators, American Arbitration Association. Member: American Bar Association; Federal Bar Council. Practice Areas: Securities Law; Commodities Law; Criminal Trial Practice; Real Estate; Corporate Law.
Robert L. Blessey (Of Counsel) born New York, N.Y.; admitted to bar, 1972, New York; 1982, U.S. Court of International Trade; 1984, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. Education: St. John's University (B.S., 1968); Fordham University (J.D., 1971). Omicron Delta Epsilon. Member: American Bar Association. (Also Member of Widowski Cassidy & Steinhart LLP, New York, NY). Practice Areas: International Law; Corporate Law; Tax Law; Securities Law; Litigation.