August and September were big months for Yankwitt LLP and our attorneys. In August, managing partner Russell Yankwitt was named to the 2020 Best Lawyers in America® list in the area of Commercial Litigation, and just a month later, Russ and partner Kathy Marks were named to the 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers list in the Business Litigation category. This is the Russ’ ninth and Kathy’s seventh year on the list. Russ also was honored as one of Super Lawyers’ Top 25 Lawyers in Westchester and one of the Top 100 Lawyers in New York. Counsel Craig Cepler made his debut appearance on the 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars list also in the Business Litigation category. The Super Lawyers list recognizes no more than 5 percent of attorneys in each state.
Also in September, Yankwitt LLP was honored with the Best of Business award for the Best Law Firm in Westchester County by 914Inc. magazine. Three hundred people attended the inaugural event at the Crowne Plaza hotel in White Plains, which honored businesses in 32 categories.
Yankwitt LLP Settles Two Cases for More than a Million Dollars Each Just Days Before Trial
Twice this past summer, Yankwitt LLP settled plaintiffs-side cases in Westchester County Supreme Court just days before trial. In the first case, Tanner v. Treglia, 67499/2016 (West. Sup. Ct.), Yankwitt LLP represented an elderly woman who suffers from memory loss and dementia in a suit against her former bookkeeper for fraud, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty, and unjust enrichment. After the jury was selected and with Yankwitt LLP poised to try the case, the defendant settled, agreeing to pay $1 million in resolution of all claims.
In the second case (Trust of Violet Nelson v. Gerald Leibman, et al., 60763/2017 (West. Sup. Ct. Comm. Div.)), Yankwitt LLP represented residential building owners in a suit against their building manager for breach of fiduciary duty and conversion arising out of the defendant’s embezzlement of funds. Yankwitt LLP took over the case from another law firm at the end of discovery and reopened discovery to obtain critical additional documents and testimony. On the eve of trial, the defendant settled, agreeing to pay Yankwitt’s clients $1.237 million as part of a buyout and resolution of claims.
New York Law Journal Publishes Article on Proposed Rule Changes to Make Litigation More Cost Efficient
The New York Law Journal published the article, “Balancing Litigation Costs: The Need for Automatic Discovery Stays,” by partners Russell Yankwitt and Dina Hammerman in the August 15, 2019 issue of the newspaper. This is the first of a three-part series proposing modifications to trial and appellate procedure that can help clients reduce their legal spend. In this article, the authors propose amending the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to comport with the position taken by many state courts, including New York, to stay all discovery upon the filing of a dispositive motion to dismiss a complaint.
Yankwitt LLP Sponsors Light the Night Walk on October 26, 2019; Join Yankwitt Tough
Yankwitt LLP is a proud sponsor of the 2019 Light the Night walk on October 26, 2019, at Rye Playland. We encourage you to join our team, Yankwitt Tough, or just stop by our booth. Donations are welcome and can be made through our team website.
Light the Night is an annual event that raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The LLS’s long-term vision and investment in research led to its support of 15 of the 18 new FDA-approved treatments for blood cancer patients in 2018. Because blood cells are easier to access and study than solid tumor cells, many therapies initially approved for blood cancers are now being tested for other cancers – including breast, lung, pancreatic and prostate cancer.
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