Attorneys

GEOFFREY A. BASS

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Mr. Bass’s expertise includes broad experience in a variety of corporate, commercial and real estate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions and commercial and residential real estate acquisition, leasing and financing. Mr. Bass has broad experience in all phases of business transactions, including the organization and financing of corporations, partnerships, and joint ventures. Before joining the firm in July 1991, Mr. Bass was a partner in the firm of Blodnick, Abramowitz, Newman & Bass and its predecessor from 1987 until July 1991, prior to which Mr. Bass was a partner in the firm of Murray, Hollander, Sullivan & Bass from its founding in 1978 until 1987. Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Bass joined the firm of Lovejoy, Wasson, Lundgren & Ashton, where he was employed as an associate from 1974 until 1978.

Mr. Bass received his undergraduate degree with highest honors from the University of Rochester in 1968, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and his law degree from the Harvard Law School in 1974.

PAUL T. DARCY

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Mr. Darcy advises clients on a broad range of corporate and general business transactions. Mr. Darcy has extensive experience in matters involving mergers and acquisitions, secured lending transactions, securities offerings, commercial real estate leasing and acquisition transactions, commercial real estate financings, and corporate governance matters. Mr. Darcy acts as “outside general counsel” to a wide variety of businesses, providing advice on a broad range of operational matters, including preparation and negotiation of trademark and copyright licenses, employment and consulting agreements and a full range of other commercial agreements. Mr. Darcy also has extensive experience representing Internet marketing companies, including advertisers, publishers and affiliate network providers. Mr. Darcy counsels both emerging and established companies.

Mr. Darcy received a bachelor of arts degree, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany in 1992, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and received a juris doctor degree, cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in 1995, where he was a member of the Buffalo Law Review.

Mr. Darcy was previously associated with the law firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP from 1998 to 2004, and with the law firm of Kronish, Lieb, Weiner & Hellman LLP (now Cooley LLP) from 1995 to 1998.

SCOTT GARROD

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Scott Garrod is a litigation associate, working on all phases of civil litigation. Mr. Garrod received his law degree from Hofstra Law School in 2014, and his undergraduate degree from Indiana University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management. He is admitted to practice in the States of New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

JONATHAN D. HONIG

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Mr. Honig specializes in all aspects of litigation, arbitration and mediation, including, securities, real estate and construction, bankruptcy and international matters and has tried many cases. Mr. Honig has extensive experience in employment law issues, including issues related to age, gender and race discrimination as well as retaliation claims. Mr. Honig has served as an AAA and Eastern District of New York arbitrator and as a mediator for the New York State Supreme Court, New York County. He is admitted to practice in the district courts of New York and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and has appeared in the United States District Courts for the Central District of California, the Western District of Pennsylvania and the District of Rhode Island.

Mr. Honig has published a number of articles relating to real estate and bankruptcy, including “Adherence to Plain Meaning Rule Slips on Issue of Legal Fees in Bankruptcy”, New York Law Journal, March 26, 1999. He has also been a speaker on international arbitration at an ABA conference on dispute resolution, and was included in the Euromoney listing of the world’s leading experts and lawyers in commercial arbitration. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Honig was a partner of Wolf Block Schorr & Solis-Cohen, LLP. Mr. Honig graduated from Cornell University in 1978 and from the University of Chicago Law School in 1982.

SAUL KASZOVITZ

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Mr. Kaszovitz’ expertise includes broad experience in a variety of securities, corporate and real estate transactions, including all aspects of the public and private offerings of securities, mergers and acquisitions and commercial and residential real estate acquisitions. Mr. Kaszovitz is also actively involved in all areas of corporate law, including the formation and maintenance of corporate, partnership and limited liability entities.

Mr. Kaszovitz received his BA in political science with honors from Yeshiva College in 1990, and he graduated from Cardozo Law School in 1993, where he was a Berg Scholar. Mr. Kaszovitz is admitted to practice in the states of New York and New Jersey.

HOWARD I. RHINE

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Mr. Rhine’s practice encompasses all areas of litigation and dispute resolution – commercial corporate and securities litigation and arbitrations, in which he specializes, as well as advising corporate and business clients on U.S. and international commercial matters, including a large clientele that is Israel based. He received his undergraduate degree from Yeshiva University in 1960 and his law degree from New York University in 1963 (Order of the Coif; Public Law Editor, 1962 Annual Survey of American Law.) He then served as law clerk to U.S. District Judge Charles H. Tenney, from 1964-1966.

Mr. Rhine began his career in private practice at the firm of Zimet Harris Moss & Friedman, where he was the partner in charge of the litigation group, and in 1981 was a founding partner of the firm of Coleman, Rhine & Goodwin LLP, where he continued his litigation and commercial law practice until joining our firm in March 2001.

BRUCE ROBINS

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Mr. Robins joined the Firm upon his graduation, with Honors, from Hofstra University School of Law in 1988. He specializes in all phases of civil litigation, in all forums, including commercial litigation and litigating appeals before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, and Fourth Circuits, as well as before the New York Court of Appeals and intermediate appellate courts for the States of New York and New Jersey. He is admitted to practice in the States of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

IRVING ROTHSTEIN

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Mr. Rothstein’s practice is concentrated in corporate and business transactions, including matters involving the public and private offerings of securities, proxy statements and reporting and other filing requirements under the federal securities laws, mergers and acquisitions, and financing of public and private entities.

Mr. Rothstein received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1985 and his J.D. degree from Harvard University in 1988, where he was an editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Following his law school graduation, Mr. Rothstein was associated with the firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan until 1991, followed by the firms Nathan & Brecher LLP until 1992, and Heller, Horowitz & Feit, P.C. until 2003.

DAVID SACK

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David Sack is a senior litigation associate, with diverse experience in all phases of civil litigation matters in the state and federal courts. Prior to joining the firm he was a litigation associate at the New York office of Torys, and at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Mr. Sack received his undergraduate degree in economics summa cum laude from Yeshiva University in 1992, and his law degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1995, where he served on the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems. He is the co-author of the article “Litigation Stemming from Hiring Decisions,” published in the New York Law Journal, and the author of “Recent Changes to the Rules Governing Pre-Trial Discovery” published in the North American Corporate Lawyer. Mr. Sack is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of New York.

EZIO SCALDAFERRI

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Mr. Scaldaferri specializes in all phases of litigation, in all forums, including appellate courts and arbitration panels. Mr. Scaldaferri has extensive litigation experience arising in many areas of the law and different industries. Mr. Scaldaferri received his liberal arts degree from Fordham University in 1977 and his law degree from the same school in 1980. While at law school, he was the Commentary Editor for the Fordham Law Review. Prior to joining Feder, Kaszovitz, Isaacson, Weber & Skala in 1987 he was associated with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom from 1980 to 1984 and with Botein, Hays & Sklar from 1984 to 1987.

Ms. Silfen is a seasoned trusts and estates attorney, with over thirty years of experience counseling families on estate planning and trust and estate administration. Her clients include individual entrepreneurs, including real estate developers, hedge fund owners and owners of other businesses, professionals, persons with inherited wealth and retired persons, and she often represents multiple generations of a family, providing advice on estate and family planning issues. She is experienced at drafting wills and all types of trust agreements, including “supplemental needs trusts” for persons under a disability. She has administered estates with varying types of assets, such as commercial real estate and other business holdings and art collections. Ms. Silfen has also administered U.S. estates of persons who are neither U.S. citizens nor U.S. residents. Prior to joining the firm in November 2012, Ms. Silfen was Special Counsel to Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP from 2007-2012 and a Partner of Brauner Baron Rosenzweig & Klein LLP from 1995 to 2006.

Ms. Silfen graduated from Cornell University, where she was on the dean’s list, and the Boston University School of Law, where she was an Editor of the American Journal of Law and Medicine. Ms. Silfen has published several articles on estate planning and has spoken before various organizations on estate planning topics. Ms. Silfen is fluent in French.

MURRAY L. SKALA

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Mr. Skala’s specialties include transactional matters and civil litigation. He concentrates on counseling a number of the firm’s large business clients on an almost daily basis.

Mr. Skala has been associated with the firm since 1972. He became a partner in 1976. Prior to his association with the firm, he was employed by the United States Department of Justice from 1971 to 1972. He received his undergraduate degree from City University of New York in 1967 and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1971.