Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Jared Altman has over twenty seven years experience in the legal field. While still in law school he worked in the District Attorney's Office assisting with the prosecution of matters such as driving while intoxicated or impaired, assault and larceny. He also represented disabled persons seeking Social Security Disability benefits. Upon graduating Hofstra University Law School with distinction in 1981, he entered the litigation field with positions at law firms emphasizing personal injury and commercial litigation. There he was exposed to cases involving automobiles, buses, subways, false arrest, infantâs claims, burns and animal bites, to name a few. He was then recruited by what was then the worldâs oldest and largest insurance company to defend the companyâs insureds in various kinds of lawsuits, from falls and auto accidents through complex elevator and construction accident cases, including appellate work. He also represented the company itself in numerous lawsuits in both State and Federal courts, including the prosecution of subrogation claims, defending arbitrations and in declaratory judgment actions to determine insurance coverage. He rose through the ranks to become the Senior New York City Trial Attorney assigned primarily to the Manhattan Supreme Court.

Mr. Altman was then invited to join the litigation department of one of New Yorkâs preeminent real estate firms, whose practice focused on condominium and cooperative law. Mr. Altman handled complex real estate lawsuits and helped found the firmâs personal injury practice. While there he worked on all kinds of litigation, including personal injury and accident cases, medical malpractice actions, shareholderâs derivative lawsuits, commercial and residential landlord and tenant proceedings, regulatory hearings and more. Mr. Altman also handled residential and commercial real estate closings and such diverse matters as commercial leasing and tax certiorari (fighting real estate tax increases for apartment buildings and complexes). Mr. Altman even got involved in legal matters in such far flung places as England, Puerto Rico, California, Virginia and Florida. Mr. Altman further assisted one of the senior partners, a renowned criminal defense attorney, with the defense of various criminal prosecutions such as rape, conspiracy and grand larceny. He also handled estate planning and administration. He ultimately ascended to lead the litigation department as Senior Litigation Partner.

In 1996, Mr. Altman began relocating his practice to the greater Hudson Valley while remaining active in New York City. By 1999, Mr. Altman had moved his office to Peekskill and had shifted his practice from primarily New York City centered to focus more on Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland and Orange Counties, although he still handles matters in all five boroughs of New York City and in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Mr. Altman also has colleagues that handle out-of-state matters for him in places such as Connecticut, New Jersey, Florida, California and Puerto Rico.

Mr. Altman's practice is now quite diverse and draws upon the wide expanse of experience he has gained over the years. He handles all kinds of personal injury cases, such as auto accidents and falls, medical and other professional malpractice, wrongful death, all kinds of real estate deals and real estate litigation such as closings and landlord and tenant proceedings, criminal law, including DWI, and wills, trusts and estates. Mr. Altman also qualified to and serves on the panel of criminal defense attorneys available for assignment to defendants who cannot afford their own attorney.

Mr. Altman is a broadly and thoroughly seasoned attorney who brings vast experience to bear in all matters he handles. His personal touch is on every file in the office. Mr. Altman takes pride in keeping his clients fully informed about the status of their matters and strives to educate them so that they can make informed decisions about the strategies to be employed and the merits and pitfalls of all possible resolutions. One hundred percent of clients surveyed have indicated that they would use him again and that they would recommend Mr. Altman to others. That is the kind of attorney that you want on your side.

Best of all, Mr. Altman offers free telephone consultations in any matter an there is no attorney fee unless and until there is a recovery in personal injury, accident, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims.

So please call right away for your free consultation!

Harold Dee, a former New York City Traffic Court Judge, officiated at over twenty five thousand (25,000) hearings involving violations of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. Mr. Dee is based in the Hudson Valley in Westchester County, New York. He appears regularly in all Westchester, Rockland, NYC, Putnam, and Dutchess County Courts. The practice is limited to alcohol and operation related issues as well as violations of speeding and other traffic related issues throughout New York's Hudson Valley.

Michael Pollok is an experienced criminal defense attorney who focuses his practice on criminal matters in federal and state courts, as well as regulatory investigations and hearings. Mr. Pollok understands that, whether a matter involves a complex white-collar investigation or a misdemeanor or domestic dispute, a client involved in criminal or regulatory proceedings deserves sensitive, effective counsel with the experience and judgment to handle all aspects of the judicial process.

While working as a prosecutor, Brian Berkowitz was appointed by the District Attorney of Rockland County as the Senior Assistant District Attorney in charge of the Driving While Intoxicated Bureau. In this supervisory role, he was responsible for the training of prosecutors and the review and assessment of every Driving While Intoxicated (DWI / DUI) case brought before the District Attorney's Office, as well as personally handling the most serious misdemeanor and felony Driving While Intoxicated cases from inception to trial.

As a Criminal Defense Attorney, Brian Berkowitz has utilized his insight and vast background and experience on both sides of the criminal justice system to diligently defend those charged with Driving While Intoxicated and all other Criminal matters before the Courts of Rockland County and the State of New York.

A Driving While Intoxicated (DWI / DUI) charge, unlike most other crimes, not only subjects you to criminal sanctions, but will also have serious ramifications on your driving privileges as early as the first Court appearance. The laws of the State of New York allow for the prompt and immediate suspension of your driving privileges based solely upon an alleged blood alcohol level (.08 or greater), as well as the immediate suspension of your driving privileges for refusing to submit to a chemical test to determine your blood alcohol concentration.

If you or someone you care about has been charged with Driving While Intoxicated or any other Criminal matter, please contact Brian Berkowitz to discuss your case and the options available to you.

Law Office of Brian Berkowitz
845-638-9200

DWI and Criminal Defense Lawyer (Attorney) serving All Rockland County (NY) Courts: Town of Clarkstown, Town of Ramapo, Town of Stony Point, Town of Haverstraw, Town of Orangetown, Village of Spring Valley, Village of Nyack, Village of Suffern, Village of South Nyack, Village of Piermont, Village of Airmont, Village of Haverstraw, Village of Wesley Hills, Village of Chestnut Ridge, Village of West Haverstraw, Village of Sloatsburg, Village of Grandview, Village of Upper Nyack, Village of New Square, Village of Hillburn, New York State Thruway and Palisades Interstate Parkway.

Terry D. Horner is of counsel to the Law Firm of Marco Caviglia. A practicing attorney for 28 years, he is a 1978 graduate of New York University and a 1981 graduate of Brooklyn Law School. Mr. Horner is admitted to the New York Bar, all four federal District Courts in New York State, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Mr. Horner has represented civil and criminal clients in more than 115 appeals in the New York courts, with successes in the Court of Appeals, all four Appellate Divisions, and Appellate Term. Mr. Horner has been approved to handle assigned criminal appeals in the Second and Third Departments of the Appellate Division. In addition, he has researched and written over 1,000 motions across the state involving a wide range of procedural and substantive issues.

Mr. Horner was formerly an appellate partner in a major state-wide personal injury law firm, and was in public service as Chief Appellate Counsel for the Office of the Public Defender in Dutchess County, New York.

Manuel Portela
Manuel@portelalaw.com
Law School: The Washington College of Law at American University, Degree: JD 1990
Undergraduate School: Fordham University, 1986
Foreign Language: Spanish

Manuel Portela Esq. is the founding partner of The Portela Law Firm, P.C. He specializes in Corporate and Commercial Law, Criminal Defense and Personal Injury.

After graduating from Fordham University and American University Washington College of Law, Mr. Portela accepted an appointment as an Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney‘s Office in New York. During his tenure as an Assistant District Attorney, he received extensive training and instruction in the Criminal Court Bureau, Early Case Assessment Bureau, Felony Investigations Bureau and the Supreme Court Bureau. Among the Felony and Misdemeanor cases that he successfully won, he resolved thousands of cases through effective plea negotiations. After his resignation Mr. Portela diversified his practice representing businesses as well as individuals.

Manuel Portela launched The Portela Law Firm, P.C. with the aim of fighting relentlessly to assert and protect the interest of his clients as well as providing professional and compassionate representation to New York‘s diverse population.

Work Experience, Certifications and awards:

King County Assistant District Attorney, Senior Trial Attorney (1990-1995)
American University International Law Journal, Senior Editor
New York Federal Reserve Bank, 1986, Division: Domestic Bank Examinations- Domestic Bank Examiner