Seyfarth Shaw Adds Team of 14 Business Services Attorneys to NYC Office
Group totals twenty, including para professionals and staff. All are from Thelen LLP.

New York (November 24, 2008)—Seyfarth Shaw LLP, one of America’s leading full-service law firms, today announced that the firm’s New York office has significantly deepened its Business Services Department bench with the addition of a team consisting of nine corporate and finance attorneys, four trusts and estates lawyers and one real estate attorney. Stanley E. Bloch, Lawrence B. Brownridge, E. Ann Gill, Joel M. Handel, Christopher J. Lagno, Andrew Lucano, William B. Norden and David M. Warburg join the firm as partners. Douglas F. Allen, Jr. and Eric D. Martins join the firm as Of Counsel. Yoni Frider, Ying Li, Lawrence D. Mandelker and Ani C. Manoukian will join the firm as associates. All were previously with Thelen LLP.

“This talented group of transactional attorneys complements our existing business services capabilities in the New York market,” said J. Stephen Poor, Chair and Managing Partner of Seyfarth Shaw. “Filling out this part of our practice mix in New York has been part of the strategic vision for our firm and we’ve found a gifted group of lawyers to help us realize this goal.”

“Our new colleagues in New York join us just a month after we were able to welcome a strong team of both real estate and corporate and finance attorneys on the West Coast,” said Edward J. Karlin, Chair of the firm’s Business Services Department. “With our existing corporate and real estate attorneys nationally and the newest members of the group on both coasts, Seyfarth Shaw is well positioned to help our clients seize opportunities emanating from the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and related government actions during this turbulent economic cycle.”

“This team of adroit attorneys adds a vibrant transactional mix to our office that continues to thrive even in this tough economic environment,” said John P. Napoli, Co-Managing Partner of the firm’s New York office and Chair of the firm’s Tax Practice Group. “In addition to increasing our corporate and finance capacity in New York, we now offer a robust trusts and estates practice, which is a completely new offering for our office. Our new colleagues also share the premium we place on teamwork and they’re a good fit with the culture of our firm.”

“My colleagues and I are delighted to join Seyfarth Shaw’s team of talented business services attorneys both here in New York and across the country,” said Bloch. “We look forward to a prodigious future at our new home and look forward to helping grow our firm’s presence in the corporate arena in New York.”

Attorney Biographies
Douglas F. Allen, Jr. (Of Counsel) practices sophisticated estate planning for high net-worth individuals and families. He also is actively engaged in the general representation of tax-exempt organizations, with a primary emphasis on tax and contribution planning. Allen received his A.B. from Harvard University, his M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Stanley E. Bloch (Partner) focuses on corporate transactions and is well known for providing corporate legal services (including M&A transactional services) to the telecommunications industry. He has devoted a substantial portion of his career to serving the cable television, wireless telephone and paging industries. Bloch’s practice includes mergers and acquisitions, sales, disposition and financing with an emphasis in intellectual property and information technology. He is an alumnus of Ohio University where he earned his B.B.A., and he earned his J.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his LL.M. (Taxation) at New York University School of Law. 

Lawrence B. Brownridge (Partner) has extensive experience in representing domestic and foreign developers and institutional lenders in the development, leasing and financing of office buildings, hotels, shopping centers, sports facilities, condominiums, cooperatives, apartment buildings, mixed use complexes, vacant land and warehouses. He earned his B.A. (with honors) from Tulane University and his J.D. from Tulane Law School.

Yoni Frider (Associate) is a member of the Corporate & Finance Practice Group. Prior to practicing law in the United States, Frider was an associate at an Israeli firm where he represented private and public companies in corporate and real estate matters. He received his B.A. (cum laude) from Haifa University, an LL.B. from Tel-Aviv University School of Law and he earned his LL.M. from Fordham University School of Law.

E. Ann Gill (Partner) has a broad background in corporate finance, including debt and equity private placements, private acquisitions and acquisition financing, public tax-exempt financing, off balance sheet leases and debt, equity and lease workouts, restructurings and recapitalizations. Her clients include private equity funds, pension funds and foundations and other taxable and tax-exempt investors and investment vehicles. She earned her B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and her J.D. from Columbia Law School where she was Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. 

Joel M. Handel (Partner) practices corporate law, including mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and consolidations. He has a formal background and training in accounting and tax law and is uniquely qualified to structure, negotiate and successfully conclude a variety of complex financial business transactions. Handel is routinely involved in corporate, finance and securities matters, including corporate reorganizations, restructurings and family businesses, including generation transfers. He has concentrated his law practice on advising consumer products companies, with a special emphasis on the toy industry. Today, Handel is widely recognized for his role in legal representation of major toy manufacturers. Handel is an alumnus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his B.S. and he earned his J.D. at Columbia Law School.

Christopher J. Lagno (Partner) has thirty years of experience handling trusts and estates. He represents individuals in sophisticated estate and tax planning matters as well as in the preparation of wills and all types of trust agreements. He serves as legal counsel to executors and trustees in all facets of the administration of simple and complicated estates and trusts. Lagno earned his B.A. (summa cum laude) from State University of New York at Albany, his J.D. from Albany Law School and his LL.M. from New York University School of Law.

Ying Li (Associate) is a member of the firm’s Corporate and Finance Practice Group. She received her LL.B. (International Financial Law) from Sun Yat-Sen University School of Law where she also earned her First Year Master of Private International Law. She earned her LL.M. from Indiana University School of Law and her J.D. from Cornell Law School.

Andrew Lucano (Partner) concentrates his practice in representing clients in mergers and acquisitions, general corporate and securities matters. Lucano represents both sellers and buyers in a range of M&A transactions, with a particular focus in the communications industry representing cable operators and financial entities in the sale and purchase of cable systems located throughout the country. He also has experience in securities law compliance and corporate governance matters and advises public companies regarding periodic reporting obligations and other Securities and Exchange Commission related matters. Lucano received his B.S. (cum laude) from State University of New York at Albany and he earned his J.D. (cum laude) from St. John's University School of Law.

Lawrence D. Mandelker (Associate) represents clients in estate planning matters, focusing on asset preservation and minimization of estate, gift and income taxes, and by preparing Wills and Trust Agreements. He also represents clients in individual as well as fiduciary capacities regarding probate matters, the administration of estates and trusts, and in estate and trust litigation. He received his B.A. from Columbia University, his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and his LL.M. (Taxation) from New York University School of Law.

Ani C. Manoukian (Associate) concentrates her practice representing clients primarily in mergers and acquisitions, general corporate, and securities matters. Manoukian has represented both sellers and buyers in a range of public and private transactions, including stock and asset transactions in the telecommunications industry, particularly in cable television. She received her B.A. at Tufts University and earned her J.D. at Fordham Law School.

Eric D. Martins (Of Counsel) focuses his practice on corporate transactions and has extensive experience handling corporate, securities, business law and real estate matters. Martins is involved in public and private equity and debt financings on behalf of underwriters, placement agents and issuers. He also serves as legal counsel on a number of sophisticated mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, both negotiated and contested, and advises clients on commercial loan transactions, including asset-based financing and equipment leasing. Martins is an alumnus of New York University where he earned both his B.A. and his J.D. from the university’s School of Law.

William B. Norden (Partner) brings more than 39 years of trust and estate experience representing corporate executives, owners of closely held businesses, real estate operators, developers and other high net worth individuals. He is involved in all aspects of estate and trust and administration, litigation and planning. Norden earned his B.S. from Brooklyn College and his J.D. from New York University School of Law.

David M. Warburg (Partner) concentrates his practice on corporate finance, securities, and real estate financing transactions, with emphasis on public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity funds, real estate investment funds and joint ventures, PIPEs, SPACs, corporate restructurings, and international transactions. He has over 25 years of experience representing both sources and users of capital in private placements and initial public offerings by U.S. and foreign companies of equity and debt securities, formation of U.S. domestic and offshore funds, and private equity technology and real estate-related investments. Warburg represents public and private U.S. and foreign companies in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, debt and equity restructurings, and general corporate, contract, and securities law matters. His practice includes an international component which focuses on Europe, Israel and China. Warburg received his B.A. from Yeshiva University and earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Seyfarth Shaw’s New York Office Seyfarth Shaw first opened its New York office in 1979 with seven attorneys. Today, the office has roughly 100 attorneys, many of whom are also admitted to practice in New Jersey and Connecticut. Practices represented in the New York office include: Bankruptcy, Workouts & Business Reorganization; Commercial Class Action Defense; Commercial Litigation; Corporate; Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation; Labor & Employment; Real Estate; Securities & Financial Litigation; Structured & Real Estate Finance; Tax; and Trade Secrets, Computer Fraud, & Non-Competes.

About Seyfarth
Shaw Seyfarth Shaw has over 750 attorneys located in nine offices throughout the United States including Chicago; New York; Boston; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Houston; Los Angeles; San Francisco and Sacramento; as well as Brussels, Belgium. The firm provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of business services, labor and employment, employee benefits and litigation. Seyfarth Shaw’s practice reflects virtually every industry and segment of the country’s business and social fabric. Clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, newspapers and other media, hotels, health care organizations, airlines and railroads. The firm also represents a number of federal, state, and local governmental and educational entities. For more information, please visit www.seyfarth.com.