| Biographies |
| Alan J. Schwartz, Principal / Attorney |
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Mr. Schwartz, a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Hofstra University with High Honors in English and a graduate of the St. John's University School of Law, is admitted to practice before all Courts of the State of New York, the United States District Courts of the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York State, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors and an officer of the Jewish Lawyers Association of Nassau County, and Co-Chairs the Gotham Suffolk Networking Group, and his professional affiliations include the Nassau Lawyers’ Association of Long Island, the Former Assistant District Attorneys Association, the American Judges Association, the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar Associations, the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Nassau County, the Garden City Chamber of Commerce, the Network of Allied Professionals, Inc. (to which the Firm serves as counsel), the Long Island Business Associates, the Long Island Business Resource Association, the Attorney-Accountant Professional Roundtable,the Gotham Long Island Legal Networking Group, the Attorney Round Table, the Lawyer’s Round Table, the Professional Roundtable, the Garden City Business Club and the Accountant/Attorney Networking Group Inc. Mr. Schwartz has served on the faculties of St. John's University and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, lectured in the Trial Techniques Program of the Hofstra University School of Law served as a judge on the Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute, the St. John's University Law Invitational Mock Trial Tournament, and Nassau County Bar Association National Civil Rights Trial Competition, as well as the New York University Downtown Invitational Classic with the American Mock Trial Association, and serves as a Nassau County Arbitrator.Mr. Schwartz has served as a member of the Long Island Association and its Small Business Council, is licensed as a Real Estate Broker in the State of New York and serves on the Advisory Board of the First American Title Insurance Company of New York. Mr. Schwartz offers his experience to other attorneys as a mentor, in the "Of Counsel Mentor Program" of the Nassau County Bar Association, and currently serves as a member of its Criminal Court Law and Procedure, Real Property Law, District Court, General/Solo/Small Firm Practice and Technology and Practice Management Committees, having previously served on its General Practice, Plaintiff's Round Table, Professional Ethics (and the Executive Sub-Committee thereof), Community Relations and Public Education’s Senior Citizens Forum Sub-Committee, Corporation Law and Law Practice Management Committees. He also currently serves as a member of the Criminal Law, District Court, Real Property and Solo & Small Firm Practitioners Committees of the Suffolk County Bar Association, having previously served on its Law Office Management, Banking, Commercial and Corporate Law Committees. In the five years he spent as an Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County, Mr. Schwartz practiced in the District Court Trial Bureau, the Grand Jury Bureau and the County Court Trial Bureau. He was also a member of the specialized Sex Crimes Unit of the District Attorney's Office, and served as a member of a select Criminal Justice Task Force with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, studying and providing recommendations concerning Systems Improvements for Enhanced Community Safety in the State of New York. Mr. Schwartz serves as the New York Representative of the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network, LLC.Mr. Schwartz resides on Long Island with his wife. In their leisure time, the Schwartz family spends their summers enjoying golf, bicycling and boating, and are former members of the Huntington Yacht Club. Mr. Schwartz plays golf regularly, and is member at the Hamlet Golf & Country Club. Mr. Schwartz is an avid car enthusiast and motorcyclist, served as a member of the Long Island Corvette Owners Association (to which the Firm served as counsel) and a charter member of Long Island Vettes. Mr. Schwartz is also a member of the American Motorcyclist Association and the Harley Owners Group, and served as a member, Road Captain, Activities Director and Assistant Director of the Long Island Chapter, as well as a member of the Woodstock Chapter. The Schwartz family spend their winters skiing at Windham Mountain, where Mr. Schwartz was a founding member of the Ski Windham Commerce Club, and his son actively competed for years as a member of the Windham Mountain Alpine Racing Team, later racing as a captain of the Brandeis Ski Team and the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association. In his little “spare time”, Mr. Schwartz is an active supporter
of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Arthritis Foundation.
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| Pierre Bazile |
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PIERRE BAZILE is a graduate of the New York City Police Department, Police Academy, St. Joseph' College, and Touro Law School. Prior to his 2007 admission to the Bar, he served for fourteen years as a Police Officer with the New York City Police Department. He brings hands-on law enforcement experience, insight, and training into the courtroom in defense of criminal matters ranging from traffic summonses to serious felonies.
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| Andre L. Ferenzo, Of Counsel |
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ANDRE L. FERENZO, a graduate of New York University and Brooklyn Law School, is admitted to practice before all Courts of the State of New York and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. From 1971 to 1975 he served as Law Secretary to Judge F. William Guma in the Civil Court, Queens County, after which he was a partner in a law firm, in charge of the firm's litigation practice, until 1995. Since that time, Mr. Ferenzo began his own practice, after which he became of counsel to the Law Offices of Alan J. Schwartz. Mr. Ferenzo is responsible for a wide range of civil matters for
the firm including, among others, personal injury, matrimonial,
medical and dental malpractice, product liability and construction
litigation, as well as litigating extensively in the area of
commercial and corporate transactions. Mr. Ferenzo also has many
years of experience in the area of election law, and has represented
national, state and local candidates for public office, including
candidates for the Presidency of the United States. |
| Randy L. Braun, Of Counsel |
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RANDY L. BRAUN, a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Pace University [where he was elected to the prestigious Alpha Chi National Academic Honor Society] and a graduate of the Fordham University School of Law [where he won appointment as a member of the Moot Court Board], is admitted to practice before all Courts of the State of New York, the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Braun became a partner in a New York City firm in 1996, and opened his own practice in 2004, after which he became of counsel to the Law Offices of Alan J. Schwartz. Mr. Braun has represented employers and individuals in the areas of labor, employment, discrimination, human resource, prevailing wage and construction law matters. His philosophy is one of creativity and pragmatism as he consistently strives to achieve the best possible result for the client, and to make the client's experience in working with an attorney a positive one. |
| Beth Polner Abrahams, Of Counsel |
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For over 22 years, Beth Polner Abrahams has provided quality legal representation to seniors and the disabled, as well as customized estate planning to meet the personal needs of families, their children and other loved ones. Ms. Polner Abrahams is a member of the New York State, Nassau and Suffolk Bar Associations and has lectured for the N.Y.S. Bar Association. She is past chairperson and a current member of Senior Umbrella Network of Nassau (SUNN), an association of business professionals and advocates involved with seniors, and a member of the Suffolk and Queens County SUNs. She is also co-chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Elder Law, Social Services and Health Advocacy Committee. Ms. Polner Abrahams is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Ms. Polner Abrahams has published articles on planning for the
disabled and supplemental needs trusts, guardianship proceedings and
estate and elder law planning for dignified aging. |
| Riva Gaft Schwartz, Office Manager |
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Riva Gaft Schwartz serves as the Firm’s Office Manager, IT
Manager and is also trained as a paralegal specializing in
residential real estate transactions, representing sellers,
purchasers and lenders. Ms. Schwartz brings a marketing and
financial management background to the Law Offices of Alan J.
Schwartz, having retired as Vice President/General Manager of
Robertson-Shipmate, Inc., an international marine electronics
conglomerate. During that time, she was responsible for all phases
of operation with particular concentration in marketing, and managed
three locations in the United States and was a member of the Board
of Directors. Ms Schwartz has also lectured internationally and
published numerous articles a variety of trade publications.
Subsequently, Ms. Schwartz was extremely active with the Half Hollow
Hills PTA and REACH/CYA, having coordinated parenting programs for
the Half Hollow Hills School District, lobbied legislators on behalf
of the district. Ms. Schwartz also serves as Park Steward for the
Otsego Park in Dix Hills. Ms. Schwartz attended Syracuse University
and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in
February, 1975. |
| Cristina Dias, Legal Assistant |
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CRISTINA DIAS comes to us as an experienced legal assistant from New York City, having also worked in the medical field. Cristina is tri-lingual, speaking Spanish, Portuguese and English fluently, and is pleased to be working closer to home. Top |
| Mareza Rivera |
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Mareza Rivera comes to us as an experienced legal assistant, is working towards a degree in social work and is bi-lingual, fluent in both English and Spanish. Mareza is enthusiastic about being the newest member of Team Schwartz, and looks forward to the continued development of her career in the legal profession. |