I am an attorney practicing in New York State. My focus is on estate planning, estate administration, elder law and real estate law. I also service a variety of other clients’ needs. My 40 years in practice enable me to offer my clients a broad base of knowledge and experience.

My practice is primarily in the following counties:

• New York County (Manhattan)
• Bronx County
• Kings County (Brooklyn)
• Queens County
• Nassau County
• Westchester County
• Rockland County
• Suffolk County

As a resident of the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. I am uniquely available to serve my neighbors in Northern Manhattan.

For detailed information about me, see my profile on LinkedIn.

I am a solo practitioner.  Your case has my personal attention from beginning to end.  You do not get shunted to an associate.

I enjoy analyzing my clients’ situations, educating my clients as to the law, helping them make decisions and drafting carefully-structured, comprehensive, precise documents. Every paper that I prepare and every action that I take is tailored to your particular situation.

I place a premium on thoroughness, attention to detail, knowledge of the law, precision of thought and grammatical correctness in writing. A culture of professionalism is what I strive for — but without pomposity. I prize a relationship of informality with my clients. Call me “Mark.” Working with me should be a pleasant experience. Accessibility, too, is important; the meter is not running every time you call or email.

I am actively involved with my colleagues in the law, learning from them, educating them, keeping abreast of new developments and exchanging ideas.  On each of the Practice Area pages I mention my involvement with the legal community in that field of law.

We all wish that life were simpler than it is. Unfortunately, the modern world is not simple – particularly legal affairs. What may seem uncomplicated to your legally untrained eye usually has complexities that you are not aware of. I provide the knowledge, judgment and skill that make you aware of and guide you through the complexities.  I serve clients who take their affairs seriously — who seek a trusted advisor, advocate and drafter of first-class documents, not merely someone who churns out pro forma “paperwork.”

There is a natural desire to adhere to the acronym KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid.  I prefer the motto KICS – KEEP IT CAREFUL, AND SAFE!  You do not need a lawyer to confirm what you want to hear.  You need a lawyer to TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, in order to accomplish what you want to achieve.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

I am proud to serve as co-chairperson of the New York County Lawyers’ Association Section on Estates, Trusts and Surrogate’s Court practice and as chairperson of the New York City Bar Association Small Law Firm Committee’s Trusts and Estates Mentoring Circle.

I participated in the drafting of Section-2307-a of the New York Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act, which regulates the commissions of attorney-executors.

I am a member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the New York State Bar Association

I am an active member of the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association,  the Committee on Legal Problems of the Aging of the New York City Bar Association and the  Elder Law Section of the New York County Lawyers’ Association.

Currently, I serve on a task force of the New York City Bar Association to critique changes to the New York Power of Attorney Statutes that have been proposed to the State Legislature.

I am a member of the Real Property Law Section, the Committee on Title and Transfer and the Committee on Condominiums and Cooperatives of the New York State Bar Association and of the Real Property Law Committee of the New York County Lawyers’ Association.

I was an active participant on the committee of the New York State Bar Association that drafted what became the standard contract for the sale/purchase of a cooperative apartment.

ABOUT ME PERSONALLY:

Clients like to relate to their attorney on a person-to-person level, as well as participants in a professional relationship.  So, here are the essentials  about me:

Married, with two grown children and three grandchildren

Lifelong baseball fan, specifically the Yankees.  I have attended games in 38 different major league ballparks over my lifetime.

Lifelong hockey fan, specifically the Rangers.  A highlight of my life is the night they won the Stanley Cup.

Play ice hockey, although a friendly, casual version of it, with probably the longest-running pickup game group in America

Other sports:  Bicycling, cross-country skiing, hiking

Have visited 55 of the 61 United States national parks and 18 of the national monuments, plus eight Canadian national parks.  Advocate for our public lands.

Former president of my synagogue and long-time member of its board of trustees

Traveled to fifteen countries

Amateur photographer (the photos you see on this website were all taken by me)

Longtime member of the Folk Music Society of New York

Student of history